Professor Arc: Student of Vacuo
by Kat-2V
Summary: Inspired by Coeur Al'Aran's Professor Arc story, this asks the simple question: What if Jaune had actually attended the Vacuo Academy for Gifted Youths as he claimed? Between a fake resume, a sociopath for a partner, criminal contacts, White Fang agents, and overall bad luck... it's going to take everything he's got keep his cover at Beacon.
1. Origins I: Arrival & Luck

_**Hey all. My Mass Effect muse is currently on life support, so I decided to work on a little side project to try and get back into the flow of things. This story is based on Coeur Al'Aran's Professor Arc story (with his permission), and the idea is pretty simple; What if Jaune, several years older than canon, had actually attended the Vacuo Academy for Gifted Youth?**_ _ **This story is, by necessity, going to involve several OC's, but it will focus primarily on Jaune and Neo.**_

* * *

 _ **Author's addendum: When I originally began this story, it was intended to just be the first ten chapters as a minor project to get my muse working once more. It has obviously grown since then, quite significantly in fact. For those you looking for my take on Professor Arc alone, without the Vacuo prologue, feel free to skip to chapter eleven. I'll warn you that you might miss a few things about his background, but I've had a few people request I at least make a note indicating where the core story begins.  
**_

 _ **Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy. ~ Kat.**_

* * *

 **Arrival and Luck**

* * *

Jaune Arc was in trouble.

It turned out that his armor and hoodie, while plenty comfortable on the long flight from Vacuo City, was far less so when exposed to the blazing heat of the countryside. Combined with the airsickness he'd suffered through the entire trip and he knew he smelled as bad as he looked within a couple of minutes of landing. Pretty much every other prospective student had cleared out of his general area and were now studiously ignoring his existence.

One, a tiny slip of a girl with multi-colored hair, had glared at him while she held her nose shut. He'd made a mental note to avoid her, and as many other cute girls as possible... at least until he could get cleaned up.

 _Way make a first impression Jaune..._ He groaned as he finished emptying his stomach into a convenient trash-bin. _...everyone's going to want to be your friend now._

The plan had seemed so simple back home. It had always been his dream to be a hero, to be someone that others could look up to, to be... something more than the weak kid who'd needed his sisters to defend him. His younger sisters on a couple of humiliating occasions. But given that his dad hadn't let him attend Signal, he'd never really had a chance to pass Beacon's entrance exam and he'd known it.

So... when he'd been fifteen, he'd come up with a plan to get around that little problem. Working odd jobs had made his parents happy, but more importantly they'd given him enough money to pay a personal trainer to help get him into shape. It wasn't anything as good as getting trained by a real huntsman, but since his dad was on first name terms with everyone in Ansel his options had been limited.

Then, when he'd gotten old enough and had enough lien saved up, he'd put stage two into effect. Attending Beacon may have been his dream, but... it was safer to go farther away. Way farther away. Vacuo farther away. It helped that Vacuo's reputation had been entirely accurate, and it hadn't taken him all that long to find a forger willing to take all of his extra savings in exchange for some false transcripts that glorified his education at Signal Academy on Patch.

Everything had been going great, the guy had even unlocked his aura for him! The next day even better news had come in, since both Shade, located in the city itself, and the Vacuo Academy had accepted the fake transcripts as real and offered him a spot in their upcoming classes. After a bit of debate he'd chosen the latter for the fact that it also trained younger students. That meant there'd be plenty of books and other materials on the subjects he hadn't been able to learn on his own. He'd still be behind, but if he worked hard he might be able to mitigate that.

He hoped.

Sighing and wiping his mouth, he straightened and tried to take a better look around. The school was set on a broad plateau overlooking the Southern Ocean, but not so close that the temperature was anything less than scorching. There was a decent sized little city on the coast, he didn't know the name of it off the top of his head, but apart from that and the blue on the horizon there wasn't all that much to see. Just an odd stepped pyramid looking structure that seemed to be the heart of the school, with plenty of smaller adobe style buildings all around it.

Colorful awnings stretched out from most of the buildings, providing at least some degree of shade, and he wasn't surprised at all to see misters running while older students jealously hogged the cool spaces. It seemed like half the school had turned out to see the new kids, and he noticed more than a few pointing in his direction and sneering as they laughed with one another.

Yeah, not exactly the glamorous arrival he'd been hoping for.

 _Right... step three, complete, I made it._ He huffed out a breath and grimaced as he smelled it, … _new step four, have to find a bathroom and get changed, maybe brush my teeth. Preferably before-_

"Prospects!" A deep baritone shouted from somewhere nearby, "Prospects this way! You lot have initiation!"

It was all he could do to sigh and wipe his mouth, straightening as best he could. Making sure his backpack with all of his worldly possessions was in place, and that Crocea Mors was secure on his belt, he set off after the rest of the nervous seventeen year olds. They all shuffled along a path away from the landing area, perhaps twenty teens gathering around a man standing on a crate not far from the landing pads.

He was tall, built, and was strangely wearing a thick green trench coat with a fedora... and the jerk seemed entirely comfortable despite the fact that the rest of them were sweating enough that Jaune's own smell was hardly noticeable.

"Right." He continued, "I'm Professor Verde, I'll be your combat instructor assuming any of you lot manage to survive the rest of the day."

Jaune tried not to swallow nervously, and only barely noticed a few others doing the same. A tall, dark skinned girl who'd ended up beside him seemed to be nearly as terrified as he was... which was an oddly comforting thing to see. At least he wasn't alone.

"Most of the other schools give you a day to settle in, prepare yourselves, that kind of crap." Verde continued, "We don't bother with that out here, easier to ship you all back in the same day if you don't make the cut. Drop your luggage over here, keep any travel packs on you. The initiation itself is simple, doesn't mean it's easy. We're going to drop you all off on an island just off the coast. Your goal is to get to the boats we've left on the shore. Any questions?"

Blinking a few times, Jaune glanced around, then nervously held his arm up in the air. "Um, sir?"

"Good." He grunted, ignoring him entirely and hopping down. "Get your asses back to the Bullheads."

There was a quiet sound, and the girl next to him murmured, her voice soft. "Maybe he didn't hear you?"

"Maybe?" Jaune shook his head, already turning around. The benefit of being in the back during the speech meant he was now in the front. "At least we'll get good seats."

She blinked a few times... it was rather adorable. As much as he wanted to he couldn't stop his hormone driven eyes from flicking up and down her. She was about as tall as he was, oddly tall for a girl, with short cropped black hair, and just like him she seemed inappropriately dressed for the climate. A black skirt and dark, robe like blouse covered almost all of her skin save for her face. Her eyes were an odd shade of pale yellow, and they narrowed a little as she realized what he'd just done.

"Sorry." Jaune fought not to squeak. Heroes didn't squeak when they got caught checking out a girl. He flailed for a couple of seconds to get out of the trouble he'd just bought himself, and waved a hand at the thing hanging from her back. "I was.. just trying to see what your weapon was."

"Oh." Her features, more cute than really pretty, pulled into a frown. It was pretty clear that she didn't believe him, but seemed wiling to give him a pass as she reached back and touched the thick metal rod protruding from over her shoulder. "It's a collapsible dust flail. That sword yours?"

Jaune nodded, grateful for the escape. "Yeah! Crocea Mors, it's a family heirloom."

"Heirloom?" She blinked, peering a little more intently at it.

"Yeah..." His voice trailed off as he remembered his father describing the sword's past... and felt a pang of guilt for having stolen the sword when he left. "My grandfather used it in the war."

"Oh." She offered quietly. "My grandfather fought too, my older sister has his weapon. An old mace that turns into a staff. Does yours have any mecha-shift?'

"Kind of?" Jaune patted the sheath, "The sheath can turn into a shield, but the sword is... well, it's a just a sword. What is a dust flail anyway?"

"You'll see... I hope." The last few words were a bare mutter that he almost missed, and she rushed indecently to move on. "Um, what was your name?"

"Oh, it's Jaune. Jaune Arc, short, sweet, rolls of the tongue. The la..." Those yellow yes narrowed again, and suddenly the line he'd practiced didn't seem quite as cool as he'd thought. He nearly bit his lip as he stopped himself, coughing a little self-consciously. "Um... what's yours?"

"Primula Fiora" She replied as they reached the Bullheads.

Apparently the pilots had gone off to take a quick break because they were shut down and the ramps were up, leaving them to stand around a bit awkwardly before the Professor bulled his way through the milling crowd.

Verde stopped near Jaune. Up close the guy was even larger than he'd thought, and he could see that his face was in dire need of a shave. Not that he said that, or dared glance at those hard green eyes for more than a couple of seconds.

That became doubly true when the Professor frowned, his nose wrinkling, and then glared at the young man before pointedly taking a few steps to the right to stand nearer to the aircraft. "Which of you idiots isn't from Vacuo?"

Jaune, Primula, and maybe six others slowly raised their hands.

The Professor pursed his lips, "You all have at least two bottles of water? Hold up how many you've got in fingers."

Jaune winced and held up an index finger, then blinked as he saw that Primula's right hand kept all five spread.

At least he wasn't alone, one of the other boys didn't have any at all, and the Professor had irritably sent that poor man off to grab a crate from a nearby building while they waited for the pilots.

"So..." He tried after maybe a minute of silence, "Where you from?"

Primula glanced at him, as if surprised that he was still trying to talk to her. "Mantle. You?"

"Outer Vale, little town called Ansel. What brought you here?"

"I... wanted to be a huntress, not a soldier." She spoke quietly, "Atlas is... well, Atlas. You?"

Jaune bit his lip before deciding to go with something like the truth, "My family didn't really approve of me becoming a hunter. Going to Beacon would have just been asking for them to try and drag me back home."

"Oh." Primula offered, going quiet again. She seemed comfortable in the silence, and comfortable despite her clothes.

He wasn't, and wiped a bit of sweat off of his brow. "How are you not sweating?"

"Clothes like this actually help with the heat." She shrugged a little, "I did a lot of research before we came in...you might want to take that sweater off."

"Yeah..." He bit his lip, then nodded and quickly began to work on getting his armor off. It was cheap stuff, the best he could afford with what little lien he'd had after meeting the forger, but hopefully it would help keep him alive.

Primula made a strangled noise when she saw his sweater, and didn't meet his eyes when he gave her an inquisitive look. _Girls... I don't know if I'll ever understand them._

Shucking the heavy material, he shoved it into his pack and re-arranged things a bit to leave his bottle of water on top. Then he got his armor back on over his plain orange t-shirt, already a bit sweat-stained, and had just settled everything into place when the other teen who'd been sent to gather water returned.

The Professor didn't get any less gruff while he made sure that everyone had at least two or three bottles on them. Then, when the pilots still hadn't shown up, he growled and stomped off to find them.

 _Right, this is your chance! She's smart, she thought ahead... doesn't seem to like flirting, is a bit nervous, but so are you and she's still taking with you! Remember to be confident!_

"So Primula," He gave her what he hoped was a confident smile, "You want to work together when we get to this island? Better than being alone, right?"

Those yellow eyes blinked a couple of times, then she seemed to give him a hesitant smile, "I... think that would work out. We'll just have to find two others."

His throat went a little dry, his brain nudging him with the memories of the welcome packet he'd skimmed. "Oh right, the rest of the team."

"Right." She nodded, glancing around at everyone else. Jaune did the same. The first person who met his gaze was the same girl who'd pinched her nose when she'd walked past him, though now she had a parasol out to shade her from the sun. That didn't stop her brown eyes from narrowing into another glare the second they met his.

Swallowing, he quickly moved on, and almost instantly realized that everyone else seemed to be pairing up with whoever was nearby. He tried to catch the eyes of a few others, to see if they'd be interested in working with them, but apparently his bit of airsickness had made everyone else just as determined to ignore him as the first girl.

Primula didn't seem to have any luck either, but the Professor returned with an annoyed pair of men in pilot's gear before they could come up with a better plan.

"Let's get this over with!" Verde shouted as the ramp lowered, a broad arm waving for everyone to get in.

He couldn't help but pause as they returned to the vomit-inducing machines, and it was with every degree of reluctance that he climbed in after his new friend taking a seat right next to the ramp. Primula bit her lip, having clearly wanted to sit farther near to the back... but after a couple of moments walked back and sat down beside him.

 _Oh my god this is awesome! A cute girl as a friend already? Who is going to work with me!? This is going even better than I hoped!_ Fighting to keep a dopey smile off of his face was hard as everyone else stomped onto the aircraft. The seats were filled up almost at once, leaving everyone else to stand around and clutch onto straps hanging from the ceiling.

Professor Verde was the last to get on, and he didn't bother with sitting or hanging on to anything, instead standing right next to the ramp as the Bullhead lifted off. It didn't take the big man more than a couple of seconds to notice Jaune's place nearby, and his features seemed to pull into another scowl.

Jaune swallowed and quickly looked down, staring at his sneakers. _...one friend and one enemy, and the enemy is a teacher. Maybe not as lucky as I thought. No, no Jaune! Don't think about that! This is it! You have to focus! This is your first day of learning to be a hunter, a hero, don't screw it up!_

The flight was far shorter, and his nerves were so bad that he didn't even notice the motion sickness until water shifted to sand and scrub trees. After maybe a minute the Bullhead dipped, and seemed to start circling the evident island.

"Right!" Verde began again "For those of you who are idiots and were too lazy to pay attention to the syllabus they sent out, you're all going to be divided into partners and teams. First person you run into the ground is your partner, and we're going to be watching so don't try and get out of it! Teams are made of two partnerships, and are determined by who finds what boat! Questions?"

"Yes sir!" He tried again, raising his voice over the engines. "Are you dropping us off or something?"

"Everyone stand up!" ...and once again, the Professor ignored him. "Off your butts! Line up behind blond and scrawny on the right, behind big and round on the left!"

Jaune glanced past the professor in time to see a giant young man rising from the chair opposite. He was, just as the Professor had said, huge... but not at all fat. Just massive in a way that made it hard to believe he was seventeen.

Behind him, Primula took a stab at asking a question, "Um, Professor Verde? If we all land in one spot, how do we figure out-"

Verde ignored her too, stabbing a finger at Jaune. "You're up first kid!"

His throat worked as he swallowed, "I'm... what?"

"Get over here." The Professor grabbed him by the armor and hauled him right to the edge of the ramp, making Jaune's heart start hammering as he realized just how high up they were, and quickly they were moving. "First test as students is on your landing strategy! It's pass-fail, so nothing to worry about!"

 _Landing strategy!? He can't be serious!_ He quickly turned around, suddenly desperate to stay on the nausea machine rather than facing the very long fall behind him. "Professor!? What-"

"Roll when you're near the ground." The Professor advised.

Jaune could only blink and gape, trying to process that. Before he could get anywhere with said process, the older man reared back and drove a booted foot right into his stomach. He had about a second to feel his eyes widen in horror, to see Primula and the others staring with similarly shocked expressions on their faces... and then he was falling.

* * *

 _ **So yeah, quick little intro chapter here. The prologue will run for ten chapters, after which we'll be moving on to the Professor Arc portion of the story. Thanks again to Coeur for letting me play around with the idea he created.**_

 _ **Hope everyone enjoys this short little sojourn, and hopefully I'm not too rusty when it comes to writing in the third person.**_ _ **Addendum just to be clear; Jaune is 17 as of this chapter, while everyone else from the canon cast will only be 14 (and ruby 12).**_

 _ **~ Kat**_


	2. Origins II: Sand & Glares

**Sand and Glares**

The small Deathstalker flailed as it died, Crocea Mors stabbing repeatedly through its masked head. He'd already cut off its stinger, leaving its tail to thump harmlessly against his shield, but that didn't make the process any more pleasant. If anything its pathetic flailing made it even worse, even knowing it was a Grimm, some tiny part of him felt bad as it desperately tried to take him to the afterlife with it.

Jaune staggered back as the thing began to turn to oily smoke, panting for breath as he did. "You couldn't have helped!?"

His new partner didn't look up from where she had her face buried in her hands, acting as if she couldn't bear to watch the debacle in front of her for a second longer. For someone who was so dramatic about his admittedly poor combat skills, she hadn't done any fighting on her own; leaving him to deal with the last three scorpion Grimm they'd run across while trying to get to the coast.

 _She could have at least helped with the last one dammit!_

Catching his breath, he glared at her as he sheathed his sword. There wasn't much of her to glare at; the young woman was tiny. She wore high black boots, white short-shorts, a pink blouse, and brown fighting gloves that didn't match the rest of it at all. Apart from a tiny backpack the only thing she had resembling a weapon was her umbrella... or parasol, whichever, which was currently resting next to her as she lowered her hands and stared at the sky... clearly asking the gods where she'd gone wrong.

"Stop that." He growled, "I killed it didn't I?"

Brown eyes rolled before she blinked, making them both turn a bright shade of pink. Then she picked up her little umbrella thing and stomped past him, resuming their trek.

 _Look on the bright side, it could be worse..._ He wasn't really sure how exactly, but considering how things had gone so far it seemed like a safe bet.

He'd landed in a small pond of some kind, a tiny oasis maybe, and had come up sputtering for air and spitting out muddy water at the same time his new partner had come gliding down with her parasol. She'd landed right on his head, and propelled him right back under the water when she'd leaped to dry ground.

That had more or less set the tone for the last hour, as she hadn't helped him dry off in the slightest. So far she'd yet to speak so much as a word to him, not even to tell him her name. He'd thought she was just being rude at first, but from the overly dramatic way she'd mimed her disgust he was starting to think she simply couldn't speak.

If she'd been able to he was pretty sure she'd have been extremely vocal in her displeasure concerning her new 'partner'.

 _Calm down... I can do this. I killed my first Grimm! Three of them! That means I'm not hopeless, I can do this!_

Sure, they'd been little Grimm, but the were still Grimm all the same! And everyone had to start somewhere, right?

The first one had scared the hell out of him, erupting from beneath a tiny sand dune just he'd been about to climb over it. It had gone for his legs with its claws and for his chest with its stinger, and he'd barely gotten his shield around to block the latter. His aura had handled the first part... but it turned out that aura only protected him from being wounded; it hadn't done anything for the pain of his shins suddenly being grabbed by the thing.

He'd stabbed and flailed about as much as the Deathstalker in his panic to get the thing off of him, killing it almost incidentally before falling on his ass.

His partner had thought that _hilarious_ because she'd practically been crying as she she shuddered with silent laughter. Her amusement hadn't lasted long past the second Grimm showing up, probably attracted by his panicked shouting.

That one had taken quite a bit longer to kill, even though he'd been more or less armed and ready. His partner's reactions to his less than capable swordplay and less than heroic strength had only heaped more embarrassment onto the teen. He'd eventually worked out a plan to cut off its stinger, draw it close, then stab it in a weak spot behind its head... but it had taken a lot longer to actually turn his thoughts into reality.

Two years of steady but light workouts just wasn't the same thing as five years of daily training... and he didn't doubt that everyone else on this stupid island could have dealt with all three Grimm in less the time it had taken him to deal with one.

 _No, no, stop thinking like that! Confidence!_

"Hey, about you take the next one if we run into one?" He asked as he caught up to her, his long legs proving to be useful for that much at least. "I... think my plan was good, maybe you could try it?"

The girl tapped a finger against her lips, somehow making the motion sarcastic, then shook her head.

"Seriously? How am I even supposed to know if you can fight if you won't take on a single Grimm?"

Her eyes, now brown again, rolled while a hand made a shooing gesture.

It was all he could do not to tear at his hair in frustration. _This would have been so much simpler if that Professor had just let Primula jump after me... at least I hope she wanted to go next._

He fretted on those thoughts as they trudged onward, trying to get a better idea of how close they were to the coast. The island hadn't seemed all that big from the air, but he was starting to realize that it was far larger than he'd originally thought. Worse, besides the annoying sand dunes, it was covered in rolling hills that made seeing any other students hard.

They were about halfway up one those hills when Jaune heard sounds of combat from shockingly close by. Some kind of gun booming while a man and a woman shouted incoherently. Not bothering to glance at his partner, he accelerated, scrambling up the slope as quickly as he could. The far side proved to be a steep incline, but at the bottom were two students along with a half-dozen more of the Deathstalkers.

One was Primula, and even as he watched she flung her right hand forwards. The short rod on her back was evidently connected to a small spiked ball by a chain... and said ball burst into flames the second before it smacked into one of the Grimm.

 _Oh, so that's a dust flail._

The other student was the massive boy who'd been standing opposite him. Clad only in a dark red t-shirt and shorts, he held an over-sized shotgun in his hands, the weapon mounting an equally overly large bayonet beneath its barrel. The gun boomed as he held off two of the things, not killing but them but definitely making them more than a little angry.

"We have to help them, can you take the ones on the left?" Jaune demanded, turning towards his partner as she caught up, panting a little as she did.

The silent girl blinked as if in surprise, then glanced down before blinking again. A moment later she pursed her lips and then nodded.

"Let's go then!" He stared at the incline, sucked in a breath, and then dropped off. Sliding down the sandy slope was anything but pleasant, his aura the only thing protecting him from scrapes and bruises, but it was probably safer than trying to run down.

Primula was too focused on her opponents to hear him coming, and she let out a startled squawk when he all but landed on top of the Deathstalker she'd been about to bash. "Jaune!?"

"Sorry!" He shouted back, frantically rolling off of the Grimm he'd landed on. That actually worked better than he'd intended since the thing's stinger slammed into its own head instead of him. Shaking himself out he lashed out with his sword, stabbing the convulsing Deathstalker in the mouth to try and reclaim some of his dignity. "Here to help!"

"Thank you!" She sounded at least somewhat sincere, stepping over him and bringing her weapon down on top of one of the others.

It let out a furious clattering sound, half of its face cracked and ruined... but it was still alive, and now angry. Jaune scrambled to his feet as the thing grabbed at his friend, missed her, and got the chain of her flail. She let out a word he hadn't ever thought he'd hear from a girl, straining to pull her weapon back.

His eyes widened as he saw another Deathstalker coming up on her side. Scrambling to his feet, he threw himself in front of her, barely getting his shield up in time to block the stinger that had been aimed at her throat. The blow slammed the metal into his chest, making him cough as he tried to slash at the tail before it could pull back.

He... didn't quite manage it, just nicking it a bit and making his opponent as angry as Primula's.

Jaune was getting ready to try his Deathstalker-kill-plan once more when there was a blur of motion, his partner rocketing past him; her parasol in her left hand, and a thin little sword was in her right. She spun like a dancer to avoid the stinger as it tried to gore her, the blade flashing as she neatly severed it off. Before the Grimm could do more than rear back in pain she was on top of it, stabbing it neatly through one of its eyes and down through its brain.

It hadn't even really begun to dissolve before she kicked off of it, rolled once, then repeated the process on the one still holding Primula's weapon hostage.

 _... yeah, that's not emasculating or anything._

"Everyone..." He shook his head a little, "...all right? Prim?"

"I'm all right, thank you Jaune." She replied, her own breath coming out in pants. "That was gentlemanly of you."

Jaune felt his face heat up a little, and he quickly turned to the other guy present. "You good?"

"Of course! Nothing I love more than killing Grimm." The other teen all but boomed, grinning as he walked over. "Thanks for the assist. Pretty sure we had it, but went a lot faster with you two here. I see you already know my partner. My name's Rau, good to meet ya."

"Jaune." He replied, "This is my partner... uh, she doesn't really talk so I didn't get her name yet."

Rau grunted, "Her name's Neopolitan, we went through the Lighthouse Academy together. She's a wildcat in a fight, but outside of one... she's bitchy and proud of it, even if she never talks."

Jaune glanced at his partner in surprise, the young woman ignoring them both as she sheathed her blade back inside her parasol. It made some kind of sense that they'd know each other, since any prospective Hunters from Vacuo had probably gone to a small selection of schools, but it still kind of surprised him.

 _Well, at least I know her name now._

Shaking himself a little, he forced his brain to stay focused as Primula wandered over to join them. "Right, well I guess we've got a team, now we just need to get a boat and get out of here."

His first friend nodded, her voice tired. "Can't argue with that. The closest shore should be to the east, that way. Not more than a half hour's walk."

They all turned and stared at her in surprise, making the dark woman shift a little uncomfortably. "What? I... paid attention when I was falling."

"Well," Jaune smiled, "I'm glad you did. Come on guys, I've had enough sand for one day."

Rau frowned a little, some his joviality fading, but nodded and started off. Neopolitan went right on ignoring them, though she began strutting in the direction that Prim had indicated all the same, leaving the pair of them bringing up the rear. Things stayed like that for nearly thirty minutes, moving over one hill, between a few others, and then yet up one more...which gave him plenty of time catch up with Prim about what had happened.

"I was fourth out, after you three." She nodded when he asked, "Used a bit of gravity dust to slow my fall. Started heading to where I thought you might have landed and ran into Rau fighting off a few Creeps. What happened to you?"

Jaune winced, "I ah... landed in a pond, then Neo landed on top of me. Ran into a couple of those scorpion things walking this way but nothing too major."

There was a definite snort from Neo, proving that she could hear just fine even if she couldn't talk.

He glowered at her back a little, then tried to recover, "It's, um, a bit to get used to, isn't it? I mean, I figured how to kill them, just taking a bit of practice to get it right."

"Me too." Prim replied, a little too quickly, "I mean, they're not all that dangerous, it's just... um..."

Rau sighed and glanced over his shoulder at them, "You're both pants at combat, go ahead and say it."

They both winced.

"Knew it." The other boy grunted, turning to look ahead again, "Bet you both got in on academics... guess we'll have a balanced team, two nerds and two fighters. Could be worse."

"Oh come on!" Jaune groaned, accelerating a bit to try and catch up to the others, "We weren't that bad."

Rau snorted, "True, I've seen worse, usually from people actively getting eaten... and I guess you did work out some kind of little scheme pretty quick, so guess you're smart enough. But, I mean, _come on_ bro. You were waving that sword around like you didn't know what end to hold, and Prim let her chain get grabbed by a tiny little-"

Neo abruptly smacked him in the chest, coming up short just as they reached the top of the next hill. The bigger teen grunted, not quite glaring at her before looking ahead and going as still as the mute next to him.

 _Well, that can't be good._

Swallowing, Jaune moved up as quietly as he could, looking over his partner's shoulder to see... a really, really, _really_ large Grimm lounging in the sun beside another small pond. This one wasn't like the scorpion's he'd seen, it looked more like some kind of demented dinosaur. It was as big as a small house, standing on two trunk like legs, and had a thick looking tail stretched out behind it.

"That," Prim murmured weakly, her eyes very wide against her dark skin. "Is the largest Creep I've ever heard of. What do we do?"

Rau snorted, already drawing his gun out, "Obvious isn't it? We kill it."

He felt his mouth drop open, "What?"

The bigger teen rolled his eyes, "Jaune, we're hutnsman now. Killing Grimm is what we do. It's half-asleep, we hit it head on and kill it before it wakes up."

"That's not our job though!" He whispered furiously back, "We're supposed to find a team and get back to the boats, they didn't say anything about fighting Grimm!"

"Coward." Rau sneered back at him, turning to the women. "What about you two?"

Prim just gaped at him, then at the massive Grimm, then shook her head and took a step back.

"Figured. Looks like it's up to us Neo."

Jaune watched as his partner pursed her lips, her eyes shifting colors rapidly as she blinked them. Then, to his complete surprise... she shook her head and pointed at him.

"You're... what?" Rau gaped at her, "You serious? You're always up for a fight!"

Multi-colored eyes narrowed and she stabbed a finger at Jaune again before carefully moving back from the top of the hill, making her stance clear.

"Our mission's not to fight these things, it's to find the boats. What if there aren't enough for everyone? What if getting out of here fast is part of the test?" He tried again, "Come on man, let's move around and get out of here. We'll be killing plenty of Grimm later."

The other teen's dark eyes narrowed furiously. "...sod it, I'll do it myself."

Then, before any of them could realize what he meant by that, he turned and started running straight for the massive Grimm. Even Neo seemed slack-jawed as the three exchanged incredulous looks before rushing up to the crest of the hill and simply staring as their team member ran straight for his slumbering enemy.

"Um..." Prim's voice was very small. "Jaune? What do we do?"

 _Oh Gods... this is bad... this is bad this is bad this is bad!_

He swallowed, "Um..."

The Grimm seemed to hear its opponent coming before Rau got halfway to it, massive yellow eyes blinking wide open as its armored head turned in their direction. Even the soulless creature seemed stunned by the sight of a single human sprinting towards it, because it took it a long couple of seconds before it let out a ground-shaking bellow and dragged itself up to its feet.

He felt the roar in his chest, and some sane part of his brain started screaming in panic, telling him it was definitely time to run away and live.

"We... oh gods, he's going to get killed." He shook his head, "We have to help him! Come on!"

With that, and before he could actually think about it too much, he charged down the hill... heading for the enormous Grimm.

Rau got to the Creep when Jaune and the others were about a third of the way down the slope. The idiot managed to avoid getting eaten in the first moments, something he personally thought of as a miracle, but his gunfire didn't seem to be doing anything but tickle the giant creature.

 _Have to think! Have to think! Dammit, I don't know anything about this! Wait..._ "Prim! What's this thing's weak spots!?"

The girl was puffing as she kept up, her voice wavering, "Um, its neck! Behind the mask! Eyes and its legs, but those the spots on a _normal_ one!"

"It's all we've got!" He shouted back, drawing his sword but leaving his sheathe in place. He didn't need to be a genius to guess that it wouldn't help him if the thing managed to hit him. "You and Neo try and get the legs!"

Both women nodded, splitting away from him to try and circle around the thing while he headed in to help Rau. The other boy had seemed to finally realize he'd bitten off way more than he could chew, and was trying to circle back as his gun uselessly hammered away at the thing.

"Its eyes!" Jaune bellowed as he got closer, "Shoot the eyes!"

Rau actually jumped a little, turning to stare at the three of them in surprise. That nearly got him eaten right then and there, and Jaune felt himself flinching when the things head came crashing down to take a bite from the sand. It was only when he heard the shotgun start up again, and saw the flash of red running through the dust cloud that he realized Rau was still alive.

The Creep roared in pain as one of the shots got its left eye, stumbling sideways in an attempt to get away from the pain. Of course that brought Jaune right into its sight, and he felt his knees go week as a few angry tons of Grimm started lumbering straight towards him. Behind it, the thing's tail flailed wildly, kicking up an angry sandstorm around them, making it impossible to see much of anything except for its looming shadow.

He threw himself to the left on reflex as he saw the head coming down, slashing at it as it rammed the sandy ground next to him.

...he might as well have hit it with a wet washcloth for all the good it did, a tiny chip of its mask flying away as he staggered back. He was too busy staring in surprise at his sword to realize that the thing was whipping its head around until it slammed into him, sending him flying.

Landing in a dust cloud of his very own hurt, a lot. Pushing himself up with a groan, he stared as the rest of the team kept up the fight. Prim was visible in the cloud thanks to her burning flail, the fire sparking and flashing whenever she hit the thing, trying to hammer at the back of its knee. Neo was practically invisible but from the way the thing abruptly stumbled he thought she was having more luck getting through its tough skin.

Rau was having about as much as he'd had, his attempt to shoot out its other eye resulting in a flailing kick that saw him land right next to Jaune with a wheezing groan of his own.

"Come on." Using his sword to push himself to his feet, Jaune stumbled over and offered the bigger teen a hand. "We gotta help the girls."

Rau blinked vaguely a few times, then shook himself and took the offered hand, "Yeah, right. How? Thing's a fucking tank. We're hurtin' it but we ain't killing it."

"I'm working on it." He replied, staring at the fight as the Creep stomped around, trying to crush the women attacking it. It seemed like Neo was the only one who could really hurt it, but even she was just wounding it a little. Running, as much as he wanted to, wasn't an option, the thing would just chase them down.

So they had to kill it, but how?

 _Weakness... Prim said eyes, legs, and neck... neck..._ "We've got to get to its neck. The back, behind its mask."

Rau just stared at him, then at the beast. "What, you want to climb up it? No way it would let us, it's moving around too much! And we'd need a lot of time to hurt even if we did."

 _So we need it to stay still... and we need someone who can actually hurt it to get on top of it._

"I got it! We all have to get up near the front, go get Prim, I'll get Neo!"

From the dubious look the other boy gave him he wasn't sold on whatever the idea was, but he shook himself and started running towards the leg his partner was wailing on. Jaune followed suit, still planning it out in his head.

"Neo!" He shouted as they got closer, fighting to be heard over the roaring. "Neo! Get over here!"

There was a sound like shattering glass and abruptly his partner was standing next to him, her sword planted into the ground as she panted for air. Jaune gaped at her for a moment, then shook himself. "I've got a plan, I need you to get on the back of its head and stab my sword into it!"

Neo looked at him as if he'd gone insane, her eyes a bizarre shade of white-silver as he shoved Crocea Mors into her hands. She didn't even resist when he took her slender little blade, stunned at how light it was.

"We're going to be bait to get it to stay still long enough for you to get on it!" He continued, "Then Prim's going to hammer my sword down into its head!"

Her eyes became brown, then pink as she nodded firmly, hefting her sword up. He had to repeat the plan when the other two returned, rushing back to join them. It was bit hard with the Creep flailing around, but so long as they kept to its right side the Grimm couldn't see them. Running in circles kept it busy until they were ready.

"Are you sure you can hit the target!?" Jaune shouted as they ran the last circle, Neo having already backed off to get ready. His shield expanded as he prepared for his part of the plan, hoping to whatever gods were out there that this would work.

"So long as its not moving much, yeah!" Prim replied, "Can you take my weight!?"

 _I hope so!_ "Yeah!"

"Now!" Jaune shouted, rushing forwards, waving Neo's sword to get its attention. Rau followed him, his gun booming, aiming at thing's snout.

The thing roared, opening its jaw wide before bringing it down. Jaune skidded to a stop, turning his back on the Grimm and raising his shield while Rau continued on, drawing its attention before throwing himself out of the way.

Several things happened quickly at that point. He saw Neopolitan abruptly shatter as she'd been made of glass, then heard the Creep's pained roar ending as its head struck the crowd. A moment later a sprinting Prim, her flail whirling with purple light beside her, leaped right at him, both feet hitting his shield.

He felt his boots sink into the sand as her weight hit his trembling arms, it took everything he had left to heaving his shield upwards, giving her the tiniest of boosts as she leaped. Her black clothing whipped around as she became airborne, the gravity dust lightening her enough to make this work.

Turning as she flew, he watched as she came down on the recovering Creep, Neo flinging herself clear from where Crocea Mors was sitting like a nail right in the center of its neck. Prim's glowing flail hit it did center, metal ringing as a flash of light came from beneath the Grimm.

The furious roar became a pained gurgle, and four students watched as the huge Grimm teetered to one side before collapsing. It began to dissolve almost at once, oily black smoke billowing away from its corpse.

"Well..." Jaune offered in the silence that followed. "... I guess that worked."

* * *

 ** _And the new team JNPR has formed, and Jaune's mixed bag of luck continues. To be clear on Neo, she is also 17 in this particular fic, as such her semblance is not as insane as it eventually will be. I'm going to be rolling with the Professor Arc/Coeur interpretation of said semblance; i.e. something like a dual semblance (teleportation + illusions)._**

 ** _The semblances of Prim and Rau may or may not be revealed over the course of this story, haven't decided yet. I'm trying to balance the homage to canon without endlessly repeating it, so let me know if I'm pulling that off. Current goal is to put a chapter a day until this guy is done with, so expect this to run for about a week. (outline is 8 chapters total)._**

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 _Thanks, Kat_


	3. Origins III: Teams & Training

**Teams and Training**

* * *

"Rau... I already had this talk with Prim." Jaune didn't bother looking up from his book, trying to memorize the battles that had kicked off Vacuo's joining of the Great War. "I don't want help."

"Nah, not here for that man." Came the lazy reply as footsteps came closer, stopping behind him.

Jaune blinked a few times, looking up and turning around. "Oh, sorry. Did you need-"

A fist hit his face at about a million miles an hour. He didn't even get the chance to engage his aura, pain exploding as he fell sideways across the library table before dropping in a senseless heap onto the ground.

"That's for making my partner cry." Rau continued in the same bored tones, a hand reaching down to grab Jaune's shirt. He had enough time to blink and then flinch as his teammate gave him a backhanded blow to the other side of his face. "And _that_ 's for being a fucking idiot."

"I..." He tried to recover only for another fist to come in at his right eye.

When he came to he was dangling over Rau's shoulder, the larger boy carrying him between the rows of bookshelves, heading for the exit. His face felt like a massive bruise, and his stomach wasn't appreciating Rau's shoulder digging into it. "...Rau?"

"Oh good, you're awake. Thought I hit you too hard that last time." His tone of voice indicated he wouldn't have been broken up if he had. "Come on, we're heading back to the dorm so you can beg for Prim's forgiveness like the Valean dog you are."

Some part of him recognized that Rau was saying something, but his brain just didn't want to process the sounds into word. "...Rau? What...?"

"Just shut up until I can get you back to the girls."

Jaune thought about protesting that, then realized that Rau was more than ready to hit him again... and then decided to protest anyway. "Rau... I don't want help."

His teammate stopped just as they passed the library doors, stepping out into the cold air of a desert at night. After a few moments he sighed, turned away from their dorms, and started tromping off towards the training grounds instead. "Just shut up Jaune, we'll talk when we're alone."

He tried not to notice how many people saw him being carried around like that, but for once he was too tired and too out of it to be properly humiliated by the situation.

 _That's something, I guess... hard to notice you're a damsel in distress when you're concussed..._

They moved past the library building, then past the history wing, eventually moving around the Bullhead landing zones. The aircraft were only now being shut down for the night, the seniors having been out on their usual weekend missions, and the sound of venting steam and the conversations of ground crewmen filled the air.

The real embarrassment started when he noticed scrolls flashing as the older students took pictures, laughing and giggling as they watched him get carted past. He probably looked ridiculous in his dark shirt and shorts, hanging over Rau's shoulder like a drunk who'd had so much he couldn't even walk on his own.

 _Well... could be worse, could be-_

"Raudona! Arc!" The bane of his existence boomed, and he awkwardly craned his neck around him time to see Professor Verde stomp over from the Bullheads. "What the hell is this? I just got a report you two were fighting in the library."

Rau turned to face the professor as Jaune let his head hang low again. "Us? Fight? We're teammates Prof! Practically bros, would I beat up one of my own brothers?"

He heard someone sigh, then a hand grabbed the back of his hair, forcing him to look up. The eternally unshaven Professor stared at his bruised face, then at him, "How'd Arc get these bruises?"

"Fell asleep at a table in the library." Rau replied promptly, "Hit his head, you know how clumsy the guy is."

Verde lifted an eyebrow. "He hit his head three times? The fist you're trying to hide behind your back help with that?"

"Nah, Jauney-boy did that all on his own. I'm just tryin' to be a good teammate, help my illustrious leader learn to respect our partners' opinions a bit more than he does."

The Professor seemed to consider that, then snorted and used his free hand to tip his fedora slightly in approval. "Carry on Rau."

Jaune could only sigh as the teacher finally let go of his hair, leaving Rau to continue carrying him onward.

Thankfully no one else stopped them on their way, and a few minutes later Jaune found himself being tossed onto the dirt and sand covered floor of one of the training arenas. It wasn't his favorite place in school... in fact it was probably his least favorite. He'd managed to keep up academically by studying whenever he had a free moment, keeping himself in the top half of the first years.

 _Barely in the top half... but at least no one thinks I'm an idiot._

He generally got top marks in tactics and basic academics, though his history scores tended to drag him down a bit. Mostly because what history he _did_ know was related to Vale, and that didn't do him quite as much good here as it would have at a place like Beacon.

Unfortunately the same could not be said of his combat scores. He'd been dead last since the start of classes, and he'd stayed there ever since. He was the only person to have never won a match, and the best he'd done had been to get Primula's aura down to fifty percent in his first bout... six weeks ago. He'd never even come close to that against most of his other opponents, and when he'd gone up against Prim again yesterday she'd cleaned his clock while he'd barely gotten a hit in.

"Right, we're going to have us one of those man to man talks." Rau said, taking a seat on the lowest rung of of benches, watching while Jaune sat up. "Because this shit's getting old."

 _Here we go again..._ "I already told Prim-"

His friend interrupted him, "I know what you told her, she told me and Neo the whole thing verbatim... and be glad I won the rock-paper-scissors match to be the one to come after you. Neo wanted to toss you over the cliff."

Jaune winced.

Rau noticed his expression and nodded, "Yeah, she's pretty pissed at you."

"Why?" He asked dully, "She's at the top of the combat class, her grades are decent, what does she have to worry about?"

"Her partner getting killed on their first mission?" Rau suggested.

Jaune's heart all but stopped, his jaw hanging open. "W-What?"

A broad hand ran through the other boy's short cropped hair, "We're hunters Jaune, even as students. We're training to kill Grimm, to hunt bandits... you fuck up in a fight with one of those and you don't drop a ranking. We bury you and have to live with that after."

 _But... what...?_ "Rau-"

"You've got a good heart. Hell, a great one, better than mine." Rau continued, speaking over him. "And you're smart as hell when it comes to planning things and improvising... but you're stubborn as a rock, you're arrogant as shit, and you've got no common sense at all man. Prim said you want to be a hero right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"You think heroes just show up? You think Neo was just _born_ that good in a fight?" He shook his head, "That I was? We spar man, practically every damn night. So does Prim. How do you think she went from nineteenth to fourteenth in the last few weeks? She has us fight her until she can barely walk. What do you do to get better? Mope in the fuckin' library?"

Jaune winced. "It's not like that."

Rau lifted an eyebrow and spread his hands, "Then what is it Jaune?"

"It's something I have to do on my own all right! I don't want to be the lovable idiot, the damsel in distress." He waved a hand in the library's direction, "I _can_ study on my own, I can improve on my own! I'm going to do the same thing for fighting!"

"How's that going for you?" Came the quick retort.

Jaune glowered at him as his fists clenched. It wasn't going, at all. He'd tried to study sword and shield techniques, but it just... wasn't clicking! He spent at least two or three hours a day studying tactical manuals specifically on sword play and he wasn't improving at all! It was so... frustrating! "I'm going to learn how to fight Rau."

"So fight."

His anger abruptly dissipated once again as he tried to make sense of the comment, "...what?"

Rau's eyes flashed as he growled, standing to loom over him. "So _fight_ Jaune! Fight me! Fight Prim! Fight Neo! Hell, go out into the desert and fight the cursed Grimm! Stop _hiding_ and start _fighting_!"

"It's not that simple!"

"It is that simple!" Rau snapped, surging forwards as a fist lashed out, colliding with Jaune's shoulder and sending him stumbling back. "You want to be the hero? Heroes fight the bully! They stand over the weak! They devote their lives to training, to get better! They don't whine about how bad they have it and turn away their friends and make them sob into their pillows!"

Jaune stared at him blankly, trying to process the rant... but all he came up with was, "...Prim was really crying?"

"Why do you think I hit you so hard?" Rau asked. "Like I care if you want to flunk yourself out of school, maybe get killed. But _Prim_ cares, and she's my partner... I protect her, like Neo protects you."

He winced again, looking at his feet.

Neo _had_ been protecting him and he knew it. A few of the other students had tried to bully him, while others had gone after Prim, naturally looking at the two weakest combatants as the best targets. His partner had thrashed them right in the cafeteria and earned a half-dozen detentions in the process, but no one had messed with anyone on team JNPR since then.

It was just... he'd spent most of his youth hiding behind his sisters, or being hidden behind them. He didn't _want_ to be protected anymore, he wanted to prove that he could do it on his own! That he could be the hero, that he could be the warrior who could defend himself!

 _But you didn't... did you? You let those guys walk all over you, and then you snapped at Neo when she beat the stuffing out of them._

Things had gotten icy in their dorm after that. His own partner had wanted as little to do with him as she could get away with, only sitting next to him because the class rules said you had to sit next to your partner. And while none of the other students had tired anything in the aftermath, it seemed like it was just a matter of time before they realized that Neo wouldn't lift a finger to defend him a second time.

So he'd spent more and more time in the library, desperately trying to catch up on the hunter-specific classes that his transcripts said he was excellent at, tried to learn about fighting techniques that might help... but it hadn't really helped. If anything he'd gotten _worse_ , at least compared to how quickly everyone else was improving. Worse, he hadn't even noticed that his team was out training without him, apparently each and every night.

 _I'm supposed to be the leader, the one they all look up to and listen to... and I don't even know what they do after class._

It was a humiliating realization, something more than just the embarrassment he'd felt when Neo had protected him. That had just been about him, this was... this was about all of them. The whole team.

His friends... the only ones he had. What would happen to him if they all gave up on him? If Primula just stopped trying to help?

 _I'd be alone..._

"Oh gods..." He whispered quietly. "I fucked this up, didn't I?"

"Eh." Rau waggled a hand, "Just a bit. Could be worse."

Jauen blinked. "How?"

Rau considered that, then shrugged, "Neo could be trying to fit her boot up your ass?"

"...yeah, that would be worse. I have to apologize to her, don't I?" When his friend merely lifted an eyebrow, Jaune winced. "...right, Prim first, then I can figure out how to apologize to Neo."

"Well, I got good news and bad news there." Rau offered, "Which do you want first?"

"Um..." he shook his head, "Good news, I guess?"

In response Rau reached behind his back and pulled his scroll out, letting Jaune take a good long look at it. He felt his stomach drop a little as he realized that it was on an active speaker call, specifically to Prim's.

" _I forgive you Jaune_." His friend gave him a small smile through the screen, " _Just don't do this again, ok? We're a team.. and we're friends_."

"I won't," He replied, "I promise... and an Arc never goes back on his word."

" _Good."_ Prim replied before her smile turned a little green, " _Um, I've got the bad news for you, if you're ready for it?"_

Jaune sighed, "Hit me."

" _Neo says she'll forgive you, but on a condition."_ She winced a little, " _She wants to be the one to train you, exclusively."_

His already weak stomach turned to ice, "I...ah... I was thinking that you might-"

There was absolutely no only warning before a leg swept his feet out from under him. He landed with an explosive cough, staring at a starry sky. The beautiful view was quickly replaced with the smiling face of his partner, Neo's multi-colored hair hanging over her face. She smirked at him, an expression that nearly made him whimper in fear.

"...I'm sorry Neo."

Her smile seemed to sharpen, a booted heel getting under his shoulder as her impossibly strong leg kicked him over onto his front. Then she pointedly put a boot right in front of his face, making her demand utterly clear.

 _...kissing her boots seems a bit much._

Jaune looked up at her as best he could. "Was I really that bad?"

In response, Neo drew her little sword and showed it to him before waggling her boot in his face.

 _Kiss her boot or kiss her sword..._

He felt his ego die a little as he leaned forwards, pressing his mouth against the leather of her shoe. Neo beamed at him... then kicked him as hard as she could right in the jaw. He was an idiot but even he wasn't so stupid as to not have expected that, his aura ready to go. It at least stopped her from breaking his jaw, but even so it hurt like hell, and sent him tumbling away.

Groaning, he watched as Neo sheathed her sword, then pointed at his limp body before miming a boxing pose.

"Sure," Rau grunted, "Prim was going to help me on history anyway. Have fun training."

"Wait..." Jaune croaked, getting his legs under him, "It's almost midnight, can't we start tomorrow?"

Neo put her hands on her hips and stared at him as if he was a particularly thick idiot.

"...I'm not getting a choice, am I?"

She beamed, and then there was a multi-colored blur rushing straight at him.

* * *

 ** _And a different take on the Jaunedice concept, vastly condensed._**

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 _Thanks, Kat_


	4. Origins IV: Day in the Life

**Day in the Life**

* * *

The day started off as many did; with a sword being thrown into an alarm clock with pinpoint accuracy. It was doubly impressive since Neo didn't actually wake up when she did it. Instead she just curled up even more beneath her blankets even as the clock fizzed and sparked its last.

For his part, Jaune simply yawned and stretched, absently unplugging the clock as he did. Stretching was particularly important because it felt like his entire body was a giant bruise, something he'd slowly gotten used to over the last couple of months. Rau occasionally went easy during his training with Prim, giving her slower nights of just calisthenics or hand to hand.

Neo _never_ went easy on him, and usually kept him out until midnight or later. At first he'd been unsure as to what the point of it was, given that she never explained herself and just wailed on him... but after a couple of days he'd realized that he'd gone from being slaughtered in the opening seconds of her attacks to managing to dodge at least a few of them. He still didn't have any real skill with his sword, but he'd gotten extremely good at avoiding attacks and using his shield both defensively and offensively.

He'd even won a couple of matches in class!

 _I might still be at the bottom of the class, but I'm not getting killed in the opening seconds of fights anymore!_ Jaune couldn't help but smile a little, feeling honestly confident in his skills for the first time since school had started.

His matches had gone from lasting a minute or two at most to being some of the longest, his large aura and good defense dragging things out. It had made Neo's plan seemed obvious in hindsight; if she could get him to dodge as well as she could at night, he'd have all the time in the world to improve his offense during the normal class sessions.

 _It's taking longer than I'd like, but I am getting better!_

Across the room Primula groaned, blearily opening an eye as she also woke up. "..how many is that?"

"Five." He replied through another yawn, working his stiff arms in slow motions. "This month, at least... maybe we should armor them?"

"Maybe..." She yawned as well as she sat up, twisting her back a little as she worked on loosening her own muscles. "They're going to stop giving us new clocks soon... we'll have to use our scrolls otherwise."

"Not it." Jaune replied immediately. "Also not it for waking her up."

"Double not it." Prim added, both of them looking at Rau as the young man tried to rouse himself. "Thank you for volunteering Rau, you're a great partner."

"I... am? Yay?" It took him a couple of seconds to look actually read their expressions, then notice the deceptively cute ball that was a sleeping Neo, and to blanch in fear. "No. Way."

"Your sacrifice will be remembered." His partner replied, bowing her head with every sign of true regret.

While Rau glared at her, Jaune sighed, "You're almost twice her height and twice her weight. You're the best one for the job."

"She almost killed me the last time!" Rau protested.

"Her sword is stuck in the wall right now," He pointed out as reasonably as he could, "So you're totally safe."

Rau saw through the blatant lie immediately, and his response was quick, "She's _your_ partner."

Jaune crossed his arms, "Last person to get up has to wake up Neo, that's the rule and you know it."

Rau's mouth opened, the closed, then he growled. "You both suck. You're getting nothing for your birthdays."

They both sighed and ignored the complaining, as they usually did. He worked up his courage after a couple more minutes of glowering and muttering, throwing off his blankets and cautiously approaching his target's bed. After three months living in the same room they'd come up with a plan of action for just this scenario... but the target had proven herself to be wily and dangerous even so.

 _Watch as the Huntsman stalks his prey... as he approaches her lair with the utmost caution,_ His tired brain rambled in the voice of one of a documentary announcer, _He knows that any sudden movement could lead to his doom..._

Rau very carefully grabbed the bottom of Neo's comforter, exhaled once, and then ripped it off the bed by means of diving for cover on the floor. No sooner had he done so than the other half of Neo's weapon went flying through the space his head had just occupied, a petite and furious girl snapping upright as her warmth was removed.

Jaune ducked on reflex as the umbrella sheath shot over him, hitting the wall hard enough to leave a sizable dent in the drywall... though it was hardly noticeable against the two dozen or so that were already there, and then clattered to the floor next to his bed. On the other side of the wall he heard a crash, then someone from team BLZE started cursing up a storm _._

Neo glowered at everyone, her hair a wild mess around her head. Some girls, like Prim, still managed to look good when they woke up... if anything the sleepy, tousled look made Prim look even more beautiful, not that he'd _ever_ say that out loud. Neo, however, wasn't in that category, something he wasn't sure if he was thankful for or not. She had bags under both eyes, and her over-sized sleeping shirt was anything but flattering... and she tended to shuffle around like a zombie until she'd showered and eaten something with far too much sugar in it.

Showering was done on a strict least-to-most hot water consumption order, meaning Rau, Jaune, Prim, and then Neo got their turns. Of course that always left it as the guys' job to go grab breakfast from the cafeteria while the girls showered, mostly out of a sense of saving time. It didn't help that the Academy's cafeteria was far too small for its size and usually overcrowded with the younger students.

Of course returning meant that they walked in on Neo finishing getting changed, which meant she'd finished wrapping the bindings around her chest, made sure her short white shorts were in place, and was lacing up her boots. The minimal outfit least covered up everything important so neither he nor Rau really got any ideas. Not that he ever wanted to think about Neo that way... well, not the he _should_ be thinking about Neo like that... definitely not on how she seemed to have hit a minor growth spurt, especially where her chest was...

 _Ugh... I'm just going to blame puberty and be done with it._

The weather didn't help. As far as he could tell, there were three ways to deal with the heat. You could cheat and have a semblance like Professor Verde or a couple of the luckier students, and then just wear whatever you wanted. Your second option was to dress like the desert tribesmen, like Prim did, in thin but expansive cloth that covered almost everything.

Or you could take the third option and wear as little as you could get away with.

A _lot_ of the other students seemed fond of that one, and it wasn't uncommon to walk through a hallway and see a dozen girls wearing nothing more than sandals, shorts, and then a sports bra. Lot of the guys dressed down that much too, but that was a lot less distracting as far as he was concerned. And, from what Prim had taught him, Aura combined with a huntsman's lifestyle also did a lot to... vitalize everyone, explaining why every girl he'd seen over the last three months ranged from 'cute' to 'beyond gorgeous'.

He'd tried his hand at flirting a few times, relying on his dad's advice... it hadn't exactly gone well.

 _Just admit it to yourself, it was a disaster._ He groaned as he cut into his pancakes, trying not notice the fact that Neo was using up half a bottle of maple-syrup on hers. _Calling her sunflower may not have been the best idea..._

Naturally, Neo had recorded the entire thing, including when he'd gotten slapped by the pretty girl at the end. She liked to pull it out whenever she wanted to silently laugh herself sick.

He'd thought about asking Prim out once or twice, only to hear her gently shooting down Rau one night and explaining that she wasn't interested in romance right now.

 _Nope, she's too busy being the team mom to worry about dates._ He smiled a little as Prim flitted around the room, grabbing folders and sliding papers into them, ignoring her cooling food entirely.

"I've got all of our homework organized." She announced as she bustled about. "Rau, you switched around the battle of Fort Castle with the battle of Fort Wright so I corrected that for you, remember next time! And the janitor staff said our weapons will be cleaned and ready before class. Neo? Where did you put your tactical manual on avian Grimm? I heard a rumor that Verde is going to be asking for those today and we need to be prepared."

Jaune smiled a little as his friend rambled out everything she'd done for them, ignoring her food up until Rau sighed, got up, and corralled his partner.

"Thanks Prim." Jaune said as she finally sat down, Rau watching her like a hawk as she started shoveling food into her mouth. "You don't have to do all this for us."

Her dark skin made it hard to tell if she was blushing, but from the way she shifted a little he knew she was embarrassed. She never seemed to know how to take their gratitude for everything she did. Beside her Neo rolled her eyes and poked her in the stomach, then gave her a firm pat on the cheek when she blinked and looked at the smaller girl.

"See?" He grinned, "Even Neo appreciates it! I mean, as much as she appreciates anything that's not ice cream."

His partner stuck her tongue out at him, then went back to her sugary monstrosity of a breakfast.

"Seriously," Rau sighed, "She might as well be eating ice cream right now."

 _Ice cream would probably be healthier..._

Neo turned her nose up at them with lofty disdain before scooping more soggy pancake into her mouth.

"Well," Jaune tried to look on the bright side, "At least she'll be awake in class today."

Prim shook her head, "Professor Lan is still out on that mission, so we've got a double-block of combat class today, remember?"

He groaned, vaguely remembering something like that. _Eight hours with Professor Verde... yay._

"Right... aren't we picking out our first assignments today too?"

She nodded firmly, "They want us to pick them well in advance so they can select the appropriate Huntsman to escort us based on our capabilities. I think we'll be having regular class in the morning and then going over the available missions in the afternoon."

Jauen felt himself nodding, "...anyone have any requests?"

Neo promptly made stabbing motions with her fork, making her opinion clear.

"That went without saying." He smiled, "One vote for a combat mission. Prim? Rau?"

Rau pursed his lips a little in thought, then shook his head a little, "Something with the northern villages maybe? Those people have always got Grimm problems up there. Speaking of, Prim, any news on the attack on those cargo ships yesterday? They still blaming Shade for that?"

The girl winced a little and then nodded, "...Schnee is expected to push for a crack-down in the Atlas Council. He gave a speech late last night demonizing the White Fang and hammering Shade for not dispatching huntsman to protect his ships."

Rau didn't quite growl but from the way his jaw clenched Jaune thought it was a near thing. "Fucking Atlesian asshole. No offense Prim."

"None taken." She replied quietly.

"Think..." The other teen needed a moment, "...it will lead to more emigration from Atlas?"

"Hard to say." Prim shook her head, "I didn't see anything when I checked this morning, but it probably won't slow down any."

Rau's jaw clenched again, pushing the last of his food aside.

Jaune grimaced, exchanging a quick look with Neo as her appetite seemed to finally die. She bit her lip then shook her head once, telling him not to push.

The pair of them may have both been from the slums of Vacuo, but only Neo had been born there. Or at least, he thought she had... while she could communicate in writing with surprisingly elegant language, she only rarely did so, and only when she thought it absolutely necessary. He'd learned more about Rau's past than her own, not that it had been all that hard to guess even without her help.

Rau had originally been from a small village on the north coast of Vacuo, and it had left him with a burning hatred for two things: the Grimm... and Atlas.

His hometown had apparently been all but overrun by faunus leaving their horrible lives in Atlas, hoping to start anew in Vacuo. But they'd brought their pain, hatred, and fear with them, and so the northern cities were almost constantly under siege by Grimm. Shade and the Academy did what they could to help, and more huntsman worked that area than any other in the kingdom, but the steady trickle of immigrants meant it was an eternal problem.

He'd initially been confused as to why they didn't just turn the immigrants away or blame them for the problems... then he'd actually sat down and listened to Vacuan natives talk and realized that most of them blamed Atlas for pretty much everything wrong with their kingdom. So far as they were concerned the faunus leaving the mines were just more victims of Atlesian aggression, and deserved sympathy and support rather than ridicule.

It was a messy situation, but after reading how bad the Great War had treated Vacuo... specifically how the Atlesian army had acted, sometimes he had a hard time blaming them for their feelings.

"We'll try and find a Grimm clearing mission in that area." He promised, "I'm sure they'll be one."

Rau nodded, his fingers tight around his fork. "...thanks Jaune, you're a good friend."

It was his turn to feel embarrassed, a hand reaching up to run through his hair as his face heated up, "It's nothing Rau, I mean, come on. Not like we could do something easy with no fighting, Neo would kill me."

The other teen laughed, the darker mood dispelling at the booming sound, "You are _so_ whipped man!"

"I-I... I am not!" He sputtered.

"Oh yeah?" Rau grinned, "Prove it!"

"I'm not... come on Prim, back me up!" His first friend clenched her jaw shut, her yellow eyes looking anywhere but his direction as she shuddered with silent laughter. "Oh come on!"

Jaune flailed around for support, only to meet Neo's eyes as they shifted to a relaxed brown. She smiled in a way a less wise man would have called sweet, offering him her finished plate and silver ware.

"I'm not taking that to the kitchens for you."

Her smile sharpened, one eye going pink as she blinked. The plate nudged against his chest once.

"...I hate all three of you." He muttered as he took the plate, piling it on top of his plate as he stood up. "I gotta return something to the library anyway, I'll see you guys at class."

* * *

 ** _Here we have the setup for the main section of the story, and little glimpses at how the team dynamic works. We'll have another time skip ahead to JNPR's first field mission, which is going to begin the main area of this particularly story. The remaining chapters will all occur within a couple of days in-universe._**

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 _Thanks, Kat_


	5. Origins V: Field Trip

**Field Trip**

The mission they'd picked out was a larger one, actually the largest one available to their year: the defense of a small village on the coast from a Grimm migration heading in its direction. It was considered important enough that they weren't even the only team being sent, there was already a professional huntsman team on the ground, and Shade was sending a group of their own students plus a professor to partake in the defense as well.

"Once you graduate, this is going to be a standard type of mission." Professor Verde informed them as the Bullhead roared northwards, Jaune clutching at his seat and trying to focus on the man's words rather than on the aircraft's motion. "Grimm migrations are fairly common in this region, and villages and cities often need Hunter teams to defend them. This one is fairly small, should only last for a couple of days at the outside."

Jaune swallowed a little. _A small one lasts for days? How does anyone live out here?_

"Normally," The Professor continued, "A student mission is run by the students and you're graded on your planning, but since there's a professional team in place you're going to be following their orders to the letter! This is pass-fail, your favorite kind of assignment Arc!"

He winced, "We'll do whatever we have to in order to help."

Verde's piercing eyes made it clear he didn't consider that to be reassuring. "I've already forwarded your information to the team leader, and she's assigned your team to the right flank. Once the fighting begins at the village walls, where I and the other _real_ huntsman will be, you will move forwards and exterminate any Grimm in your path."

The definite stress he put on the word made Jaune wince and look away, watching the thin forests of northern Vacuo roll by beneath them.

 _Didn't have to say it like that, jerk._ He grumbled to himself, _We know we're just students, you don't have to constantly remind us._

"The Shade students will be on the other side doing the same thing, standard pincer maneuver to contain and funnel the Grimm towards us." The Professor continued, "That will suffice for the first wave of Grimm. As I said before, depending on how much panic and negativity the battle drags up, and how many Grimm are hidden in the forest, we may be at it for several days. If so, the other professionals and I will develop new plans on the fly. Any questions?"

Beside him, his partner nudged him hard with her elbow. Once she had his attention, she made a fist then followed it up with a roll of her hand. It wasn't anything like actual sign language, or at least not one he'd ever heard of, but he'd gotten pretty good at guessing what Neo wanted thanks to living with her these past few months.

"What kind of Grimm can we expect?" He asked.

"Temperate standard." Verde replied, "Beowolves, Creeps, and Ursa have all been reported, along with Nevermore."

 _Oh great... birds._

Not that Jaune was afraid of them or anything, but when your only weapon was a sword there wasn't all much that he could do against an airborne target. Prim was about as helpless unless they got close enough for her to scorch their wings with her flail, and Neo's ability to teleport after them was limited to how long her aura could handle her moving around. That pretty much left Rau as the only person on the team who could effectively fight them.

 _Maybe I should try and learn how to shoot a gun... guess I can add it to the list of things I need to learn._

The plane suddenly dropping several meters before bouncing back upwards interrupted his mental musings, and sent his stomach rolling. Neo, hyper-alert as always, noticed first... but rather than give him a sick-bag she simply grabbed him by the hair and shoved his head out into the wind whipping past them.

"Just what we needed," He heard Verde grumble, the Professor making sure he was loud enough to Jaune to hear, "A streak of vomit down the side of our Bullhead to complete the professional image."

A small part of him that had spent too much time with Neo really wanted to snark back at the man... but the rest of him was too busy throwing up everything in his stomach. Eventually there just wasn't anything left to expel, and Neo let him back in after a few painful dry-heaves.

"Thanks Neo." He gasped, trying to reclaim the sense of distraction that had let him avoid throwing up until that point.

Neo merely wrinkled her nose, unbuckled her harness, and then shifted over so that she was seated as far away from him as she could manage, all but crawling into Prim's lap as she did. For his part, Professor Verde continued to glare and grumble, and even though he kept the rest of it under his breath Jaune was pretty sure none of it was complimentary.

Thankfully Jaune managed to keep his stomach under control for the remaining fifteen minutes of flight time, and his seat next to the open hatch gave him a good view of the village as they descended... and he realized that 'village' was a bit of a misnomer. The place may not have been anything like Vacuo or Vale, but it had to have been twice the size of Ansel, and was far more sturdily built than his hometown.

Everything was built from stone, and even from up there the entire place had a squat, fortress like appearance. Like it had been built to sneer at the worst the Grimm or weather could offer. It was mostly circular, huddled up against the oceanic coast with a single long pier stretching out into the water. Stone walls taller than almost any Grimm he'd heard of ringed the entire area, and as the Bullhead drew closer to the ground he could pick out men and women patrolling along its top.

The others got out of their seats, crowding around as the Bullhead came down just outside of the walls. Three huntsman and a single huntress were there waiting for them, the sole woman stepping forwards as the Professor got off behind them.

"Verde you old piece of shit." She grinned, planting her hands on her hips just above a pair of holstered pistols. "Figured they'd send you."

"Blanche." Their teacher replied, something trying to break into his gruff voice before the man mercilessly killed the positive emotion. "Good to see a solid team here. Plan the same?"

The pale haired woman scoffed, "Of course, Grimm should be here in less than an hour. This your student team? You, tall and blonde, you're the leader right?"

Jaune stepped forwards a little, and not sure if he should offer his hand or not, settled for tipping his head politely, "I am, ma'am. Jaune Arc. This is my partner, Neopolitan, then there's Raudona and Primula Fiola."

"Charmed." She replied, nodding in the same manner when his teammates, sans Neo, gave her little bows of their own. "Call me Blanche, leader of team BGDY. You kids can go ahead, follow the wall around to the right, we marked the spot where we want you. Hold there until we signal ya, then head back this way killing every Grimm in your way."

"Yes ma'am." He repeated, then licked his lips, "Um, is there a way back into the walls, if one of us get wounded?"

One of her pale eyebrows went up, but the question earned him another nod. "The locals have litters rigged to a pully system every dozen meters or so, and the guards are ready to haul you up if things get bad. Anything else?"

"Do you..." Jaune swallowed down his nerves as the Professor not-quite glared at him, "...have any advice for us?"

Blanche considered that for a couple of moments, then spoke, "Pace yourselves. Missions like this are a marathon, not a sprint, last thing you want is to be dead on your feet when another wave shows up." Her speech picked up a bit as she warmed to the theme, "Stay together, watch your flanks, and be smart about committing. Most Grimm are less than animals, they're not really all that dangerous even to first year students like you lot... but some of the old ones are as clever as any Human. You see an Alpha, of any kind, call us and keep away from it! Even if it means falling back to the wall, don't engage and send up the alert. We'll handle it."

Beside him, Rau stepped up, "What happens if Grimm get into the village?"

"Then get your butts _into_ the village and get rid of them. Northerners like their houses tough, so it'll take any Grimm a while to get into them. They should hold until you can get in and deal with the problems." She replied simply, "Then get back to the walls and stay up there until we tell you where to come back down."

Jaune nodded, "Professor Verde said this could last for days, do you have a plan for that?"

The huntress's mouth ticked up on one side, and she gave the professor something like an amused smirk, "You're normally better about cowing them into silent obedience. You losing your touch old man?"

"JNPR," Verde said their team name like it left a foul taste in his mouth, "Is... a problem team." Jaune caught Neo beaming proudly at that, his partner not quite preening at what she probably considered to be high praise. "And no, Arc, we don't. As I said on the Bullhead, we'll have to adjust on the fly if additional Grimm are attracted by the engagement."

Jaune wracked his brain for any more questions, and between he and Prim they came up with a few that were quickly answered. No, they hadn't seen large numbers of Nevermore. Yes, the Bullheads would be loitering nearby to provide air support if it was desperately need. Yes, the students from Shade would be getting the same orders as them. Yes, they'd forward Jaune the other teams' scroll numbers once they landed.

About fifteen minutes into the discussion the Bullhead carrying the other students arrived, and the professional hunters re-affirmed their orders before jogging away to go through the same discussion once again.

Professor Verde lingered just long enough to give them a motivational speech, "Arc, remember this mission isn't for a grade. It's to keep these people alive... so fucking fight better than you do in my class. I'll collect you all once this is over."

And then he was gone, green coat billowing dramatically as he ran after the other team.

"...I really don't like him." Primula muttered once he was safely out of earshot. Which, from his ever polite and shy friend, was the equivalent of a screaming rant declaring her undying hatred.

"I don't think anyone does." He agreed.

Neo pouted, planting her hands on her hips, and he snorted, "Neo, you like making him angry, you don't actually like _him._ "

She shrugged in reply, as if they were both the same thing, then popped her parasol open and angled it so she'd have some shade from the late morning's sun. Beside her, Rau started to check over his rifle, making sure everything was clean and ready, while Prim checked to make sure her flail had several types of dust loaded and ready to be activated.

Jaune glanced down at his own weapon, and drew it after a moment's thought. Making sure the shield expanded quickly was about the only pre-battle check he had to do, and he collapsed it after a few pointless moments of looking at it and trying to find anything wrong. Not that he could have fixed it even if he had, mecha-shift maintenance was one of several areas he'd proved to be utterly hopeless in.

 _Thank the gods that's en elective course. It's probably a good thing that Crocea Mors is just a plain old sword,_ he admitted to himself, _if it could transform into a gun or something it would get stuck halfway knowing my luck, then I'd be totally screwed._

He'd originally been jealous of the, often insanely impressive, weapons some of his classmates wielded. Spears that could turn into shotguns, sabres with dual-barreled pistols worked into them... Gods, there was even one guy who had boomerangs that turned into swords that turned into guns! Then he'd realized just how much work they had to put in to making sure they kept working reliably, how much they had to know just for basic maintenance, and how much it cost to buy the dust so many of them used...

 _Might be simple,_ The sword turned over in his hands as he checked it, making sure there weren't any nicks or dents in the old weapon, _but I never have to worry about it breaking on me. And it's not like I'm the only one, Neo's is even simpler than mine._

A glance at his partner revealed her to be in the middle of eating a giant candy bar, the sight of which made him groan. "Where did you get that? We're supposed to have energy bars and water, not candy."

Neo's gave him a wink with her pink eye.

"...you used your semblance to make us think it was energy bars, didn't you?" He asked.

The girl beamed at him and continued enjoying her contraband.

Jaune sighed, "Probably a good idea to eat while we can though. Everyone get some food in you."

Rau and Prim both nodded, the three of them quickly munching down on bars that tasted like... well, nothing in specific. Neo noticed their lack of pleasure with their own meals, and made a little show of taking out another piece of candy. She unwrapped it with a kind of teasing slowness, and the expressions she made while eating it made his cheeks turn bright red before he forced himself to look away.

They were just finishing their... he wasn't sure what word applied, he refused to call the things 'food', when the first sounds of battle started to echo.

Rising, he gazed skyward as three Bullheads began to circle away from the village, their guns flashing on and off as they shot at something out of sight. Everyone else rose just as quickly, drawing their weapons on reflex as the screeching caws of Nevermore joined the gunfire. The avian Grimm became visible quickly, looking like an overly large flock of birds heading right for the aircraft.

Little specs of black were dropping away rapidly, the dead ones being cut down, while the rest condensed into a tighter group as if that would protect them.

The professionals had evidently been waiting for them to do that. Jaune wasn't sure exactly what they did, but one moment there was a giant flock of Grimm closing on the rear-most Bullhead... the next there was a flash of orange and white light, and then there was bit and pieces of disintegrating Nevermore falling all over the village. He hadn't seen a missile, so it had to have been a semblance, probably one of the true hunters using fire dust in some way.

Distant roars and howls quickly filled the silence in the wake of the blast, and Jaune felt his knees go a little weak. It was far different from fighting the Grimm out in the desert surrounding the school. Those creatures, mostly Death Stalkers, small Creeps, and the occasional King Taijutsu were mostly silent even when they fought.

Forest typed Grimm liked to make sure you could hear them.

 _You can do this... you can do this. Killing Grimm is something you've done before, this is your first chance to really be a hero._

Blowing out a breath, he nodded to himself, "Right guys, it's just like when you drag me and Prim out into the desert to train. Me and Neo will be out front, we'll try and keep their attention. Rau, kill anything that we wound. Prim, keep him safe and watch our flanks."

Everyone nodded as they fell into their usual formation, he and Neo moving out a few dozen paces ahead of the other two. His partner gave him an easy grin, bouncing on her heels as she stared at the forest. One of her eyes remained bright pink, but the other had gone an odd, cream-shade of white, a combination he'd come to associate with her being hyped up for a fight.

Far off to the left, near the village gates, a single white flare shot up into the sky before exploding an a flurry of snow; Professor Verde's signal that the fight was beginning over there. No sooner had that happened than the trees in the distance began to rustle, dark shapes bounding out of them and into the open.

"Beowolves!" He called, counting a solid half-dozen of the beasts. They'd seemed to slow in surprise, as if they hadn't expected the forest to suddenly end, then they caught sight of four kids standing before the wall hiding their prey from them.

"Young ones!" Prim shouted over the chorus of howls, "No real armor, should be easy!"

Jaune was half-tempted to yell at her about tempting fate, but the six Grimm sprinting forwards on all four limbs drew most of his attention. Behind them, Rau opened up with his gun, red-dust rounds screaming out to collide with their enemies. One stumbled, then collapsed in a roll, tripping one of the others and making it lash out at its pack-mate in confusion and mindless rage.

That left four coming at the pair of them.

Remembering every bit of pain that Neo had put him through in her efforts to train him, Jaune let out a long breath as the first one came in... and was surprised by how slow it was. The thing reared up as it approached, one arm flailing backwards as if to wind up a punch. It seemed like he had all of the time in the world to move to the right, dodging the blow, and to slash his sword across its chest as he did.

It was a deep cut, but not instantly fatal, and the Grimm roared as it began to claw and bite at him.

 _Dammit Jaune, remember class! The neck, not the chest! Kill it in one blow or don't bother!_

Cursing at himself, he ducked a bite, parried aside a grasp with his shield, then drove Crocea Mors directly into its jugular. The wolf hacked up a gout of oily black liquid, then collapsed as he leaped back and out of the way. He turned in time to see Neo dealing with the last one, her slim blade ramming through its neck as she gracefully tumbled aside, the vanishing corpses of the other two already fading.

"Stop trying to show off." He couldn't help but mutter as she came to her feet beside him, a manic grin on her features... but there was a smile on his face as he said it. "You didn't look _that_ good doing it."

Neo pouted, but there was a playful edge to it as she glanced at his sword, then at the melting creature he'd already dealt with. Her smile seemed to sharpen in what he recognized as approval, and she gave him a quick nod before they both turned back towards the forest.

As if summoned by their attention, another half-dozen Beowolves appeared, and behind them he could make out the lumbering frame of an Ursa. Once more the Grimm paused for just a moment, then let out battle roars and began to charge forwards.

"Round two." He muttered, bringing his shield up and settling his sword across the top of it. "We can do this."

* * *

 ** _Decided to cut this one in half to keep the chapter lengths roughly even. Next chapter will have the rest of their first mission, and the chapter following will be the aftermath. The original plan was for this to be seven quick chapters, but I've expanded it very slightly to about nine, possibly ten. I'm going to try avoid the scope creep that killed me in other stories, so no matter what happens its not going to go beyond ten._**

 ** _An additional aside, I'm trying to keep Jaune as in character as possible. This is rather hard for me as I'm not used to writing morally good characters, like, at all (as anyone whose read AR can tell you), so please let me know if he is as he should be._**

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 _Thanks, Kat_


	6. Origins VI: The Battle

**The Battle**

An hour and a half later later found the Grimm were still emerging from the trees. Jaune was fairly sure that he'd gone half-deaf from the almost constant sound of gunfire coming from the village walls; the militia doing their best to help out. Which they occasionally did, at least when they weren't almost hitting the people trying to save them.

"You'd think they be better shots!" He shouted as he ducked an Ursa paw, the beast already weak from the slashes he'd given it. Another to its throat put it down, and left him standing more or less alone as a lull developed.

Neo, having just finished off a pair of Beowolves, nodded empathetically in agreement. She jerked a thumb at the wall, then drew it across her throat.

"No," He sighed, wishing his legs weren't so tired as he shuffled over to her. "We're here to save them, not beat them up. Don't even joke about it."

His partner pointed at her unsmiling mouth to make her seriousness perfectly clear.

"You see any signal from the main gates yet?" Jaune asked, deciding that changing the topic was safer. "It should have happened by now."

She bit her lip in reply, glancing in that direction as well before shaking her head.

 _This seemed so much simpler an hour ago..._

He'd almost been surprised at how easy it had seemed. Sure he was only killed one Grimm to every two or three that Neo did, but he'd never really felt as if he was in danger. The beasts were all wild aggression with none of the tactical adjustments that let his fellow students beat him routinely in the sparring ring. Once you figured out how to kill one Beowolf you could kill the next dozen with the exact same move.

Their danger lay in the numbers that threatened to just roll over them regardless of skill, in the unrelenting nature of the attack that left them all increasingly sweating and tired, and in the fact that Neo's training had left his fighting style perilously close to hers. Normally that wasn't a bad thing... but he'd slowly begun to realize that the emphasis they put on dodging and avoiding attacks made them both _awful_ at holding their ground.

Team JNPR as a group wasn't much good for that either. He and Neo could swap with Prim and Rau, they could hold their own up front just as well, but unlike Rau neither of them could do anything from the back ranks. Rotating Prim forwards and sending someone else back for a breather helped a little, but nearly all of the training they'd done had been with their direct partners. He and Prim _could_ fight together, but they weren't used to each other's movements and styles.

The one time they'd tried several Creeps had gotten past them, leaving Neo and Rau to end up in a scrum anyway; more or less ruining the attempt to give his partner a bit of a break.

 _Memo... start doing more full team exercises if we get out of this._

More Grimm interrupted his thoughts, but rather than come in a group they simply began to trickle in. An Ursa here, a couple of Beowolves there, a Creep or two thrown in for good measure... nothing that they really had to worry about. He handled a few, Neo handled a few more, and then Prim came up to take on an unusually large Ursa while he and Neo gulped down water and forced energy bars into their mouths.

They managed to choke them down and take their places just in time for things to start dying down once again.

"Prim," Jaune caught her arm as she was about to head back to where Rau was standing on mound nearer to the wall, "Call up to the militia when you get back, ask if they've seen a signal or heard anything."

"Will do." She promised, jogging back.

Neo pursed her lips as she walked over to him, the pair turning to regarding the field around them. Aside from the sounds of gunfire and howling Grimm in the distance, it might have been a normal, pleasant day. It was almost disconcerting...

From what of anything else to do, he shared his thoughts with Neo and got an exaggerated eye roll for his efforts.

"Jaune!" Primula's voice called, making them both turn, "We're still supposed to hold here and wait. The professor says they have things under control, so we may not need to reinforce them at all."

Jaune shook his head, "Seriously? We're just standing around!"

Even from a distance her helpless shrug was obvious, "He said to stay put until he signaled."

Beside him, Neo made an expression of displeasure as she waved a hand at the emptiness around us. Then, before he could speak, she pointed at the militia standing around on the wall with no one to shoot, and then up over the ocean where the school Bullheads were still lazily circling.

 _She's right... the village is under this kind of attack, why are so many of us just sitting on our hands?_ His left hand ran through his hair as he grimaced, trying to push the thoughts aside. _They're the professionals, they've done this before, just have to trust that they know what they're doing._

No sooner had the thoughts crossed his mind than a red flare shot up over the heart of the village. He stared at it blankly for a moment. It wasn't the white flare Verde was supposed to use to signal them, then it clicked as the milita started waving frantically for them to come back as they threw ropes over the sides of the walls.

 _Red... oh Gods, there's Grimm inside the village!_

"Go!" He shouted as he shook himself, starting for the walls. "Go go go!"

Prim and Rau hadn't needed the order, they were already halfway there before he got to the end of the fourth 'go'. Neo, wasn't much of a sprinter, as light on her feet as she was, and elected to cheat via her semblance instead of bothering with the run. Her body simply shattered into shards of glass that seemed to evaporate, while her lithe body abruptly appeared on top of the wall; scaring two militia-men so badly that they nearly fell off.

 _One of these days I'll discover mine... and it will be cooler than hers._

He wasn't sure _what_ could be cooler, since Neo had seemingly won the semblance lottery, but he could still hope.

Rather than bother with a full litter, a rabbit faunus simply threw down a rope with a loop at one end and told him to stick his foot into the circle and to hold tightly. He did so, grabbing on as the soldiers above hauled him upwards like a bag, trying to use his free leg to stop from spinning around as they did.

Strong hands hauled him up once he reached the top, Rau helping the faunus get him up and over.

"What's happening?" He gasped as soon as he got his feet under him.

"There was a distress call from the Shade team." The faunus soldier replied, his gruff features contrasting horribly with his notched bunny ears. "Then _something_ cleared the wall and started rampaging around the warehouses. That way!"

Jaune followed the man's finger, and saw smoke already starting to rise from an area near the dock. "Right, we're on it."

"Luck huntsman!"

"Thanks!" _I really hope we don't need it..._

Neo led the way, Jaune and the others following her down a narrow stairwell that deposited them in the streets. Primula started calling out directions quickly enough, as usual being able to keep their destination in her mind even with the changing level. Which was a rather handy talent, since Jaune would freely admit that he'd have been lost within the first couple of minutes.

A Grimm began bellowing somewhere nearby as they ran, the tone somehow deeper, different from the calls he'd gotten used to over the last few hours.

"Prim?" He asked, trying not to pant as they ran.

"Don't know!" She replied, looking as tired as he felt. Neo was openly sweating beside them, and only Rau looked mostly fresh. "I hear more gunfire though, I think someone's already engaged it!"

How she could tell that he had no idea, the gunfire just sounded like gunfire.

 _Don't think about it, just be glad you've got her on your team!_

"Rau!" He called, "You're the in the best shape, want to take the lead?"

The other boy gave him a cocky smirk, "Thought you'd never ask Jaune!"

Jaune smiled faintly as his friend put on a bit of extra speed, accelerating ahead of them just as they reached some kind of parking lot in front of the warehouses. One of the big buildings had a gaping hole in its side, smoke billowing out of more holes in the roof as something detonated inside. He could hear more shouts and gunfire from inside, then a figure came flying out to hit the ground, tumbling bonelessly to a stop not far away.

It was a ram faunus, dressed in an odd white uniform, and by some miracle he still seemed to be alive, groaning and trying to crawl to where his gun had been thrown from his grasp. Behind him, the wall of the warehouse exploded outwards; and a Grimm he'd never seen before slamming into the ground. It wasn't as large as the Creep they'd fought in initiation, but there was something about it that sent his instincts screaming.

 _Oh gods..._

"A Beringel?" Prim's voice was quiet, stunned. "They're native to Mistral... what's one doing _here_!?"

The Grimm's red eyes seemed to lock onto them at the sound of her voice, another roar being accompanied by its hands pounding on its chest.

If nothing else, the sound jerked him out of the stupor he'd fallen into, and he shook his head sharply, "Prim! How do we kill it!?"

"Trauma!" She shouted as Rau opened fire, dust rounds striking the thing's chest before it got an arm up to protect its head. The explosions sparked off of skin as hard as any aura, only earning another furious bellow. "They don't really have weak spots! They're smart and mobile!"

 _Great..._ "We can't let it get into the village, surround it and keep it pinned here!"

She nodded, swinging her flail as she started sprinting forwards; heading for the creature's right while Neo went left. Jaune swallowed, let them get a small lead, then kicked off as well, heading right for it. The Beringel saw them coming, lowering its arms before breaking into a charge of its own, all four limbs striking the ground as it came on. Both girls wisely got out of the way, letting it get past them before turning to pursue, ready to attack it from behind.

He swallowed as it drew ever closer, waiting for the punch or kick or whatever attack it was going to launch. Instead it simply tried to bowl over him, not slowing down in the slightest. His eyes widened as he threw himself aside, Crocea Mors sending up sparks as he hacked at its forearm as it raced past... bearing down on Rau.

His friend fired off two more rounds, ducked a wild punch and tried to stab with his bayonet. His strength was sufficient to let him pierce its hide, drawing a narrow wound on the thing's stomach, but while Rau was strong he wasn't overly quick. The Beringel slammed a fist into the young man's side before he could even try to dodge, following it up with a blow to a shoulder that drove him down to a knee.

It roared in triumph as a third blow back-handed his teammate away, sending him to slam into a nearby building, red aura crackling around him as it broke.

"Rau!" Jaune's shout was both furious and agonized, anger and fear making his heart feel like it was about to burst out of his chest.

Primula didn't bother with shouting his name, instead the girl let out an inarticulate scream that was nearly as loud as the Grimm's. The Beringel whipped its head around in time to catch her blazing flail in its face, a tusk flying away as its entire body twisted from the blow. This time its howl was one of pain, and it... _retreated._

Jaune and Neo both slashed at it as it fell back, its strong arms batting away their swords before it broke into another awkward looking charge as it raced back to the warehouse.

"Prim!" He shouted, "Stay with Rau!"

She replied with something that sounded like agreement, but he was already moving away, chasing down the wounded Grimm. The sound of battle had evidently drawn out several of the locals from the burning warehouse, and more gunfire started up as the saw the Grimm headed right back towards them.

"Neo!" Jaune gasped, "Can you get one of its legs? We have to slow it down!"

His partner nodded. Her boots hit the ground harder than usual, as if she was getting ready to jump, then she threw herself to the left as she shattered. Far ahead, he watched her re-appear, always an odd sight. When she vanished it was like a mirror falling apart, but when she showed up it was like a broken mirror flying back together.

Her momentum drove her small sword right through the thing's calf, tripping the beast and sending it tumbling. Neo had to release her sword lest she go with it, though she still ended up rolling nearby and having to scramble back as an arm left a small crater where her head had just been.

Jaune vaulted over her as he came on, the Beringel rising back up as it ripped the blade from its own leg. Shouting a warcry of his own, he slashed hard at its head and neck, hoping that such a thing would kill it. The Grimm once again got one of its damned arms up to block the blow, taking the impacts on one of the armored plates, its other hand flinging Neo's sword aside.

"Dammit!" He ducked as the now free hand swept at his head, then threw himself to the right as another punch came in.

The Grimm roared in frustration swinging wildly at him, desperately trying to hit its prey as Jaune ducked and side-stepped every punch being thrown his way. His own slashes weren't doing much more than annoy the thing, but he _was_ keeping its attention while Neo darted off to grab her blade, and the villagers in the warehouse kept putting rounds into the thing's back whenever they had a clear shot.

 _I can do this, I can do this! Just have to hold out until Neo gets back, it's limping badly, we just get that other leg and we back off and-_

He stepped aside from another punch... and his right foot landed in the small sinkhole that the Grimm had created when it had tried to crush Neo.

His balance wavered... and the Beringel seemed to smile as it brought both hands high above its head.

 _...it planned that!?_

Two fists slammed into his shoulders, driving him into the ground like a nail being hammered. He actually bounced off of the concrete surface, a shattering, buzzing sound racing through him as he felt his aura break. It caught him by an ankle before he hit the ground again, the world spinning wildly as it spun him around before throwing him into the warehouse.

He hit something, or someone from the girlish scream of surprise, and his entire body thrummed with the impacts as he tumbled off of her to hit something metallic. That hurt just as much as the initial blows from the Grimm had, and he found himself staring blankly at a dirty concrete floor as his brain tried to figure out what had just happened.

More roaring came from outside, but it seemed entirely too far away in comparison to the full-body throbs of pain that started in his back and washed up and down with each heartbeat.

"Get up!" Someone was shaking him, "Get up! There's another one!"

 _Another... you've gotta be kidding me..._

Small hands grabbed at his shoulders, trying to haul him up. He sort of helped, having somehow kept his sword in his grip even though he'd lost his shield, planting it into the ground and using it as a lever to his battered body to its feet.

Remnant finally stopped twirling impossibly once he had his heels planted, giving him some kind of idea of what was going on. An adorable black-haired cat faunus was trying to keep him propped upright, a shaking gun that looked massive in her little hand pointed outside. He blinked, shook himself, and managed to focus in time to see the last of the first Beringel melting away while a second one flailed at Primula and Neo, the pair struggling to keep it outside even as it seemed to want to get past them.

"I knew it." He muttered to himself, "My semblance is luck. Terrible, terrible luck."

The girl turned to face him, yellow eyes blinking from behind a white visor. Something about that jogged something in his head, but his punch-drunk brain couldn't connect it to anything. "...what?"

"Nevermind." He groaned, trying to take a step forwards and surprising himself when he remained up right. "Right... plan. We need a plan. My team's... we're going to get it to turn its back, need you and your friends to shoot it until it dies."

"Um," She replied, cautiously letting him go, "That didn't work last time."

"Well it will work this time." Jaune replied with more confidence than he felt, stumbling into something like a power walk as he fought to keep his sword upright.

"Idiot human," Someone else scoffed, "You're going to get yourself killed."

He ignored that, despite the fact that it was probably true. _Heroes don't leave their friends in danger... and beside, I have a plan._

Swallowing, he got his other hand on his sword, needing the extra strength to keep his shaking blade upright. Ahead, he watched as the girls kept up the fight, Prim's flail leaving orange streaks behind it as she tried to hammer at the creature, Neo dodging in and out. His partner kept trying to get at its neck and head, but the Grimm consistently kept an arm up, protecting itself while its other hand swiped irritably at the women.

One of its punches caused Neo to shatter, re-appearing above and behind it as she drove her sword at the back of its neck. It penetrated, but not nearly enough, exhaustion robbing her of her strength. The Grimm snarled and threw itself backwards, clearly aiming to crush her with its mass.

Jaune saw his chance and lunged forwards as his partner threw herself away, aiming his sword and bracing himself for what was coming. The Grimm, unaware of his presence, impaled itself on Crocea Mores... and then its weight slammed into his chest.

Something in his shoulder snapped, and if he'd had the strength he'd have screamed at the pain as he fell back.

His last memory of the warehouse was Neo scampering over, her eyes a panicked shade of cream as everything went dark.

* * *

 ** _And the wrap up of the field mission. Jaune remains so-so at fighting, good at dodging, but pretty clever when the situation calls for it. And a couple of young white fang members make a cameo appearance, with an explanation for their presence coming in the next chapter._**

 ** _I do apologize for the shorter nature of these chapters, but my chapter per day goal rather limits how long they can be given my other obligations. We've got four more chapters to go, then we'll have this particular story arc wrapped up. I'm still debating continuing on beyond that point, if I do you could likely consider these first ten chapters to be an especially extended prologue._**

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 _Thanks, Kat_


	7. Origins VII: Victor's Reward

**Victor's Reward**

When Jaune woke up he felt worse than he could ever remember feeling... worse than he did after Neo's last all-night training session even. Not in pain so much as utterly uncomfortable and exhausted despite the fact that he'd just been asleep.

"About time you woke up." The gruff voice of his least favorite Professor spoke from somewhere nearby, the smell of antiseptic and medicine telling him he was probably in the school's infirmary. "You've been out for most of a day."

Jaune swallowed as best he could, his throat felt utterly dry. A moment later someone was sticking a straw into his mouth, and deliciously cold water poured in. He tried not to guzzle it, cracking an eye open to see Neo holding the bottle for him.

She looked about as awful as he felt. She was still in her combat uniform, her badly stained white coat buttoned up as if to ward off cold, and her multi-colored hair was in dire need of a comb and a shower. Her expression was utterly neutral, something that made him swallow the last bit of water and wonder what he'd done wrong.

"You dislocated your shoulder and broke three ribs." Cracking open his other eye revealed the professor standing at almost military attention near the door, the glass window actually frosted from the man's passive semblance. "Since your aura was running on fumes you needed a bit of work, and several auric boosters to kick start your natural healing."

He nodded his thanks to Neo, who didn't react to the nod beyond taking away the water bottle. "...everyone else?"

The teacher gave him a typically unreadable look before twitching a shoulder, "Your team is entirely intact, aside from yourself, if roughed up. The Shade students were more battered, the Beringel that got into the town had two friends that they dealt with. All four had to medically evacuated, we haven't heard if they'll all make it."

His stomach sank a little at the idea. _That could have been us, facing down... two more... four of them? We wouldn't have had a chance.._

"It is the opinion," Verde continued, "Of the ranking Huntsman present that you passed your mission with flying colors. Team BGDY arrived shortly after you crippled the second Grimm, and Huntress Blanche was told the details of the engagement by the White Fang recruiters who witnessed and assisted you."

Jaune blinked, "White... Fang? Oh, those... faunus."

"They often work the northern villages, looking for recruits among the Atlesian exiles." The professor flicked a dismissive hand, "The locals tolerate them so long as they behave, and so long as they assist during crisis such as what happened yesterday. Several of their number were on the walls, though obviously not in uniform."

It made a certain kind of sense, more so as his brain continued to wake up. The kind of downtrodden faunus fleeing Atlas for Vacuo would be the kind of people the White Fang would want, and if the northerners had as many Grimm problems as the professor and Rau had indicated then they'd be happy to let them recruit in exchange for a few extra guns.

Verde gave him a moment, then resumed speaking, "To finish with your evaluation; your team performed adequately. Your improvisational skills as a leader in combat remain... excellent, and your combat abilities have grown to the point where you are only a minor liability." Jaune couldn't help but wince at that, feeling it rather unfair, "However, your overall team strategies could do with a sizable improvement. From the reports and observations I received both Raudona and Miss Fiola were criminally underutilized until the engagement with the Beringel, I expect both to improve in the future."

"Yes Professor." He replied dutifully, the man not telling him anything he didn't already know.

"And," The professor went on as if he hadn't spoken, "You need to diversify your training. Miss Neopolitan is an extremely capable combatant but so long as you train with her exclusively you will learn little but to be a pale shadow of what she is. You can expect to spar with team SMRK and team BLZE in class until you understand which end of you sword to hold."

A muscle in Neo's cheek twitched angrily, her eyes both shifting to a furious pink as she glared at the older man. Verde met her stare without changing his expression, "The rest of your team has been alerted and are on their way, and the Headmistress typically speaks with every team after their first mission. Expect her."

Then he turned and left the room without another word, letting the swinging door slam shut obnoxiously after him.

"Twat..." Jaune couldn't help but mutter.

His partner huffed out a breath of agreement, collapsing back into the chair beside him.

"Did you sleep in here?" He asked, frowning at her.

Neo's mouth wrinkled in distaste, a hand waving at her hair to indicate the obvious answer to the question.

Jaune blinked, "Why? Were you... worried about me?"

Neo rolled her eyes and shook her head, but there was a slight color to her cheeks that made him start to smile. She noticed, of course, and quickly narrowed her expression into an angry glare. He couldn't help but laugh, weakly maybe, but it still felt good to smile and chuckle as his partner's expression continued to darken. He expected her patience to snap and for her to try and choke him out or something, her usual response when he got her annoyed enough... instead she got up, walked over, and then slapped him as hard as she could.

His laughter stopped instantly as he gaped at her. She'd never honestly struck him before... not like that, anyway. In mock anger, in training, to amuse herself, sure... but never with that furious expression on her face.

"...Neo?"

She snarled silently at him, waving at his injured body before tapping his forehead repeatedly with her forefinger. The question was clear; what were you thinking!?

"I... I had to help fight," He shook his head, "I was still up, and you two were struggling, so I thought-"

She smacked him again to shut him up, making him flinch a little in to his pillow. Multi-colored eyes stared at him as she huffed, about the loudest sound he'd ever heard her make, then she tapped his forehead again and pointedly shook her head to indicate that he _hadn't_ thought.

 _But I did think! I had a plan and everything, I wanted to..._ He frowned at himself, _I wanted to be a hero..._

Neo pursed her lips, crossing her arms under her breasts and glaring down at him, clearly waiting for him to work it out on his own.

He opened his mouth to ask a question, saw her eyes narrow, swallowed, and then tried, "You... didn't need my help, did you?"

Her expression was practically subtitled ' _Obviously'._

Jaune bit his lip, thinking about that. Prim had proven that she could hurt the Beringel, he'd seen that when she'd smacked the first one. Tired as Neo had been, the two of them plus those White Fang members could have handled it without him.

 _I helped though, it might have taken longer, might have killed some of those faunus, or hurt one of them. As it was it just..._ He felt his stomach drop a little as he looked down at his body, _It just almost crushed me. Holy Gods... broken ribs, my arm... what if it had landed different and it was my neck?_

Had he rushed into a situation he hadn't needed to, just because he'd wanted to be a hero? _The_ hero?

Neo shook her head beside him, and somehow her honest disappointment made everything worse.

 _What did Rau say... when we had our guy talk? That they'd bury me if I didn't shape up?_

He'd thought he had. He'd put everything he had into training, into catching up, into being the best fighter he could be. But... maybe he'd missed something. Or had he? Being a huntsman, a hero, _was_ dangerous. He'd known that coming in, known that it might lead him to dying. And it wasn't as if he'd charged the thing solo, he'd just wanted to wound it and then dive aside, slow it down so that everyone else could jump it.

 _I had a plan, a decent one even! I knew the danger and was going to get out, just happened faster than I thought!_

"I had a reason for it." He said aloud, returning his eyes to the pink and brown ones regarding him.

His partner pursed her lips, shrugged, and then mimed pointing a gun at her own head and pulling the trigger.

"I'm not suicidal!"

An eyebrow went up and a hand waved at his body.

"I'm not!" He insisted. "I just wanted to help!"

Neo smacked herself in the face before dragging her hand down, her eyes rolling so hard he was surprised they didn't pop out of her head.

"I'm serious, I know it was dangerous but-" A hand slammed over his mouth, her other pinching the bridge of her nose. He glared at her and then bit at her palm. She jerked her hand away in surprise, staring at him in something like shock... and then her eyes narrowed and he realized that he'd made a mistake.

She all but bounced onto the bed, straddling his chest while small hands wrapped around his throat. He tried to buck her off of him, tried to use his good hand, and got nowhere with either as she glared daggers and strangled him.

That was the scene the other half of JNPR saw when the walked in, Rau barking out a laugh while Primula groaned and rushed forwards to haul his partner off of him. Neo thrashed a little, mostly for form he thought since she made sure not to hit his wounded side when she did, but allowed herself to be dragged away. Jaune nodded his thanks while he gasped for air.

"Well," Rau continued to grin, taking up the Professor's spot by the wall, "Good to see our fearless leader can survive having a giant gorilla fall on top of him."

"At least I didn't get batted into a wall." He replied once he found his voice, "I think someone else needs some training time with Neo."

Said girl was still sulking next to Prim, but Rau sighed all the same, "You sound like Prim, she's already drawing up new training schedules for us."

Jaune perked up a little, eager to talk about anything but what had happened on the mission. "You have?"

"I have," She nodded, giving him a small smile. "Me and Rau definitely need to work on our defense, you need to work on your offense, and we all need to get used to working together instead of as two sets of partners."

He shook his head, "Verde gave you the same speech didn't he?"

Neo rolled her eyes and nodded, kicking one leg up and over the other as she settled back in her chair. Her hands rose as she made a couple of gestures, telling him they'd be starting the training next week.

"Next week?" He asked.

Primula shrugged, "You should be recovered by then, sooner really, but... I wanted to take some time to do some research. Might your need your help with that actually."

 _Research?_

He must have been frowning openly because she nodded again, "Those Grimm, those Beringel... there's never been a recorded sighting of them on this continent. Like I said, they're native to Mistral, to Anima. I want to figure out how they got here."

Jaune bit his lip and went to run his hand through his hair, only to grimace as he remembered that his left arm was wrapped up against his chest. _Ow... bad move._

"Isn't that something the teachers will be doing?" He asked.

"What I said." Rau grumbled.

Prim gave them a rather annoyed look. "Yes, but just because they're going to be working on it doesn't mean we should just ignore it either. I'm saying we do _research_ , not run off and to patrol the coasts to see if they're swimming over or something. If nothing else it will be good advanced work for Grimm Studies next semester."

That made the rest of them sigh, Jaune letting his eyes close as he sank bank into his pillow. He couldn't really argue with her logic, as much as he tried to. Hours or days of studying foreign Grimm wasn't how he'd wanted to spend the short break between semesters. Especially not after having one nearly crush him to death.

"I always recommend working ahead," An older woman's voice nearly made him jump out of his skin, all of his teammates twitched violently in time with him as they jerked their gazes towards the door.

Headmistress Haley was a surprisingly short woman, only a couple of inches taller than Neo, but she carried a gravitas that his partner entirely lacked. The women's business suit she wore probably helped with that, though the serious black was offset heavily by a harlequin patterned tie that she wore loose around her neck. If she had a weapon he couldn't see it, the only thing in her hands was a steaming cup of coffee.

Oh, and she'd entered the room in complete silence, even closing the door behind her without anyone so much as noticing.

"Good evening students." She greeted them, her tanned skin crinkling a little as she gave them a small smile. "Good to see that you are well."

"Professor Haley." Jaune greeted, doing his best to sit up. "Good evening ma'am. Professor Verde said you'd come by."

"He would have." The Headmistress replied, pointedly opening the door as she did. "If everyone else could please wait outside, I must debrief your team leader and discuss a few things."

Rau and Prim both nodded, the latter giving him a pat on the hand as she walked by, but Neo remained firmly in place.

The school's leader regarded her stoically, the door remaining open. "I understand that he is your partner, Miss Neopolitan, but this is to be a private discussion. I will be speaking with you later this week as well."

Neo still didn't look thrilled, and only a reassuring nod from him got her to move. Professor Haley waited until she'd departed before closing and locking the door. That done, she walked around his bed and settled into the chair that his partner had occupied, lifting her coffee mug to her lips.

Jaune waited patiently for her to say something... and kept waiting as she took another sip.

And kept waiting...

And then waited some more...

"Professor?" He asked ten minutes into the awkward silence.

She blinked a little as if surprised, glancing down at her mug before scowling at it. "Never lasts... ah yes, Mister Arc, I suppose we can get his out of the way."

He nodded, "Did you want to hear what happened on the mission? Professor Verde already said where we need to improve, and between Prim and I we can definitely-"

A hand waved as she cut him off, "No, no. There is not point to discussing the mission. I discuss such things with students to ensure they are coping well with what they may have seen, what they may have done, and as you are no longer a student I do not see the need."

For a long couple of seconds her words just... didn't click.

And then, all of the sudden, they did, and the bottom dropped out of his stomach. "...Professor?"

"It is school policy to contact family members when a student has been severely injured." She informed him, her expression as bland and matter-of-fact as her tone. "Curiously, you had none listed despite the fact that I know of your farther. It had been quite some time since we had spoken, and I thought to handle it personally, to reassure him that despite our differing opinions on our profession that you had fought bravely and ably, and that you had a promising future despite your occasionally thick head."

His throat was dry, and he could feel his free hand shaking. "...Professor?'

"Imagine my surprise," Haley continued, "When your mother answered, and she informed me that she had no idea what I was speaking of. That as far as she knew, you had landed a safe but quiet job in Vacuo apprenticing to a smithy. And that, even had you tried to apply, that you utterly lacked any combat training and would surely have been rejected out of hand."

 _Not like this... not like this._

"Professor, I-"

She held up a hand, and there was such absolute authority to the gesture that his teeth clicked shut on reflex. "Your _stunt,_ Mister Arc, cost a promising young hunter a position at this Academy. A young person who honestly trained, sweated, fought, bled, and paid for a true education has likely lost their meaning in life because you felt that you deserved a place more than they did."

Jaune flinched at nearly every word, and she left the silence to hang for several seconds to drive the point home.

"You are to be expelled." She informed him, "There will be no negotiations on that front. Vacuo may be... Vacuo, and some degree of graft and cheating is to be expected even here, but _this_ is above and beyond what we can tolerate. A new student will be brought in next semester to take your place on team JNPR."

 _Oh gods... my team._

"... will you tell them?" He asked quietly.

"No." The Headmistress shook her head as she rose from her seat, "That will be your unhappy duty."

... _what will I say? What could I say?_

Heels clicked on the floor as she walked away, then paused near the door. "Mister Arc?"

He glanced up at her, feeling his chest heaving.

"I am not without some sympathy, and you _do_ have potential as a huntsman. You may remain in your dorms until the start of the next semester, you will be graded on your full work. Your expulsion will not entered into the system until that time. If nothing else..." She sighed, "If nothing else that will give you a leg up should you wish to apply to a journeyman program with a professional team."

Jaune couldn't bring himself to speak, too occupied feeling his dreams fall apart all around him.

* * *

 _ **Hands up if anyone expected that... just kidding, put your hands down, no one expected that. In other news, Neo tries to make Jaune realize something, and he starts to... then starts to justify his desperate desire for self-worth once again. There are three more chapters left in the planned section of this story, after which I'll probably take a week or two to plan out something longer.**_

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 _Thanks, Kat_


	8. Origins VIII: Game Changer

**Game Changer**

Jaune sat on the edge of the cliff, his legs hanging over the edge as he watched the sun slowly edge towards the horizon. As much as he hated the heat and the sand, he'd... grown to like the spectacular sunsets. It was often when Neo called a break to their evening training, the pair of them guzzling water and watching as the world spun on.

 _Just another thing that I'm going to lose..._

Beside him, his scroll began to vibrate once again, as it had been for most of the last day. He gave it a tired look, saw his mother's name once again... and he once again ignored it. As well intentioned as her actions probably was, he just wasn't in the mood to deal with his family. Not after what they'd cost him.

 _..they couldn't have just trusted me? Just ran with it? Confronted me alone, let me explain myself? Let me prove to them that I'm capable of doing this?_

The scroll ended, the voicemail chime indicating she'd left yet another message. In the wake of the noise he heard soft footfalls approaching, his former-partner appearing on his right side. Neo regarded his scroll for a moment, then reached down to grab it, sliding it into one of her pockets before settling down to sit next to him.

He thought about yelling at her for that... but it wasn't really his anymore. The school had given it to him, and he'd have to return it when he was officially booted out next week.

More scuffing on the dirt and sand heralded Primula and Rau, coming up on his other side. Both sat down as well, their legs hanging over the long drop, all four just watching the sun.

"Dust storm's coming in." Primula offered quietly. "Won't be able to stay out for long."

Jaune nodded silently, glancing off to the northwest. A towering wall of sand and dust was rolling across the plain, the winds pushing it in their direction. It was only the second he'd seen, and the sheer size of it still managed to impress.

The quiet stretched after that, and as usual it was Rau who lost his patience first and broke it. "So... you thinking about throwing yourself over the edge?"

He snorted quietly, looking down. "It's not high enough. I'd have to land on my neck to make it work... with my luck I'd just break my legs or something and be in double-misery."

Prim swatted them both on the head, growling as she did, "Don't joke about that. Either of you."

Rau winced, rubbing at his skull, "Sorry Prim."

She sniffed, turning back to Jaune. "Where do you think you'll go? Back home?"

"No." He replied at once, shaking his head. "I'm not... I'm not ready to see them. I need time. Vacuo itself maybe... find the kind of job I told them I had."

Neo frowned on his other side, a little fist making a punching motion to go with her questioning expression.

"Journeyman huntsman don't make any lien." He reminded her quietly, running a hand through his hair. "And I spent everything I had on the transcripts and just getting here... I'd have to get my parents to pay for my ticket home if I even did want to go back. I'll have to get at least a part-time job before I could think about approaching teams. Assuming any of them will take on an expelled liar with no official training."

His partner shook her head, punching him lightly on the shoulder before pointing around him to Filiad, the small city's lights starting to come to life off to the south.

"She's right," Prim noted, "You should stay closer. Bullheads run there and back every day, we could see you, keep up our usual nightly training..."

Rau nodded, "Go Grimm hunting on the weekends."

Jaune blinked, and felt his heart lurch a little. "Guys... I can't ask you to-"

Neo smacked him over the head, though lightly by her standards. He gave her a mild glare and tried again, "Seriously, you need to focus on graduation, studying. I... I can figure things out on my-"

This time it was Prim who smacked him, "Jaune... you're my best friend, but Gods you're a stubborn idiot sometimes. We're not going to give up on you just because fate dealt us a bad hand. Don't give into despair, don't waste everything we've done together the past four months."

"Definitely don't." Rau nodded in agreement, "We'd have to beat the crap out of you if you said we wasted all those late nights helping you train."

Jaune blinked, then let out a weak chuckle. "You didn't do any of that, that was all Neo."

"Hey," His friend growled, "I helped plenty, and someone had to make sure Neo didn't decide to get handsy with her boy-toy."

He felt his face turn bright red while Neo's eyes narrowed dangerously, her umbrella suddenly appearing in her hands as she pointedly drew a few inches of the sword.

Rau rolled his eyes, waving a hand. "You're not going to kill me, I'm the one with the drinks remember?"

Neo's lips twisted in visible distaste, but there was a click as she returned the blade to its place. For his part Jaune was left blinking, shaking his head to banish inappropriate thoughts of his partner, "...drinks?"

"Team BLZE may have paid off a pilot to bring back some," Rau replied, puffing up his chest a little, "And I just may have gotten my hands on a few bottles. I thought we could send you off properly."

"Rau..." Primula growled, "You want us all to get drunk?"

"Well why not?" Her partner asked, "We passed our mission, Jaune's getting expelled, we're all pissed off about that... seems like a perfect time to drink, doesn't it? And we'll have all week to recover."

Primula shook her head again, "I've never had a drink in my life, and I doubt Jaune has either."

"All the more reason to start now." Rau heaved himself up to his feet, "Come on, it'll be fun! Just the four of us, bitching about an unfair world, like nothing's changed."

 _Like nothing's changed... but everything has changed._

"I'm... I'm in." Jaune replied after a few moments, "Might as well have one last new experience here, right? I want a good memory of you guys before they drag me off."

Prim's dark lips twisted unhappily... but she groaned and nodded, Neo smirking at her as the three stood up to follow Rau back to their dorm.

While it wasn't the longest walk, it also wasn't overly pleasant, at least for Jaune. It had taken everything he'd had to mutter the truth to his team, to his friends. He hadn't even considered telling anyone else, and the Headmistress hadn't exactly made an announcement... so everyone they passed treated him normally.

Better than normally, really. Typically he was something of an afterthought to most of the other teams, the poor idiot who was perpetually stuck in dead last on a team including two of the top five combatants in the year, as well as the smartest girl in academics. But apparently Rau had made sure to start telling everyone about what he'd done to end up in the school hospital on their mission, and now...

Guys who might have ignored him were giving him the kind of slight nods that men used to show respect to one another, while girls no longer seemed to be ignoring him as part of the background. They weren't exactly checking him out, but they seemed to realize he existed, which was a definite step up.

 _It would have been a step up if I wasn't about to be..._ his eyes lowered as he sighed, unable to bring himself to look up, to see the signs that the other students were finally accepting him as worthy.

 _Combat score from the mission bumped me to from last to tied for nineteenth in the year, academics were eighth..._ A hand ran through his hair as he thought about how far he'd come in just one semester. _Fifteenth overall ranking in class... I proved that I can do this, that I can be a huntsman, a hero, fake transcripts or no._

Not that it mattered. His parents had never supported his dream, had actively thrown blocks in the way to stop him from trying, and now they had revealed the truth when he'd risked everything to try and make it happen regardless.

A scroll began to ring in Neo's pocket. She glanced at him, then reached down and turned it off.

"You can't ignore them forever." Prim spoke quietly as they turned down their hall, "They're your family, they just wanted you to be safe."

Anger stirred somewhere in his chest. "Don't defend them."

"I'm not defending them," She shook her head, "I'm reminding you of what you already know."

 _Safe... I accepted the risks, I wanted to be happy, to be someone worth respecting, not someone stuck hiding behind his sisters and parents his whole life._

Prim bit her lip as their pace slowed, Rau opening their door, a hand touching his shoulder gently. "I think they screwed up, but... they're your blood. You can't replace that."

Jaune sighed, "I know... but... I can't do it now. I can't deal with them now. Later, once I'm calm."

She didn't quite look like she believed him, but Neo came to his rescue, shoving them both hard in the back to get them moving again. They both stumbled inside, Rau politely catching his partner and leaving Jaune to trip on a book before face-planting onto the ground. Groaning at the sheer typicality of it all, he started to get up only for a painful heel to dig into his back.

"Neo..." He groaned as the unrepentant girl got her other foot onto his back, making him gasp as his aura drained.

The weight shifted as she lowered herself, sitting cross legged right on his spine. Grimacing, he twisted his head around, catching a glimpse of her broad smile. "Do I look like your couch?"

A pale finger tapped her pink lips a few times before she nodded sharply.

Rau let out a laugh as he shut the door behind them all, taking care to lock it before heading to their small closet. He rummaged around for a minute or two, Neo remaining comfortable on top of him while Primula took a seat at her desk.

"All right!" Rau announced as he returned, setting dark bottles on his bed before heading back to the closet. "We've got two bottles of local rum, some Mistralian wine, Atlesian vodka, and some brandy. I've got soda if anyone wants to mix things a little. Ladies first, Prim?"

"The wine." She replied promptly, surprising no one.

A bottle was promptly passed over, and after a moment Neo selected one of the bottles of rum for herself. Thankfully she had to get off of him to do it, and he managed to sit up in time to stare at the last three bottles with no idea of which to pick. Rau helped by taking the clear bottle of vodka, leaving him with just two. After a minute where everyone else seemed to be staring into him, he broke down and picked the brandy since it was slightly closer.

The first drink made him cough as it burned his throat, Neo silently laughing at him as she threw back a glass of rum like it was nothing. Rau mixed his with some soda and seemed entirely fine as well, making Jaune scowl and grab the two liter before trying it that way. That proved to be a little better, lowering the burn and shifting the taste a little.

For a while they drank in silence, everyone pacing themselves with the new experience. That lasted for about ten minutes before Neo grew bored with the quiet, pulled out her scroll and started playing the recording of when Sol had smacked him.

He didn't think it was all that funny, but Rau and Prim both laughed, especially when Neo set to endlessly repeat the ending couple of seconds, letting them watch him get slapped over and over and over again.

By that point he had enough liquid courage in him to try and grab the scroll, the suicidal lunge surprising Neo so much that she didn't even react until they were both sideways on the ground and wrestling for the device. He had the advantage of size, she had the advantage of everything else. Her palm slammed into his cheek, then his nose, then his chin, knees and feet hammering at his legs and stomach, and about the only thing he managed was to fling the scroll away.

Neo made it clear that was unacceptable by scrambling around him, then bouncing his head off the carpeting once or twice just to make sure he knew she was properly annoyed with him. She calmed down only when Prim and Rau stopped laughing and got up to help him, but he still wound up acting as her personal bartender, topping off her glass whenever she held it out.

The drinks started to taste better after a while, especially when the conversation turned to better times. Jaune's first win in class and the flabbergasted look on Professor Verde's face. Rau had taken a picture of that one, and they all laughed themselves sick on seeing his utterly blank expression. The time Neo had gotten detention for stealing three gallons of ice cream from the kitchens... the time Rau gotten a week's worth for trying to use Professor Verde's ambient semblance to keep his drink cold in class.

All the times they'd gotten yelled at for being out far past curfew training, all of the teachers just giving up punishing them when it was clear they weren't about to stop.

The times that Neo had used her semblance to prank people.

The times that Primula had taken up most of their history class arguing with Professor Lan.

The times that Rau had gotten overconfident in a fight and gotten his ass kicked.

An hour or two later, and Jaune felt better, and not just from the alcohol. For the most part he managed to pace himself, not getting too deep into his brandy, while Prim at least refrained from finishing her entire bottle. Rau and Neo didn't feel any such restraints, their pale faces flushed as they continued to drink. Rau practically finished his entire bottle, and while Neo didn't quite get that far, with how tiny she was what she consumed was more than enough to leave her wobbling in place.

"This was a good idea Rau." He admitted, leaning forwards to grab the mostly empty bottle away from his friend. "But... I think we should be done."

"Aww..." The other boy made a sound like a distressed puppy, "I'm holding it just... just fine! Right Prim? ...wow you're gorgeous tonight, did I tell you that?"

Primula groaned, running a hand over her face and clutching at her seat with the other. "Rau.. stop flirting with me, please... everything is off kilter."

"But you are!" Her partner protested.

Jaune snorted, rising on tired legs and grabbing Neo's bottle as he did. She scowled at him severely, then nearly fell over trying to track him as he started piling the bottles into a desk drawer. Primula handed over her bottle of wine easily enough, standing up as with only a minor wobble to take the cups and get everything else cleaned up. Their two friends mostly pouted that their fun was over, though Rau started helping as best he could once Prim yelled at him.

Neo, naturally, curled up on her bed and watched everyone else bustle around like a particularly lazy cat.

"I'm going to shower," He announced once things were mostly clean and-or hidden.

The others waved vaguely in his direction, leaving him to it. Showering felt amazing, the steam helping make things a little clearer, and it gave him some time to think on his own.

 _I don't want to leave..._ He didn't really have a choice there, as much as he hated it. They'd throw him out come next week if he didn't leave before hand. Given the fact that he had one more week of free room and board though... he'd have to make the most of the time he had left.

 _I don't want to lose my friends..._ That seemed to be the easiest one to fix. Neo and Prim had been right, he didn't need to go home, or to Vacuo proper. He could stay nearby, where he could still see them at nights and on weekends. Maybe find a morning job, or a guardsman's post to pay the bills.

 _I still want to do this. I know I can._

That one was harder. Headmistress Haley letting him pass one semester or not, very few professional Huntsman took on a journeyman, and for very good reasons. Few of them wanted to deal with training a newbie who was likely to get himself, and possibly them, killed through the rookie's own inexperience. They'd just as soon leave all of that to the schools to work on.

 _Or... I could just stay nearby, train with my team every week, and go with them when they graduate._

Assuming they didn't abandon him, which he couldn't see happening, that would be an ideal solution. They'd be professionals, and he could simply join them. Sure, he wouldn't have his license, but they would, and even better, they'd probably be able to sponsor him if he applied. It would be far harder than being a student, but theoretically... he could do it.

 _So all I need to do,_ He mused as he pulled some fresh pants on, _is to not fall behind too much in my personal training. Every hero has rough patches, this is... just going to be mine I guess. I'll have to do something amazing for them to pay them back._

Jaune was in the process of pulling a black t-shirt over his head when the sound of Neo's semblance nearly made him fall back into the wet tub, and only her grabbing his belt kept him from tumbling.

"Neo!" He all but shrieked, yanking his shirt down as quickly as he could. "What are you doing in here!?"

His partner stared blankly at the area around his stomach, her features still a bit flushed from the alcohol, then shook her head violently. That nearly made her fall over, and it was his turn to grab her shoulder to keep her upright.

"Neo?" He tried again, "You ok?"

She scowled at him, batting his hand away before jerking her thumb at the door while making an oddly cross-eyed face.

He stared blankly at her. She stomped a tiny foot, turned and pointed at the door, then hugged herself and made kissing motions with her lips.

"...um..." He tried, "You want a hug?'

Neo huffed out a furious breath and pointed once again. Then she very slowly made the letter 'P' with her hands, then something like an 'R'. Once she was sure he had it, she made a circle with one hand... and started thrusting two fingers through it.

Jaune felt his face turn crimson. "They aren't!"

She crossed her arms and nodded, her cheeks still red.

"No, they're... no way!" Before she could stop him, he stepped around her and opened the door a crack.

The lights were still on, letting him see the other half of the team... and they were both on Rau's bed. His initial panic that Rau was trying to force himself on Prim went out the window when he saw that _she_ was on top of _him_ , and the pair of them were very busily making out. Both had removed their shirts, and Prim hadn't been wearing a bra beneath hers, letting him see-

He shut the door before he could focus on anything else, before he could be tempted to keep watching his friends while they...

"Seriously?" He asked no one in particular. "Just... right there, lights on, in our dorm!?"

Neo hiccuped somewhere behind him.

 _Right... never-mind what I said, this was a bad idea. A very bad idea. I mean, I knew that Rau liked Prim but I never thought... and... oh Gods... where are we going to sleep!?_

"Um, Neo?" Jaune asked, turning around, "You think you could get us to the common area?"

She blinked at him, her eyes swapping colors, then hiccuped again.

 _...crap, she's probably lucky she didn't end up inside a wall just coming in here._

Going out there and telling them to stop seemed both horribly rude and horribly awkward, so that left staying in here or making a run for it.

"We've only got towels in here." He muttered, more to himself than to Neo. "So... running for it is. I'm going to try and grab a blanket, you run for the door and get it open, we'll sleep in the common-"

Neo grabbed his ass, rather forcefully, and he all but slammed his head into the door in shock. He managed to avert that by stumbling back, then his foot hit a patch of spilled water and went out from under him. He hit the tile floor with a painful smack, though thankfully his head landed on his discarded clothes. The position left him with a good view from the floor as Neo silently giggled, her face turning even pinker as she laughed.

"I..." He groaned, trying to get up, "Neo, look, I'll get you some ice cream once we-"

She leaned down before he could finish, her face very close to his, and then... softness and warmth occupied all of his thoughts. His eyes shut on reflex, his last sight Neo's mismatched orbs almost rolling back as she pressed him down, her tongue sliding into his mouth. She kissed him like she did everything else; possessively, dominantly, a hand grabbing his throat to keep him in place as she explored his mouth.

She tasted like alcohol, the flavor starting a small war his brain and his lower half. One wanted to stop this immediately, the other very much wanted to see just where this might end up going.

"Neo..." He swallowed when she broke away, her smile somehow vulpine as she licked her lips, "You're... you're drunk, we shouldn't be... doing this. And we're in the bathroom."

For a second she seemed to come back to herself, her eyes both flicking to pink as she wavered a little. Then she hiccuped again, grinned and pushed him all the way back down to the floor before sloppily trying to kiss him again.

Paralyzed with indecision, he didn't react one way or another until the lights went out above them. That was enough to startle Neo at least, his partner ceasing her efforts in favor of sitting up when someone, Prim probably, let out a confused call from the other room. " _Neo? Jaune? You kill the lights?"_

"No!" He shouted back, feeling Neo slide off of him as they both struggled to get upright. "Power outage?"

Rau's deeper voice carried back, " _Clock is still working, so we have power. Prank maybe? Someone playing with the breakers?_ "

Before he could reply, a deep red light abruptly appeared above them, similar light spilling under the doorway... and then alarms began to blare from the ceiling loudspeakers.

* * *

 _ **Here we have teenagers being teenagers, Jaune rightly or wrongly blaming his family for exposing his lies, and the long expected attack on the school has begun. The current plan has the next chapter being the attack, then chapter ten being the aftermath. Once those are both out, I'll likely take some team to plot out where the hell this is going to go, and take the time to finish AR:7. Think this has done me some good there, reminded me that I can still enjoy writing combat scenes.**_

 _ **And yes, if/when this expands into a full story, the pace will slow significantly into something more typical, and the chapters will grow longer.**_

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 _Thanks, Kat_


	9. Origins IX: Knightfall

**Knightfall**

" _Alert... alert... Level Nine Grimm threat detected... Alert... All students to emergency positions."_

Jaune ignored the repetitive warning, strapping his armor on as quickly as he could, Neo tossing him Crocea Mors as soon as he was done. Her face was still a little flushed, but the confusion and adrenaline brought on by the alarm had seemed to sober her up rather quickly. The same could be said for Primula and Rau, who had gotten dressed and armed in fairly record time.

"I've never even heard of a level nine." Rau muttered, checking his gun's chamber before loading a round. "What's the protocol for that?"

"Evacuate." Jaune replied, half-remembering the packets he and the other team leaders had been given at the start of the year. "Anything about seven is a mandatory evacuation, by year I think."

Primula nodded, hefting her weapon up in both hands, "Where do we go?'

He wracked his brain for a couple of moments, "Cafeteria. Underclassmen are supposed to group up there before being taken to the bullheads by the older students, we defend them while they wait."

They all nodded to him, then got moving. Outside of their dorm proved to be chaos, the hallway filled with the other first years in various states of dress and armament; too many of them shouting and trying to remember where they were supposed to go.

"Cafeteria!" He heard Sol tried to shout, the quiet leader of team SMRK struggling to make herself heard over the confused din. "We go to the cafeteria!"

Jaune waited a moment, realized not enough people could hear her, then shouted as loudly as he could, "Cafeteria! Follow team Shamrock! Move!"

Rau took up the call as well, then several members of team BLZE likewise started shouting their destination. It still took a minute or two, but the mess eventually turned into a partially-organized rush as the other students all started moving in the right direction. Jaune led his team... led his former team, following SMRK to be the second out of the doors and into the cool, midnight air.

Lights he hadn't known the school had blazed all around, nearly turning utter darkness into day. Alarms howled everywhere, their unending wail an assault on the sense as other students poured out of the dorms, as pilots ran for the Bullheads while service crew, many as barely dressed as the students, chased after them to get the vehicles ready. Professor Lan was standing on a crate, the wizened old history teacher directing the chaos with shouts and waves of his poleaxe.

Just beyond the light was a rolling wall of utter darkness, a howl of wind accompanying the storm as it closed on them... and just for a moment, he thought he heard the high pitched shriek of Nevermore somewhere in the distance.

" _All students,"_ Headmistress Haley's voice abruptly replaced the alarms, booming from every direction, " _Remain calm and proceed to your positions. Underclassmen to the cafeteria and library. First years to the cafeteria, second to the library, third and fourth years to the main hall."_

Swallowing, Jaune kept up the pace, heading towards the long hall stretching away from the main structure. The panicked forms of the youngest students, twelve and thirteen year olds who all looked so damned _tiny_ , were already ahead of them, rushing away from their own dorms. One of their teachers, a middle-aged man he'd never actually met before, stood at the doorway and waved them through.

"First years!" He shouted as SMRK and JNPR drew closer, "Form a perimeter around the building, direct any children inside!"

Jaune nodded, raising his voice to call back, "What about the storm?"

"A janitor will be by with goggles and masks shortly!" Came the return bellow.

Nodding again, he moved off to the left, his friends following as they joined the forming line around the building. True to his word, not more than a minute later a harried man raced up to them with a box, pulling out sand goggles and small breathing masks. The things were uncomfortable, pinching at his ears and the bridge of his nose, but he knew he'd be grateful for them once the dust and sand was flying everywhere.

The first gunfire started shortly after that, cutting into the first questions asking if this was just some kind of demented drill or not.

"To the north." Prim noted, her voice muffled through her mask, "The Grimm are coming in through the storm."

Jaune shook his head, "They're not supposed to be that smart, and aren't there perimeter sensors? Patrols? They'd have had to migrate for weeks to get here."

"I know, I know..." She groaned, her weight shifting a bit before she shook her head and corrected her balance. Not quite as recovered from the drinking she was making it seem, apparently. "I don't know."

Rau put a hand on her shoulder, "We can worry about that later, once we're at the city. Grimm are probably headed there, we're just in the way."

"Right... right." Prim replied, nodding and steadying herself.

Jaune swallowed, glancing at Neo to see how she was doing. His partner's fingers were drumming rapidly on her weapon, her expression unreadable with the mask and goggles. She'd already buttoned up her coat to protect as much of her body as she could, but like a lot of the other students she remained badly under-dressed for the weather.

 _This could be really bad... if the storm is as bad as it looks, our aura's going to be taking hits just standing out here._

After a moment's thought he shifted a bit closer to her and nudged her with his elbow. She seemed to glance up at him... and then leaned a little into his side; the pair of them settling in to wait.

That waiting became the worst part... and the worrying, and the lack of anyone who seemed to know what was happening. The professor ducked into the cafeteria, then came back out, telling them to hold their places without telling them anything else. It took another ten minutes before one of the Bullhead staff sprinted back, shouting that they were ready for the first batch of students.

"You, and you!" Fingers stabbed at the leaders of team TSTL and team FLRS, "Form up on either side of the children and protect them with your lives!"

Jaune swallowed as he watched his classmates nod gamely, forming up into two lines as the first of the twelve year olds came streaming out of the building. The younger students were obviously terrified, obviously upset that their heroic game had been so horribly interrupted with reality. Maybe thirty of them quickly packed up into a tight ball, then started rushing towards the distant aircraft.

Gunfire began to rise, accompanied by the sounds of dust explosions or violent semblances being used to defend the school.

"Nevermore!" He had no idea who shouted it, but jerked his head up all the same. Dark shapes screamed past overhead, visible mostly as shadows against the bright lights streaming upwards. Rau, along with everyone else with a firearm, snapped their weapons up on reflex and started shooting.

Oddly, nothing seemed to be happening, compared to the barrage of falling, dying Grimm he was used to. It wasn't until one of them made a low pass that he realized why.

 _Oh Gods... that thing is huge!_

The Nevermore was larger than a Bullhead, its caw deafening as it came to a crash landing on top of the cafeteria. It was met by a barrage of fire that sent it rocking backwards, but the professor stopped the rest of them from rushing of the stairs that would take them up to it.

"No! I'll handle it!" He bellowed, drawing a massive axe and swirling it over his head once. "Get the rest of the children to the bullheads, now! Go!"

Before any of them could respond, wind whipped around his feet, an then he was airborne, slamming into the Nevermore's chest, actually tipping it backwards to crash against the roof. The pair vanished over the edge, the Grimm howling and the Professor shouting as they flailed and continued the battle out of sight.

"You heard him!" Jaune shouted in the stunned pause that followed, "We have to get the kids to safety!"

"I'll get them out!" Sol replied, sheathing her sword and heading for the doors. "Everyone else get ready to escort them!"

He was opening his mouth to agree when there was another shriek, his eyes jerking skywards in time to see something else plummeting straight for him. For a brief moment he froze, instinct the only thing that saw him dive aside as the Grimm slammed into the ground right where he had been.

The Griffon howled in rage that its prey had evaded it, swinging a fore-arm around claw at him while its wings beat furiously. Reflex took over, letting him side-step away form the blow, hacking at the limb with his sword. The shallow cut seemed to enrage it even more, its limbs thrashing as it tried to gore him.

Neo appeared, diving beneath it and thrusting her blade into its belly, turning its lunge into a pained stumble. Rau came in from the left, his bayonet slamming into its ribs before he pulled the trigger, sending fire dust blazing into the Grimm's innards.

Jaune felt his heart hammering in his chest as he rushed in, slashing at the arm that had flailed at him, cutting off several claws and driving it back; setting it up for Primula to rush past him, her flail blazing as she spun to build up momentum before hammering at its skull. Panting, he watched it drop, then looked around to find utter chaos all around.

More Griffons and Nevermore, of varying sizes, had come down, the creatures of Grimm attacking everything sight as they cawed, shrieked, and roared. Kids inside the cafeteria were screaming as glass broke, and then thirteen year olds were sprinting out of the doors as fast as they could in an utter panic.

"Bullheads!" Sol was shouting somewhere, the increasing dust and sand from the storm making it hard to see more than a dozen meters in any direction. "Get to the Bullheads!"

Jaune tried to get forwards, to guide them, but another Griffon slammed into the ground right before him, sending several of the children flying back into the cafeteria or the walls with high pitched sounds of pain.

Something in him snapped at those sounds, at the injustice of it all. Yeah, they were the future protectors, future huntsman... but right now they were just kids, too young to have really understood what kind of life they were in for.

And they were about to be killed right in front of them.

He rushed forwards without really thinking, screaming in honest rage as she hacked and slashed at the Griffon. Neo appeared on his left, the pair of them bobbing and weaving between attacks, his shield parrying blows while their swords cut and stabbed, bringing it down. Rau and Primula shouted from somewhere nearby, other students joining them in falling upon the Grimm, driving them back and forming a perimeter.

"Form up!" He shouted, flinching as something exploded in the distance, not looking at any of the crying and wounded children, many cradling limbs that were obviously broken or clutching at horrible wounds.

"Stay together!" Sol shouted from the other side of the their circle, her blonde hair wild around her elegant features. "Hold hands, all of you!

They corralled the younger students, forming a wall of weapons and bodies around them. He and Sol seemed to have taken overall command, everyone following their instructions as they shouted them, directing everyone to start advancing towards the landing pads. Not all were airborne creatures either. Beowolves began to appear, swarming towards the panicked kids; drawn by their fear and horror at what was happening.

Jaune lost track of time as they moved, the short walk to the Bullheads seemed like it lasted forever. Glances at his scroll showed his aura dropping slowly but steadily, the lack of sleep and the whipping sands contributing as much as the occasional blow from a Grimm. The creatures came forwards in unending streams, dying to swords, axes, spears, gunfire, as they slogged onward.

 _We just can't_ see _anything!_

They had all of a few seconds of warning before the Grimm on top of them, more than a few making it to hand to hand range before they could be brought down.

He saw his first actual death halfway. Zure, from Team BLZE. The young man was suddenly yanked off his feet by a Nevermore half as large as he was, the Grimm unable to carry him off, but more than able to send him tumbling between several Griffon. The things tore at him at once, before he could even get up.

 _So much blood..._ the sane, rational part of his mind whimpered. The rest of him jerked his shield over Neo, blocking a Beowolf from biting her before she could duck, thrusting around the protection to take its throat.

The second death was worse. A staff member, maybe a janitor, was laying near a crate as they approached. His chest was a mess of blood, as were his legs... and just as he came into sight he brought a pistol to his own head and pulled the trigger.

 _Oh gods._

Some of the children threw up, and their sobs grew louder, and Jaune was half-tempted to join them. He wasn't sure what kept him upright, what kept his feet moving while his weapons continued to swing. More students began to appear as they drew closer, the older years holding the area, protecting the aircraft. A few rushed forwards, cutting down an Ursa from behind, clearing space for the younger ones to rush through a narrow corridor of protection.

"Is this everyone from the cafeteria?" A woman dressed as a pilot shouted, watching as the young teens were packed inside like fish.

"Yes!" Sol shouted, "Get them out of here!"

Rather than reply, the pilot scrambled back into her aircraft, the engines throttling up.

"What about us?" Jaune called, looking around to try and find any staff members, seeing just the second year students... many of whom were wounded. Probably earned on their own escort mission from the library.

 _But at least they made it here, that means that the other underclassmen got out._

"Stay here!' One of them shouted, "There's more Bullheads on the way from the city to get the rest of us out!"

"Right!" He replied, stepping back to join his team as they all joined the perimeter. Behind them, the Bullhead roared, rolling forwards without really lifting off. It all but plunged over the side of the cliff before he heard the engines abruptly roar, the pilot deciding that flying low was much safer than trying to fly through the Grimm still circling overhead.

The battle seemed to shift in their favor, for a while at least. Grimm continued to show up, surging up from the cliff-sides or swooping down with the currents of wind, but there were nearly forty students standing guard. Jaune's sword rose and fell as he hacked and slashed, Neo and Prim at his sides as the three held their part of the line, Rau firing over their shoulders to finish off wounded creatures or softening up others form them to deal with.

 _So many..._ He panted in his mask, feeling the exhaustion through his entire body. _How many can there be!?_

Beside him Neo looked even worse, even beneath the layer of sand and dust that covered her. She leaned heavily on her little sword for balance when no enemies were nearby, and wavered badly even when she fought. Primula wasn't holding up much better, her heavy weapon needing a lot of stamina to keep wielding, and the drinks they'd consumed not helping either. Behind them, Rau was in slightly better shape, mostly because he'd avoided close combat, but from what glances Jaune had spared for him it wouldn't take much to push him back either.

 _They attacked at the worst possible time! Everyone just back from our missions, celebrating, drunk, tired... damn our luck!_

Fires had begun to blaze in the distance, the flames bizarre against the storm around them, little more than ominous glows obscured by the smoke and dust, with shapes flitting across them as Grimm and professors battled. The alarms continued to blare drunkenly around them,

More explosions erupted nearby even as he stepped back, taking a quick breather while Rau took his spot. Everyone's attention turned that way as the blasts drew closer, a slim figure erupting through the smoke.

Headmistress Haley slid to a stop, fire somehow clinging to her arms and shoulders, her suit roughed up and torn in places, but she seemed unwounded. "Status! Are the underclassmen away?"

"Yes ma'am!" One of the second years replied, stepping forwards to meet her. "First years are here too, we're waiting on the Bullheads to come back!"

"They aren't coming." The blunt reply nearly made his heart stop, and several other teens swayed a little in shock. "The Grimm out there destroyed or drove off the ones coming in, and nearly caught the ones carrying the children. You all need to head for the city. _Now!_ "

 _That's... more than twenty miles! Though a desert!_

"Professor..." The same student replied, his voice disbelieving.

"No!" She replied, "No questions! No doubts, you need to leave! All of you, stay together! Grab what supplies you can from the outbuilding and then _go!"_

Her words were punctuated by a titanic roar... one that was all too familiar. He whipped his head to the left in time to see a Beringel come plummeting down from a leap, slamming into the ground amidst team SMRK. Sol was flung aside by a punch, her teammates stunned for the critical seconds it took the creature to hammer at them as well; sending them tumbling away with surprised shouts of pain.

Haley seemed to become a blur of fiery motion before he, or anyone else, could even take a step. She became little more than a streak of red light that impacted with the Grimm with a sound like a thunderclap. The creature's entire upper torso seemed to immolate for a brief second before disintegrating to ash. Its legs stayed in place for a few moments, then collapsed and began to melt away.

 _Wow..._ He, and everyone else, stared at the Headmistress in shock... then in worry as she planted a hand on the ground, visibly panting for air. She'd obliterated a Grimm like it was nothing... but it had clearly cost her something. _How many has she dealt with? Dozens? Hundreds?_

And there were still more coming.

"Stop staring at me and leave!" Haley's frustrated howl made him jump a little, and Neo actually collided with him as she twitched in surprise. The teacher actually rushed forwards, grabbing students and shoving them away, towards the cliffs. "Go! Get out of here! That's a fucking order, go!"

It was like a dam breaking. One moment everyone was standing their ground, the next... her words sent a few of them moving. Then more... then everyone was sprinting for the ledge as fast as their tired legs would carry them. Some helped the stunned members of team SMRK, others just ran without any thought besides getting away from the constant howls and roars.

"Supplies!" Prim gasped, grabbing him before he could follow some of the faster teens over the edge. "Water! The... the packs!"

 _The... shit, right!_ "Right! Right! Come on!"

The outbuilding was a bit of a misnomer, since it was the size of a small warehouse and located halfway between the dorms and the landing pads. It was mostly used for storing camping gear and ready-packs for any teams that wanted to do some live-fire training in the desert, or for the routine field trips that the upper years took. More important was the fact that the building was intact, the doors were hanging open, and there didn't seem to be many Grimm around.

A few Creeps let out challenging roars, only to meet Rau and Neo as they led the way. Despite not being nearly as graceful as usual, his partner had no issues cutting down to of them, her lithe blade slamming through their heads as she danced past. Rau's style was more brutal, the large boy bayoneting one as he all but trampled it, his gun ending the life of a second with a point-blank shot as he raced for the open doors ahead.

Behind him, Jaune heard another of the Headmistress's explosions, more gunfire sounding in time with it. A single glance over his shoulder let him see figures falling back from the north; the oldest students and their Professors falling back from where they'd been trying to hold the line. They formed up around the landing areas, taking cover behind equipment and blast shields, firing weapons back the way they'd come.

He turned away when the first shadows of Grimm emerged in pursuit; Beringels, titanic Alpha Beowolves, lumbering Ursa the size of city buses. Winged creatures were visible for mere seconds as they swooped in and out of the failing lights and flashing weapons, and unending stream of darkness trying to overcome the few remaining defenders.

The sand swallowed the view as he reached the building, but the sounds continued, audible even over the wind.

"They're staying..." he heard himself muttering. "They're... sacrificing themselves, so we can get away..."

"We have to make it worth it." Primula gasped, grabbing one of the heavy doors as she stumbled in after him. "Shut the main doors, we'll go out the side!"

"Right!" He grabbed the other, hauling it shut. "Rau! You find packs?"

No one responded.

"Rau! Neo!" Jaune whipped his head around, finding his friends just a few meters beyond him, standing still and staring at something on the floor. Did you find the ready packs!?"

"Jaune..." Rau's voice was quiet, "Come look at this."

He shook his head, shuffling forwards as quickly as his aching legs would let him. "Guys, we don't have time for... this..."

His voice trailed off as Neo took a tiny step to the right, letting him see what they'd been looking at.

It was Professor Verde... and he was dead.

The body was lying in a pool of his own blood, staring sightlessly upwards. Beyond him were several upper-years, a full team's worth, all likewise still and unmoving, their weapons laying limply around them. Backpacks were thrown everywhere, as if each of the students had been carrying several and then thrown them down in a hurry. They had to have been sent here by the Headmistresses in advance of her coming to the pads... she must have come herself when she realized that they'd all still been there, waiting for orders that was supposed to have already come.

The bodies had one other thing in common, even to someone as unfamiliar with this kind of thing as him; they'd all been shot and stabbed repeatedly... by human weapons, not torn apart by the claws and fangs of Grimm. There were tiny holes and slits in their clothes, the wounds looking so deceptively small compared to the amount of blood on the floor.

"Guys." He whispered, "Grab a pack each, we're leaving. Now."

No sooner had the words left his lips then there was a quiet, repetitive sound behind them, each echo making his spine tighten.

Someone was knocking on the door.

* * *

 _ **Yeah, slight delay on this one due to travelling to a friend's wedding. Decided not to post yesterday since this wasn't quite complete, decided to hold off and extend it to a better stopping point than was originally planned. Hopefully this chapter remains up to par. The next chapter will be the resolution of this particular battle, and setting a few hooks for where the story will be going long-term. Rather than start a sequel story I'm simply going to treat these first ten chapters (and will relabel them at some point) as a form of extended prologue/backstory.**_

 _ **I'm not sure how long it will take before the main plot starts, it will likely be a week or two. I have started accumulating notes and ideas, but I want to have everything planned out (and AR7) finished before I really get into this.**_

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 _Thanks, Kat_


	10. Origins X: Uncertain Future

**Uncertain Future**

Jaune whipped his head around, staring at the door they'd just shut as the knocking continued. Beside him, Primula did much the same, her mouth open slightly as if she couldn't believe what was happening.

Thankfully for them both, their partners reacted more appropriately. Jaune felt himself jerked forward as Neo grabbed his armor, bodily hauling him deeper into the building while Rau did the same to Primula. He shook himself after a couple of steps, collapsing and stowing his shield. An arm free, he stooped down to grab one of the travel packs before trying to get up to a jog, throwing it over a shoulder as he followed the others.

"I know you're in there..." A male voice all but sang from behind them, the tones both mocking and oddly lyrical. "...where do you think you're trying to go, little ones?"

He felt his throat go dry as all of them put on more speed, racing down the aisle towards the side exit.

"We get out, we run for the cliff." Jaune spoke as loudly as he dared, his voice barely audible over his breathing. "Don't stop. For anything."

"Right." Rau gasped, his words not much louder. "Should be right... oh for fuck's sake!"

The larger boy slid to a halt, nearly tripping Primula, while Neo and Jaune all but skidded to stops behind them to avoid crashing into the pair. Staring between them, Jaune fought down a whimper as he saw the reason for the swearing; the side door was shut, and the glowing keypad was indicating that it was locked.

Neo thrust her way between everyone, fumbling at her pockets. Her scroll resulted in a quiet beep of rejection, and a frantic swap later showed that his scroll didn't work either.

"Ready or not... here I come!"

"Hide!" Primula hissed, grabbing Rau and scurrying across the short connecting aisle, sequestering themselves behind a shelf piled with containers of dust. Grabbing Neo, he followed suit, heading just beyond the side door before ducking amidst a few tall water tanks standing nearby, his spine pressed to the wall as he held Neo's back tight against his front with his left hand.

Her breathing was ragged, too fast, and a glance down showed that she was clutching her weapon with white knuckles. Then again... he was doing the same with his.

A tremendous crash came from the front of the building, metal ringing and clanging as if the doors had simply been torn off of their hinges. Someone laughed like they were playing the killer in a low-budget horror movie, the sound almost lost as the wind and battle became audible once more.

"Ooo... hide and seek is it?" The man laughed again, "It's not my favorite game, I will admit, but it can be oh so fun from time to time. Still, would you not prefer something more active?"

 _Who the hell is this guy!?_

He didn't sound like a Professor, at least none that he recognized... but whoever he was he'd clearly snapped from the horror-movie dialog. An older student maybe? That might have explained it, if he'd gone crazy right in the middle of the others they might not have had time to react or realize what was happening, especially if he had a speed semblance or something.

Jaune's imagination treated him to an image of a laughing madman sprinting up and down the aisles as little more than a blur, finding them in a matter of seconds before attacking them with a chainsaw. It was all he could do to bite his tongue and not scream like a little girl, and in front of him Neo began to put even more weight against him, as if she was trying to help him become one with the wall.

 _Think, think... what do we do... what we do... we're exhausted... our aura's are all low... we have to get out!_

The question was how? Neo could maybe get out on her own, but with how exhausted she was he didn't think she'd be able to take anyone with her; much less make several trips to bring them all.

 _But if she could get out of here... she could get far enough away. Maybe... if she can, at least one of us would make it..._

"Neo." He whispered as quietly as he could, "Take my pack... and get out of here."

She stiffened even further, if that was possible, and shook her head once.

"You have to." He breathed.

Her foot pressed down on his, her heel digging into him as she once again indicated her negative.

The unknown man spoke again, "Are you all quite ready for the game to begin? I've been more than sporting, giving you this chance to pick a different one... but it seems you wish to be hunted. Very well, let us-"

"Stop." Jaune blinked as another man spoke, his voice impossibly deep. "I told you before, no games."

"But-!"

"No. It's not their fault they were put in this position." The deep man cut him off effortlessly. "Their blood is on _his_ hands, but that does mean we must be cruel about it."

The first person made a strangled, frustrated sound before snarling, "Fine, fine! Ruin my fun why don't you! There's four of them, they're somewhere near the side door! I'm going to find that bitch and get this over with!"

"Very-"

A flash of light and heat abruptly roared past, whipping Neo's hair up into his face, the titanic form of a man abruptly soaring down the aisle before him. He crashed somewhere out of sight with a clatter of gear hitting the ground, while the first man let out a cackle before gunfire abruptly began to chatter. A woman snarled in reply, another flash of light coming a bare second before a green and white colored blur slammed into the water tank next to them, rebounding and tumbling past.

"You... are... _dead."_ Headmistress Haley snarled the words in between what sounded like pants for breath. " _Dead..._ for this!"

The first man laughed again, not sounding perturbed that he'd just been blasted through the air. "Little magician, one does not make promises one cannot keep! You couldn't kill the students hiding within this very building, much less harm the goddess' chosen!"

A quiet pause followed, then Haley replied, "Lying. Students are gone... dead... or fleeing. It's just us."

"I do not lie!" The man's mood seemed to snap instantly, and Jaune had to again clench his teeth against a whimper. "Four little dusty mice entered this place, as you told them to. We were laying a lovely little game before you so _rudely_ interrupted!"

"We'll make you a deal." Man number two rumbled, his voice drawing closer, though slowly. He must have been walking back towards from where he'd been blasted... and he sounded worryingly calm despite what had just happened to the pair of them. "These four lives for the Summer Maiden."

 _...the who?_

Haley let out a scoffing sound. "Summer is... long gone and you know... it, and she wouldn't... be so stupid as to go... where I might find her."

Footsteps began to sound, growing closer, making his heartbeat accelerate until the sound abruptly stopped. When the deeper man spoke again, he sounded as if he was just a few feet away. "Unfortunate... then all you know is where the Relic's vault is located. Tell us, they go free, and you get a painless death."

"I don't know... anything about the Relic." Haley retorted, sounding as if she was getting her second or third wind.

The crazier man laughed again, "Do not bother deceiving us, magician. We know you are in Ozpin's circle, that you once taught at Shade. You know where the Relic of Destruction is hidden... you can tell us where the sword is, or you can tell our glorious goddess while you howl in pain!"

 _What the hell is this about!?_ Jaune knew that his life hanged in the balance, but the sheer lack of context to the conversation happening around him made part of him want to start tearing at his hair.

"This conversation.. is pointless. There aren't four children in-"

Some intuition must have warned Neo what was coming, because she abruptly grabbed Jaune's arm with her free hand and shot forwards. He was tugged along behind her, gasping in sudden pain as she yanked on his arm... and something blurred in his peripheral vision, tearing into the metal containers they'd been hiding within to send water spilling everywhere.

The pair tumbled down the central aisle, away from the door and towards where Rau and Primula were sheltered. Neo managed to turn her motion into a partial roll, coming up on one knee, whereas he just smacked into her legs and lay prone, staring at the man now staring down at them.

He was of average height, a little muscular, with dark hair contrasting against his pale skin. Strange weapons were strapped to both wrists, the barrels and blades protruding from a dark green overcoat. Of course... none of that mattered against the insane, wild-eyed stare that went with the manic grin on his thin features.

"Two little mice." His smile seemed to widen impossibly as he looked back towards the front, "Covered in dust and sand maybe, but I'm sure you recognized them all the same."

The second man spoke again, though he remained out of sight around the shelving, "The location of the vault, and what you know of Summer for their lives. I don't like this business, Haley, you know that. I will keep my word."

There was no warning or pause, just a flash of red light, and then the Professor appeared beside the psychopath, her entire upper torso wreathed in fire that felt scalding even from where they were laying. A fist slammed into his cheek, her second delivering a blow to his gut, then she seemed to twirl back, the air shimmering around her as she began to prepare some kind of power.

But before she could unleash it, her opponent ducked, several spears of ice flitting through the air he'd just occupied. Steam exploded into the air when the frozen water met the fire, and then Jaune heard the Headmistress let out a bloodcurdling scream of pain.

 _The steam..._

Whatever her semblance did to make her immune to fire evidently hadn't worked on the steam. The professor's skin seemed to redden, then blacken even as he watched her stumble, clutching at the wall shelves to stay upright. Her entire face was a mess of burns, as were her hands, her teeth and eyes impossibly white against the colors... but she struggled to bring up more fire even he stared at her in shock.

 _Move, help her!_ The voice seemed to scream in his ear, and he scrambled to his feet faster than he thought possible, throwing himself into a lunge without waiting.

His opponent saw him coming from a mile away and let out a delighted little sound before bounding forwards. Crocea Mors skidded off of a green aura before a headbutt slammed his own skull backwards, and only Neo thrusting her blade under his armpit blocked a fist aimed at his throat.

"Such vigor!" The cackle came with a kick that slammed him into his partner, the two of them tumbling once more. Primula flung herself over them, her flail spinning once before she brought it down.

The psychopath evidently _hadn't_ been ready for that, because he didn't quite manage to get away before the ball, festooned with icey spikes, slammed into his shoulder and sent him stumbling back. Jaune's first friend quickly stepped back, working her shoulders to keep her weapon spinning, standing over them both protectively... and freeing up space for her partner.

Rau surged past them, firing his shotgun twice as he joined the fight. Their opponent took one shot on his bracers, the other drew more flashes of aura from around his chest, then he surged forwards to meet Rau half-way. He neatly parried a bayonet thrust, threw a punch that sent red sparks flying from Rau's own aura, then was surprised when the younger man whipped his gun around to crack the butt of his across the crazy's face.

His nose broke with a satisfying crack, and Jaune felt something like hope as he tried to disentangle himself form Neo.

 _He's got to be tired too, got to be low! We can do this, we just have to-_

A container of water the size of Rau slammed its way through several shelving units to collide with Primula. The impact sent her flying, her weapon flying from her grasp as she tumbled bonelessly down the aisle. Rau let out a cry of surprise and fear for his partner, taking his eyes off of his opponent as he did.

Several punches came in so fast they were little more than blurs of motion, three sharp cracks of gunfire accompanying each punch to shred the teen's aura... and then to send blood flying from his side as Rau fell back, colliding with the shelves beside them and clutching at his stomach.

"Rau!" Jaune gasped, sliding over one a knee, his shaking sword lifting as he tried to keep himself between his injured friend and the grinning madman.

"Last chance Haley." The second man rumbled, moving somewhere. The now broken and half-collapsed shelves still made it hard to see, but what little was visible revealed him to be an absolute titan of a man, his arms crossed with lazy confidence. "Is the Relic worth the lives of these children?"

The horribly burned professor was barely upright, and hadn't so much as moved when they'd tried to help her. Jaune stared at her... and found her staring back at him, her glassy eyes revealing... nothing.

 _No..._

"No." Her voice was strangely clear, despite her wounds. "It is worth... far more to keep it out of _her hands_... I will not be taken alive... and you will die with me!"

There was a startled pause, the first man whipping his head away from Jaune and Neo, proving that he hadn't expected that response either. Jaune tried to get up, tried to say something, but found that his mouth just... wouldn't form the words. He could only watch as the Professor's body once again blazed with fire, the heat scalding and growing more so as she fed every bit of power she could into it.

" _Kill her!"_ Man number two roared the words, real emotion finally inflecting them.

More ice screamed in, boiling to steam, and the psychopath kicked off, rushing forwards as the orange and red flames burned hotter, blue and white leaving imprints on Jaune's retina. He vaguely heard himself screaming as he flinched backwards, feeling Neo clutching at him.

 _Not like this! Not like-_

The dust containers, stocked for missions and classes, weren't rated for the kind of heat now filling the building. They detonated sequentially, those closest to the Professor going up first. Lightning screamed out, grounding out into the building... something exploded, and then...

Then everything stopped.

For a blessed moment, he felt nothing. Not the pain, not the exhaustion, not the terror, the confusion, the despair...

Sensation returned horribly, it felt like every organ in his body was abruptly _outside_ of his body, vertigo making the darkness around him swirl horribly before turning to a bright flash of white light. No sooner had _that_ happened then everything went dark again, and he abruptly slammed into the familiar embrace of a sand dune as wind and gravel tore at him.

 _What... the hell...!?_

Spitting out the disgusting taste in his mouth, he forced his aching neck to life his head. He was... in the middle of the storm, but definitely not in the warehouse anymore. Unless it had blown him off the plateau entirely while Neo kept a hold of-

 _Neo!_ He twisted around as her arms went limp, releasing him. "Neo!"

His partner lay prone beside him, her small body utterly limp. He couldn't tell if she was breathing and... and red was starting to spread across her white coat.

"No.. no-no-no-no..." His hands tore at, sending buttons flying to be lost forever, exposing her chest to his panicked gaze. Frantic wipes at his goggles let him see more clearly; pieces of metal were protruding from her left shoulder and her left breast, and another was in her left bicep.

Desperately remembering every bit of first aid his parents and teachers had ever given him, he all but ripped her coat off of her. Tearing it into strips took far too long with his exhausted muscles... and ripping the shards of iron out of her nearly made him vomit as more blood burbled up out of the wounds.

Shaking hands tied them off into make-shift bandages before he pressed his head to her bare sternum. Her heartbeat was barely audible over the storm... but it was there.. he thought.

"No... no..." She'd gotten them out. She had to have teleported them out the very same second the dust containers had started to go off around them. She'd saved them both, even if she hadn't been able to save... "No, no. Neo, you have to wake up. I can't lose everyone! Wake up!"

Jerking his head up, he looked around wildly, trying to find a landmark. The dust storm continued to occupy everything around, hiding where they were just as effectively as it had hidden the Grimm. The only thing he could see was a dim glow in one direction. At first he thought it was the sunrise, or maybe the city... then he realized it was the school burning like a beacon, the funeral pyre announcing its death to the world.

 _Oh gods... Primula... Rau..._

"Neo! Get up, please!" He checked her chest again. A few frantic seconds found her heartbeat but it was so slow... and seemed like it was slowing more. "No dammit! Stay!"

He planted his hands on her wounds, trying to staunch the flow of blood through main strength. His eyes squeezed shut against tears as he tried to simply _will_ her to be better, to wake up, to roll her eyes in mock-disgust at his panic and worry. To beat the crap out of him, to laugh at his pain, but... to always be there to back him up when he needed it.

His left arm went out from under him as his strength began to falter, leaving him half collapsed across her body. "Neo..."

Something hit him on the cheek, something like... fingers.

Blinking, he tried to jerk himself back but found that he could barely get his arms to move at all. Opening his eyes revealed... that he was glowing, a dim, flickering white surrounded him as if he was engaging his aura across his entire body.

And Neo was stirring. About as weakly as he was, but her head was shifting as if she was trying to clear it, an arm waving vaguely as she tried to touch him again.

Jaune opened his mouth, tried to say her name... then collapsed once more as the last dregs of his aura flickered between them.

* * *

The fall of the Vacuo Academy for the Gifted went down as the worst Grimm-related disaster since the sacking of Mountain Glenn. One of the premier schools for Huntsman and Huntresses had been utterly destroyed, the last defenders taking their own lives with semblance and dust-powered explosions in an effort to bring down as many of the Grimm as they could.

No teacher or senior staff member survived the night, and every third and fourth year student had died beside their professors, holding the line until the very end. Of the first and second years, consigned to the desperate flight into the sandstorm and desert, a meager dozen were found half-dead from dehydration and wounds by the frantic search parties in the days that followed. Only the youngest students survived in any number, having been the first to be evacuated... but even they were not without scars. Few chose to enroll in other academies, most choosing to return to their homes, to find dreams that came without nightmares.

Yet for all of the pain and misery, for all of the 'Donate for Vacuo!' programs started... it seemed like no one wanted to ask questions. It had _obviously_ been an unfortunate case of a Grimm migration accompanying an unusually long-lasting sandstorm after all... what else was there?

Nevermind that a terrified city not more than thirty miles away had barely seen an attack. Oh it had come, but it had been little more than stragglers wandering by. The sacrificial pyre that Headmistress Haley had begun was most often credited for that, with killing so many Grimm that none really remained to attack the city. No one asked why Grimm native to other continents had been seen in the battle, why so many had congregated together.

Nevermind that the school and the city it lay near were _supposed_ to have constant, around-the clock patrols out to two hundred miles. Storm or no storm, no Grimm should have been able to suddenly arrive in a midnight assault... an assault perfectly timed when the defenders would be exhausted from their end-of-semester missions, would be celebrating, would be off their guard...

Few wanted to ask questions. Fewer still wanted to try and answer them. After all, the tragedy was now in the past. Dwelling on it would just lead to negativity, to foul emotions and thoughts, things that would bring more Grimm. Better to just accept the obvious facts, to help those who'd live to 'come to terms' with what had happened, to help them 'move on.'

Most of those who tried to ask questions soon gave up. It was safer, easier to follow the advice offered by concerned friends and families, to put it all behind them. To try and forget a night filled with sand, screams, and blood.

But a few... a very few... didn't.

* * *

~ **_Six months later ~_**

A tan skinned young woman looked up from her magazine when the doors opened, admitting two figures dressed in the desert robes common to the tribes who shunned the cities proper. She quickly put on her professional smile, and let it become something a little close to genuine when she saw the handsome young man pull a hood away from his blonde hair and brush some sand out of it. "Welcome to the Vacuo public library! How can I help you today?"

He smiled at her, but there was something strained about it... it didn't seem to reach his bright blue eyes. "I'm told this is best library in the kingdom, even more extensive than Shade's."

She blinked, then nodded, "Why, yes sir. The Academy keeps most of their books here, and encourages students and citizens alike to read at their leisure. Was there a subject you were interested in?'

The other figure pulled her hood off as well, revealing a pretty though short girl with an unusually colorful hairstyle.

 _Oh, must be huntsman. Or maybe students? It's always so hard to tell the age with those types..._

"That's good to hear. We're looking for books on history," The young man smiled again, though this time it looked more natural. "The older the better... if you have anything on really ancient legends and myths, that would be great."

She bit her lip, thinking about it, then nodded and rose. "I believe we have a few, I'll show you to the aisle. May I ask why you're interested in the subject?"

"Thank you... and, well, you can say we're thinking of starting up a new hobby." He shared a look with the girl next to him, both of them smirking at a private joke. "What do you think about treasure hunting?"

* * *

 ** _Originally, this was as far as I planned to go... but given the largely positive response, I'll probably keep going into the main plot of RWBY. As I've said, I'm going to need some time to get the entire plot straight and properly outlined, maybe converse with my Mass Effect beta about looking into this as well._**

 ** _Right now I'm leaning towards a time skip that would start the next portion of the story roughly a month or two before RWBY's first episode. What Neo and Jaune got up to in the interim time would be referenced, maybe touched on in a flash-back or two, but the core of the story would focus on the Professor Arc part of it._**

 ** _Hopefully everyone enjoyed this ending to the initial section, and will stick around to see where I manage to take all of this._**

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 _Thanks, Kat_


	11. Semester I: Unusual Hire

_**All right, here we go. Actual story here. We're going to be skipping ahead to the same place Professor Arc begins, one week prior to Volume 1 of RWBY with Jaune being interviewed by Beacon. I'm going to do everything I can to avoid simply re-writing Professor Arc with a different Jaune, but in this initial chapter I felt that starting in a similar location would be best to establish everything.**_

 _ **There are going to be other differences as well. Velvet, for instance, will still be a member of team CVFY. Jaune's spot on the team will be replaced by another canon character. As I noted in the Origins section, I will be utilizing a few OC's here and there in order to flesh out the world a little, but they will be restricted to supporting/background roles almost exclusively.**_

 _ **Regarding the time skip, what Jaune and Neo were up to during the interim years is going to be alluded to and slowly revealed as the story progresses. It won't be ignored or forgotten, but I'm not going to just tell all of it right away either.**_

 _ **Hopefully everyone enjoys the story.**_

* * *

 _ **Unusual Hire**_

* * *

 _Nearly three years later_

Jaune Arc was insane.

He had to be, considering the plan he'd come up with. Oh sure, it had seemed rational and sane and all of that back when he'd come up with it. The risks had been judged, reviewed multiple times, and believed to be worth the potential rewards. Everything had seemed like it might finally be turning their way... then he'd arrived at his destination, and his confidence had taken a double-barreled shot of gravity dust right into its chest.

That was probably due to the fact that all of those considerations and calculations had taken place far from his destination. Now that he was standing there, however... the sheer splendor and power that the place projected reminded him of just who he was up against, and just how likely he was to fail. And failure would probably mean jail-time, which would mean Neo would break him out, which would mean he'd be a fugitive with a record. That would be... rather detrimental to their hunt, at the very least it would require them to move once again.

And they were both sick of moving.

 _Especially if a miracle happens and this works. This place... Beacon... it's even more beautiful than I thought it would be._

Everything about the school screamed that it was a place of grandeur and wealth. Soaring arches and columns littered the main boulevards, built for no other reason than to please the eye. The central tower and the CCT loomed over the school's buildings, each of which was built in an overdone, grandiose style. It even had three entire docks stretching away from the cliffs for full-size airships to dock at, and the latest version of Valean Bullheads rested on circular landing pads expressly designed for that role.

 _We had old blast shields and dirt..._ He shook his head, slowly stepping off of the airship along with a crowd of civilians. _How much money does this place have? The Professors at the Academy would have murdered people for half of the money those arch things cost. Gods, so would Shade's._

It had been one thing to know that Vacuo was the poorest and least organized of the four kingdoms, it had been something else to compare it directly to Vale. Even after a year of relocating it still managed to find ways to hit him over the head.

 _Focus, focus. I'm here on a mission, not here to gawk._

He let the civilians move past, pretty much all of them heading for the CCT tower and the small shopping complex around it rather than towards the school proper. The few who did walk in that direction had the look of janitors and cooks, staff members returning early to get everything ready for the students.

The one thing they all had in common was that no one, absolutely no one, walked within three meters of a blonde woman who stood alone in the walkway.

 _Glynda Goodwitch..._ He recited, swallowing a little. He'd memorized everything he could about her, and the other teachers... preparation was, after all, the key to survival. _Deputy headmistress, single, early thirties. Reputation as a disciplinarian and considered among Vale's most powerful hunters, heir apparent to Professor Ozpin. Semblance is telekinesis, which she can mix with dust magic to obliterate nearly everything. Whatever you do, keep your foot out of your mouth and don't annoy her._

Blowing out a breath, he waited for the last of the others to clear past her, then started walking her way. He tried to project a calm confidence, but wasn't sure how well he managed it. The Professor visibly took him in as he approached, with no real expression on her beautiful features.

He'd done his best to clean up for this, for whatever it would help. He'd gotten a haircut for the first time in nearly a year, shaved off what bits of facial hair he'd managed to grow, and made sure that Crocea Mors was cleaned up. Clothing had been... harder. His black combat boots had seen better months, months that had been a very long time ago now, the worn leather going with his equally worn blue jeans and old black t-shirt. The only things he had that looked something close to new were the tan desert cloak that he was using as a coat, and then the freshly polished gauntlets he wore on both hands.

The rest of his armor was long gone, sold away for badly needed lien early in their quest, and he'd never felt the need to replace it even after they'd found their feet.

"Miss Goodwitch." He smiled a little, bowing his head. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Beacon is... something."

"Mister Arc." She replied, her voice was polite, neither overly cold nor warm. "I trust the Headmaster's summons was not too abrupt?"

"No, of course not." He demurred, focusing hard on his words. Being polite and courteous came naturally to him... but Neo had often told him he let his emotions out too easily and the last thing he wanted to do was to show his nerves. A real huntsman would be a little bemused, but hardly nervous after getting a call to see Professor Ozpin himself.

 _Keep the freaking-out internal Jaune._

"I mean, it was a little surprising," He went on, trying to keep calm. "I actually didn't expect a response so quickly. I assumed there'd be a lot of people ahead of me."

At that she actually gave him a small smile, though she murdered the expression quickly enough. "You would be surprised. If you could follow me, I will take you to him."

Jaune dipped his head again, "Thank you."

"You are welcome, though no thanks are required." Goodwitch turned, leading him down the courtyard's road, towards the central tower.

"Will I be expected to turn over my weapon?" He asked, following, hoping to keep her talking. Anything she revealed might be something that would help. "Sorry, I'm not really sure on the protocol for this kind of thing."

She gave him another almost-smile, "It is quite all right, Mister Arc. We understand how hard it is for huntsman of your caliber to go unarmed, you may keep your sword."

 _Huntsman of my... yeah. Well, at least the resume seemed to pass their checks, or she'd have already tossed me over the cliffs. Thank you, Professor Haley, for giving me that extra week._

He still hated the woman's memory, but the grace period she'd given him had proven to be all-important. The record of his expulsion had never gotten out thanks to the school's collapse, which had made it easy for a friend of theirs to modify the old records into something far more impressive by swapping his academic and combat scores with that of Rau and Primula.

And so Jaune Arc, average student but abysmal combatant had become the class's valedictorian and the second best in combat only behind his partner. Neo had, after all, made it very clear that she wouldn't accept him supplanting her regardless of their situation. Extra embellishments hadn't been hard to add in on top of that... making him an ideal, if inexperienced teaching-wise, candidate for the newly opened position for an Associate Professor at Beacon.

"I did have another question, if you don't mind me asking..." He hedged, giving her a chance to interrupt, then continuing when she didn't. "Why the age requirement for the position? I don't think I've ever heard of a maximum age for a teacher."

She glanced at him as they continued walking, "I'm sorry, but the Headmaster would be the one to ask about that... it is a newer development."

 _...what's that supposed to mean?_ "Oh. So the other professors aren't as young as we are?"

Goodwitch blinked, something almost like color appearing in her cheeks before she coughed delicately into one hand and returned her gaze forwards. "...No, they are not."

 _Oh... that did come out a bit flirty, didn't it?_ He could almost feel Neo glaring at him, and he discretely checked the area behind just to make sure he was just imagining her eyes boring into the back of his head.

Thankfully the woman seemed content to leave their conversation there, leading him the rest of the way to the tower. The interior proved to be a broad hall with a raised stage tucked away in the back, and smaller but equally well crafted archways leading to other areas of the building. Ignoring all of those, Goodwitch led him to the rear wall, opening a locked elevator with her scroll and ushering him inside.

A short ride later deposited him in the office of the most powerful man in Vale.

It was... as plain as the rest of Beacon was overdone. Aside from a few chairs and a battered old desk, the only decoration was a clockwork assembly set into one wall. Beyond that, the only real luxury looked to be the grand windows letting one see the school and city, and a couple of bookshelves filled with old texts.

 _...did the budget run out when they got this far? No, no._ _Focus_ _Jaune. Make sure the lies have bits of truth in them, and don't ask the wrong questions.. and stop staring at the books. That's for later._

He shook his head a little, trying to push the thoughts aside as the office's owner rose from behind his desk. "Mister Arc, thank you for coming."

"Professor Ozpin." Jaune replied, swallowing down another bout of nerves as he walked forwards, shaking the man's hand over his desk. "Thank you for giving me this chance."

Ozpin simply smiled as they sat, Goodwitch moving around to stand behind her boss. "Think nothing of it, your resume quickly came to the top of our list."

That could have meant anything, good or bad, and Jaune merely nodded rather than risk saying something wrong.

Ozpin glanced down at several papers before him, drawing one of them up. "I have been reviewing your records, Mister Arc. You studied at the Vacuo Academy for the Gifted from the time you were thirteen up through the fall of the school, correct?"

He nodded again, fighting the urge to swallow. This was the tricky part. Changing his records from Vacuo had been relatively easy, though expensive. Getting rid of his old fake transcripts that said he'd attended Signal on Patch had been a _lot_ harder... evidently the guy he'd originally worked with had known his stuff. The time they'd had to float around in various archives hadn't helped either.

Erasing those from the public record had taken more than a month, two break-ins of public buildings, and a far more harrowing burglary of Signal itself.

 _Neo may have had fun but my nerves were not made for that kind of thing..._

"Not many who departed from that Academy chose to continue as Hunters." Ozpin continued, sipping from a cup of coffee and looking at Jaune over his spectacles. "Yet you did, but on your own rather than applying to Shade or one of the other academies. Why?"

 _Because after what I learned, I didn't trust them... or you._ "Because I wasn't ready then. After everything that happened... I needed some time to pull myself together."

Ozpin regarded him, then his resume, then set the paper down while idly playing with his coffee mug. "What do you think of those who took that time, but decided to quit this life?"

"I can't blame them." He replied, his voice coming out quieter than he'd intended. As a rule he didn't like to think about what had happened, didn't like to remember that night. "It took my partner and I a while to get over it, and there were times we almost didn't continue either."

So many dead ends, so many unanswered questions. So many clues that didn't seem to lead to anything but more frustration. So many close calls and near reveals, so many tired nights where it had all seemed so pointless.

"But we kept going," Jaune blew out a breath, "Because we had each other, and we had a goal."

The Headmaster nodded slightly, "It is good that you had someone close to you, such burdens should not be born alone. What made you continue on, rather than find a more peaceful career, or return to school? What was your goal?"

"Because people needed our help." He realized how simple and corny that sounded even as he said it, and quickly continued, "Our goal was and is to protect them. As for school... well, we both felt that, after what happened, we'd learned enough. We knew the kingdoms' laws, we knew how to kill Grimm."

"Is that the purpose of a huntsman?" Ozpin cocked his head to one side, "To kill Grimm?"

Jaune shook his head, "No. You could spend your whole life doing that, could kill a dozen Grimm every day until you died and you wouldn't change anything. Being a huntsman is about protecting people, sometimes from the Grimm, sometimes from criminals... sometimes from themselves."

The other man seemed amused at that answer, smiling as he sipped more coffee. "An answer I'd expect from a man far older than yourself, Mister Arc."

He tried not to shift awkwardly in his seat, "It's... been a long three years sir."

"I can only imagine." Ozpin replied, leaning back in his chair. "If I may ask, why do you wish to teach at my school? With your qualifications you could easily pass any licensing test and continue your life. Yet instead you risk everything, move from one kingdom to another, all to apply for a position you have no practical experience in."

 _Here we go... at least he didn't seem to know we've been in Vale for more than a year. Resume is holding up so far, just have to keep supporting it._

Jaune swallowed, took in a long breath, then spoke, "I... learned a lot, when the school fell. I've learned more since then. I've seen graduates from Shade, from the other schools... and I realized that I'd learned things that they hadn't. They were older than me, years older in some cases, they'd completed their classes, had their licenses, had all the training in the world... but they still seemed so... so..."

"Raw?" Goodwitch suggested from behind her boss, her voice oddly gentle. "Inexperienced?"

"And naive." He nodded, grateful for the extra support. "And unprepared, and... so _arrogant._ Gods I couldn't believe how arrogant some of them were."

The woman's lips pressed together, picking up on the key word he'd thrown in there to get their attention, "Were?"

Jaune felt himself relax a little, moving away from the exaggerations and lies towards things he had actually seen. "Once, when I was in northern Vacuo, I saw a new huntsman get killed by bandits who didn't even have their aura unlocked, and they did it without the bandits losing a man. They had rusting, broken old weapons... and they killed him because they had a plan, they knew what they were dealing with... and the kid just ran into their ambush like an idiot because he was used to being king of the hill."

She grimaced, looking away, as if she was remembering similar scenes. He saw that, seized on it, and kept rolling. "Another team got killed on a caravan escort when they ran off alone. They wouldn't listen to the caravan leader, said he was just a useless civilian." Goodwitch winced again, "Or to my partner and I, because we weren't," he made air quotes, " _real_ huntsman. You know how awful it was to see that? To know what was going to happen, but not be able to do anything about it?"

"I do." Ozpin replied, tones still soft. "Believe me that I do, Mister Arc. Do you wish to impart your earned wisdom on students, so that they are better prepared?"

Jaune opened his mouth, closed it, and then sighed. "I want a world where kids don't have to watch their school burn to the ground to learn what I did."

 _A world where they don't have to learn anything about this at all..._

The Headmaster regarded him, sipping from his coffee again. After a long moment... he took another drink, then nodded as if it had helped him make a decision. "Well said, Mister Arc. If you could review these papers?"

He glanced down as a hand slid several sheets towards him, his eyes flicking over the top. "Contract for... wait, that's it?"

Ozpin smiled, "I prefer to be decisive on such things."

Jaune blinked at him, then blinked again when something murderous flickered across Goodwitch's face before she got her expression under control again. He wasn't sure if she was reacting to him being hired, or to what Ozpin had said.

 _Really hope I didn't just make an enemy of a teacher on day one again... especially the one I'm going to be working with._ "Um... all right. Wait, I thought this was for an associate position? This says for a full professor."

"Quite." The other man waved a hand slightly, "In truth you will be somewhere in between. Initially you will simply be shadowing the other professors, particularly Miss Goodwitch, until we are sure you can handle a class of your own."

 _...a class of my own? Me?_ He felt a little dizzy, this was moving way too fast. It had in fact blown right past his best-case scenario and was still going. There had to be a catch, there was always a catch, something to make this dream fall apart. "A... class? What would I teach? What _could_ I teach? You said yourself that I don't have experience."

"I had initially thought that you might be able to impart simple excursion and camping knowledge." Ozpin shrugged, holding his cup in both hands and smiling over it. "However, after seeing your... zeal, I am considering a group tactics course, or a combination of the two. We will start you gently, do not worry."

"Gently?" He was too numb with shock to say anything more intelligent.

Goodwitch took a step forwards, "Perhaps only the first years. They tend to be more in awe, more willing to learn than older students set in their ways. And in either case, they are the ones most in need of guidance and assistance."

 _They want me to teach first years... me. An expelled liar, a failed huntsman, and a criminal. Oh gods, this is... this is..._ The worst thing was that he couldn't decide if this was a great thing or a terrible thing. Guilt at what he was doing started to well up again, only to be pushed down as he focused on the objective. _No, no! This is great. This is everything we needed and more! Just... with a lot more pressure attached. We're doing the right thing... even if we're not doing it the right way. I can do this!_

"All right." He shook himself a little, trying to focus on something besides his unstable emotions. "Um, what about the age thing?"

Ozpin cocked his head, "Age...thing?"

Goodwitch let out a quiet cough, "He was curious about the age limitation."

"Ah." The Headmaster nodded, "We can discuss that later, once you're settled in and we see how the students respond to you. Did you have any other questions?"

He licked his lips, "My partner... would she be able to stay with me, or at least visit? We're paying for a hotel right now since we weren't sure if-"

"-you'd get the position?" Ozpin finished for him, "It's quite all right, Mister... no, Professor Arc. She will be free to stay with you, provided she sign a few non-disclosure agreements and agree to a few rules. Will she still continue taking missions while you teach?"

"I don't know, to be honest." He answered, lying through his teeth once again. "We'll have to talk about it."

"Of course." Came the reply. "Now, if you'd care to review the paperwork in more detail... there are quite a few things you'll have to sign."

* * *

Four hours later, a beaten and exhausted young man shuffled down a busy street in Vale, moving away from the city's Bullhead docks, a cramping hand rubbing tiredly through his hair.

"Paperwork..." The word came out like a curse. _Why did I have to sign my name so many times? And initial so many other places!? Why wasn't once enough?_

He'd barely understood some of the things he was signing, while others had actually worried him a little bit. Especially the part where he was now required to use the Beacon medical staff for any and all injuries or illnesses from this point forwards. That wouldn't have been so odd if not for the number of times and ways it had been repeated, as if whoever had written the paperwork was concerned he wouldn't want to.

 _Why wouldn't I? Beacon should have the best equipment and doctor around, shouldn't they?_ In the end he'd gone ahead and signed anyway, mostly because he'd been terrified he was about to wake up, or be told that even one refusal would see the offer withdrawn.

 _Can't let that happen now. Not when we're finally getting somewhere._

Ahead of him, the door to a coffee shop all but exploded open, a multi-colored blur nearly knocking two teenagers down before resolving itself into the form of his partner.

Neo had changed her look several times in the past couple of years, and often used her semblance to help with that... but for today she had her multi-colored hair in her favorite cut that came down to her chin, and as usual she hadn't bothered with makeup for her pale features. Her black pants and corset went with her knee-high heeled boots, but contrasted heavily with her worn fighting gloves and long white leather coat.

She skidded to a stop in front of him, both of her eyes a worried shade of cream. When he didn't say anything she spread her arms in a demanding fashion, her expression bouncing between terrified and hopeful.

Jaune stared at her for a few seconds, letting that contrast shift increasingly towards fear... then gave her a smooth little bow. "You are addressing Beacon's newest, and youngest, Professor."

Neo's eyes flashed to an excited pink, and she bounced up and down while clapping her hands. He barely had time to laugh at her reaction before she leaped at him, impossibly strong legs wrapping around his waist while her arms snapped around his neck.

She'd evidently been drinking a latte because her lips tasted like coffee and sugar, a combination he didn't really mind as he kissed her back. Someone nearby let out a wolf whistle that they both ignored, separating only when Neo decided that she'd had enough of exploring his mouth with her tongue.

Once she was on the ground again, she beamed at him and put her hands on her hips, nodding once in approval.

"It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, actually." He admitted sheepishly, speaking as the two started off down the street. "Our friend did good work, they accepted all the papers and transcripts, didn't even ask me questions about it."

Neo cocked her head, frowning a little.

"I know," He admitted, "I thought that was odd too, but Ozpin did ask quite a few questions about how I handled the aftermath. I told them how hard it was, how I realized how important it was to stick together, how much I learned. They seemed impressed by my maturity, how I wanted to make sure other students didn't have to figure things out the same way we did."

And he hadn't even lied about that. He _did_ want those things... it just wasn't _all_ he wanted.

His partner nodded, grinning a little before lifting her hands and signing a question at him. It wasn't real sign language, but in some ways that was a good thing. It meant no one else could understand them when Jaune felt like replying in kind rather than with verbal words.

"We get to move in at the end of the week, they apparently have to get a room set up. Just a few more days."

Neo frowned at that, clearly not happy. Not that he could blame her... the sooner they got into Beacon the sooner they could start their search. He slid an arm over her shoulders and shook her gently, "Don't be like that... look on the bright side. We'll have a room in a secured school, one that we're not paying for either."

She cocked her head a little to one side, then relaxed as she nodded in approval. It was a feeling he entirely agreed with... safe homes and lien had both been in very short supply ever since they'd started their self-appointed mission. As risky as it was to stay at Beacon, to chance being caught out... it was also one of the safest places in the world for them.

 _Weird how that worked out._ But at least it had worked out. After so many false starts, so many times they'd had to flee from rumors or from actual sightings...

"We should celebrate." He said aloud, "It's been so long since we could. Maybe a fancy dinner or something."

Neo blinked, then rubbed two fingers together.

"We've got enough saved up from that last job." Jaune shrugged, "And I get my first paycheck next week. We can spend."

She considered that, then dug her scroll out of her pocket. She checked it while they walked, Jaune absently steering her around and past other people on the sidewalk. A few people gave them the usual assortment of odd looks that they got when they visited larger towns. For all that Neo was an adult, her height and appearance had led to more than a few people thinking something far more inappropriate than two consensual adults was going on between them.

 _Including our hotel..._ He sighed. Having the police called on them their first night hadn't been fun. Stopping Neo from beating up said police had been even less fun. The cops had let it go after a frustratingly long time, but at least the hotel had been embarrassed enough by the argument in their lobby to lower their nightly rate significantly. _Have to focus on the bright side._

Neo's elbow indicated that she'd found her place of choice, though he could only sigh when she held her scroll up for him to see. "Neo... I love you, but a gourmet ice cream parlor is not a fancy dinner."

Her below dug a little more sharply into his side.

"...split the difference at the Club?" He asked, "I'll have Junior make you those vodka shakes again. We have to talk with him anyway."

Neo tapped her lips with a finger in thought, then nodded in approval.

* * *

 _ **And here we go again. As far as new chapter go, I'm going to be going to a schedule to get both this and AR out every week. Chapter length is likely going to vary between 3k and 5k depending on the chapter, I likely won't go longer than that in the interest of making sure I can get chapters out. My tentative plan is for two chapters per story per week, with this fic updating on or around the weekends while Another Realm updates during the week itself.**_

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 _Thanks, Kat_


	12. Semester I: Networking

**Networking**

* * *

"Well, well." Hei 'Junior' Xiong drawled as Jaune settled into chair at the bar, "Look what the cat dragged in. Didn't expect to see you two around for a while."

Jaune grimaced as he caught the man's meaning, "It's on the news already?"

"You really surprised? Teaching at Beacon's a big deal, Professors there are close to celebrities." Junior leaned on the bar, shaking his head a little, "You two want your usual?"

Neo nodded agreeably, hopping onto the chair beside his before miming taking a bite from a sandwich.

"For both? Got it." Junior turned, calling down the bar, "Add two steak sandwiches to their order, and tell the girls that I'm with VIP's. They'll have to handle the door."

The other bartender held his thumb up in reply, turning to tap their order into a screen before jogging off.

It was still very early, at least by the standards of The Club. In a few hours the place would be so packed with people and music that you'd be hard pressed to hear whoever was right next to you, but for now Jaune and Neo actually had the entire place to themselves. Staff members in their neat suits bustled around, getting things setup, offering the pair of regulars polite nods and greetings as they moved around.

They'd found The Club pretty early on, not long after they'd arrived in Vale proper. They hadn't been looking to eat or dance so much as they'd been looking for information, and Junior had done very well by them in that regard. He'd been their initial link into Vale's shady side, which was far less open than Vacuo's. Still, a few easy jobs for him had gotten them in touch with other useful individuals, and helped pay the bills on top of that.

And the fact that he'd proven to be a genius when it came to drinks, and had one of Vale's best chefs on staff had only made him all the more valuable as an ally.

"So," Junior offered, absently cleaning a glass with a rag, "Glad my man knew his work. They took your resume?"

"Took it, approved of it." Jaune replied, dipping his head, "They said I was the best candidate to apply so far. Not sure I buy that to be honest, but I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth."

The older man grunted, "Heh, can't blame you. From what I hear that's a dream job for any huntsman, much less a kid like you."

He nodded again, though a bit of worry still kept rolling around. _They can't know about me, specifically. Can't know what we're after. Gods, sometimes it seems like we barely know what we're after..._

A gentle kick to his shin got him to look up in time to see Neo accept her drink, a giant frothy sundae of a milkshake with alcohol added for fun. She beamed at him before taking a long sip, giving herself a chocolate mustache.

Jaune couldn't help but laugh as Junior passed him his own drink, a simple brandy with ice. "You look ridiculous"

Neo stuck her tongue out before using it to clean her lips, and wasted little time in diving back into her sugary, alcoholic treat.

For his part, Junior snorted, leaning a little closer to Jaune as they watched her attack it. "I still can't decide if you're the bravest man in the world for tapping that, or if you're just insane."

He felt his cheeks color hotly as he took a gulp of his beverage. Junior shook his head, smirking a little behind his beard, "Right to the booze? Not going to yell at me for talking about your girl like that?"

"Neo can defend herself if she thinks she's been insulted," Said woman nodded brightly, plucking a cherry out of her drink and eating it with every sign of delight. "And really, you want to gossip about our love life? You lose a bet to the twins?"

Junior rolled his eyes, "What else am I going to ask about? Getting straight answers out of what you two are up to is the next best thing to impossible."

A new voice cut in from behind them before he could reply, "Not impossible Junior, just amusingly difficult."

Jaune sighed and turned around, staring at Roman Torchwick as the city's most established and powerful criminal kingpin strolled down the stairs to the main floor of the club, twirling his weapon in one hand as though it wasn't late afternoon and putting the entire place in danger by being so visible.

 _You know... once upon a time, I'd have been a nervous wreck right now._ Some sad part of him, the part that was still sane and remembered what his parents had taught him, was utterly depressed at the fact that he was more comfortable dealing with two criminals than he was talking with the professors at Beacon.

 _Focus on the quest... focus on that. We're going to save everyone, we're going to do what should have been done a long time ago._

"Roman." He greeted tiredly, "You're interrupting date night. Go away."

The man held a hand to his heart, "And here I thought we were friends, you're going to break my heart."

He heard Junior snort from behind him, "Can't break what you don't have Torchwick. You here for them or me?"

"Relax Junior, I'm here for the kids." Jaune's lips twisted as he took another pull from his glass, while Neo finally turned away from her half-demolished desert to actually pay attention. "Was hoping they might be up a for a bit of fun tonight."

He winced even as Neo's eyes lit up, both shifting to an excited pink. She immediately gave him a hopeful look that he desperately tried to ignore. "We're busy Roman, and it's been a long day."

"I've had a few of those in my time." Roman replied, smirking. The jerk knew that Neo was already on board, all he had to do was wait out Jaune's ability to tell her no.

 _Which isn't going to be long... bastard._

He sighed, "What do you want?"

"Little job out on the north end of town. I'll have my crew with, but things might get a bit... violent." The smirk widened, "There's a bit of security around Schnee Dust Company shipments these days."

 _...damn it._

Too many hours later found Jaune leaning against a massive building in the northern district of Vale, his cloak wrapped around him as he tried to not to look as conspicuous as he felt.

"You know Neo..." he offered conversationally, for the third or fourth time, "When I said I wanted to celebrate my new job, standing out in the cold, starving, and waiting to break into a building wasn't what I had in mind. We could have at least stayed at The Club until our steaks were done."

Neo smirked at him, rolling a hand towards her own chest to remind him that _she_ thought this was fun as hell, and she followed it up with a whip-cracking motion just to make him flush.

"If you don't mind," Their third wheel drawled from where he was kneeling next to a door's control panel, "I know you two are young, dumb, and horny... but I really gotta concentrate here."

Jaune and Neo both turned to glower at him, something that seemed to bother him not in the least. Roman popped off the panel as he ignored them, regarded the wiring inside, then started carefully rifling through them.

 _It seemed like it was going to be such a good date too._ He continued to grumble to himself, not at all happy with the thief's ruining of a great day. Or with Neo for leaping at the chance to do some breaking and entering, with a bit of property damage on the side.

 _Don't put it all on her, you didn't exactly say no when you found out what he was hitting._

"What kind of security is here?" He asked, tugging the hood of his cloak a bit more over his head. Neo's semblance would work to disguise them all, but the less she had to change the easier it would be for her.

"A dozen mechs." Roman replied absently, "Rufus should already have the jammer in place so we don't have to worry about the cops. Get in, trash the mechs, wait for the train to roll in."

Jaune grunted. "You have guys for the engineers?"

"Yeah yeah, we're not going to kill them, not going to break our agreement." The thief paused working to roll his eyes, "Not like I would even if I hadn't brought you lot with. Killing a couple of crewmen for a train is idiotic as hell, no reason for it... ah, there we go."

The door clicked as the dangling control panel turned from red to green, metal sliding aside to reveal the dimly lit interior of the building. It was a massive structure, the heart of Vale's railroad network, and it laid across several lines of track. It was from here that goods flowed in and out of the city, with one of the lines even going as far as Vacuo.

Today it was due to host a train hired out to the Schnee Dust Company, carrying several dozen box cars filled with dust, security mechs, and the various other goods that the company sold.

He might not have lived in Vacuo long enough to absorb their utter hatred for all things Atlas, he wasn't Rau, but he'd freely admit that he didn't really consider this theft. Not after his time in the wastelands that the dust mines had left behind, not after one too many horror stories from crippled faunus in the various bars and inns they'd stayed at.

 _Though... this isn't helping that worker riot take down the last SDC mine in Vacuo. This is something less justifiable even to me._

"You're giving me that 'I want answers' look again." Roman noted as he grabbed his cane, hefting the weapon up and cautiously poking his head into the building. When nothing took it off he nodded back at them, "Neo, if you would?"

The woman nodded in return, closing her eyes for a moment. There was a crackling sound at the edge of his hearing, and his vision briefly became pink before returning to normal. She regarded them both, her hair and clothes now a uniform shade of black, nodded, and then waved for Roman to go ahead.

"You know better." Roman continued, as if he hadn't paused the conversation. "Not the first time you've done a job with me."

"Stealing dust isn't exactly new." Jaune agreed, lowering his voice. "Mostly I'm wondering how I keep getting dragged into this."

Roman snorted, crouching behind a steel beam and motioning for them to stop. "Shit luck, an adrenaline junkie for a girlfriend, the fact that you owed me a big damn favor for helping you break into Signal... Take your pick."

Neo took her turn at glowering, holding up a hand to remind Roman that _he_ owed _them_ three favors already, and quite a bit of lien besides.

"There's favors and then there's _favors._ " The thief waved a hand, "We can talk about who owes who later, there's supposed to be a sensor grid up ahead that'll set off the mechs. You ready?"

Jaune grimaced but drew Crocea Mors, leaving the shield on his belt. As useful as it was, few other hunters bothered with them, leaving the combination unfortunately distinctive. "Yeah. Let's get this over with."

Roman nodded, glanced at Neo to see her with her own blade drawn as well, though she passed Jaune her parasol rather than keep it. He quickly attached it to his sheath, the magnetic locks holding the two together as they held up their weapons to indicate their readiness.

Their friend blew out a breath, lips curling into a fighter's grin, then pushed off with his back leg to sprint forwards. He and Neo all but flew after him, the three racing down the length of the tracks, heading for an old staircase that lead to an office overlooking the floor. They made it about fifteen steps before panels began to slide open along the walls, and mechs strode out to confront them.

" _Intruders! Identify you-"_

A flare from Roman's weapon shut the thing up permanently, blowing it apart and sending the trio beside it staggering. Neo let out a sharp whistle as she split away from the men, heading for the remainder.

Jaune's attention was already past her, on the quartet of machines that had emerged from hiding places near the stairs themselves. By silent agreement he went right while Roman went left, the thief simply using a pair of shots from his weapon to demolish the Knights in front of him.

 _Should have fucking brought Dragon's Breath with..._ He growled as blades extended from his opponents' wrists, both charging him return.

The AI running the things was primitive but good at what it did. They came at him in-step with one another, one going low while the other went high. They were deceptively fast, a normal person would have probably lost a limb... but Jaune was still a huntsman, or at least something close to one.

Twisting his waist and putting both hands on his weapon, he dropped to a knee and brought it around in an upwards slash that shattered the right mech's extended arm. The other mech had been going high, its weapon thrusting past his ear. Before it could react, he kicked off from the ground, planting his shoulder into its mid-section and sent the awkward machine stumbling back to collapse against the stairs.

Two quick slashes removed the remaining arm on the other, and then took its head before its friend could get upright again. He rammed Crocea Mors through the final mech's chest just as it finished rising, ripping the sword out as the thing spat sparks, mechanical form shuddering as it shut down.

"Eight down." Roman hummed, already moving past him, taking the stairs two at a time. "Four to go."

Jaune moved to follow, and nearly ran into Neo as she all but skipped over, her smile wide and somewhat manic. Her bright pink eyes told him more about how much fun she was having than her grin... so did the slap on the ass she gave him as she moved past him to follow Roman.

"Would you stop that?" He muttered as he chased after her, "It's not like I do it to you!"

Neo didn't bother responding, instead simply flying into the office ahead as the sounds of combat started up. Grumbling to himself, he pushed the pace a bit, catching up in time to see Roman throw another mech over a desk while a second tried to cut at his back. Neo caught that one with a lunge, taking its knee before moving to finish it.

A quick glance around showed another mech down, and the last only now emerging from a cubbyhole right next to him. Stabbing the thing in the back of the head was rather anti-climactic, it didn't even have time to notice that he was there before it was slumping over as a pile of twitching parts.

"Nice, fast, and brutal." Roman chortled, twirling his cane once before righting the chair behind the desk. He wasted no time in settling into it, hands already moving across the keyboard set into it. "That's why I love working with you two."

"We're flattered." Jaune replied deadpan. "Step two?"

"Step two... is now." Came the answer, fingers triumphantly stabbing a button. Stepping back, he glanced out of the windows, seeing several more doors opening to admit Roman's people. The criminals were all dressed at least as well as their boss, men and women alike wearing high-class suits as they darted into the building. "Train will be here in ten minutes, so we've got some time to kill... how about we discuss your new job?"

Glowering, Jaune turned in time to see Neo cross her arms, pointedly rubbing two fingers together.

"What she said." He shook his head, "You still owe us a _lot_ Roman, or did you forget who patched you up after you ran into that huntsman? Or those jobs we backed you up on?"

Roman regarded him flatly, then rolled his eyes and reached into a pocket of his coat. "Yeah, yeah. I remember. You two gotta learn to relax, enjoy the banter for what it is. Here, your share from the bank run last month."

He tossed several cards onto the table, and after a moment Neo walked up to take them. She checked them over then nodded, tucking them inside her corset.

"We'll count this little jaunt against that Signal run, like I said earlier." Roman spread his hands, "Kid, you've both done good by me this last year, and I've always paid up haven't I? You really think I'm going to mess with our relationship now?"

Jaune sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair. He was too tired to properly deal with the thief, and from Roman's smirk the man knew it. Still, he couldn't deny that the older man had a point. While he did occasionally run a bit late in repaying them, he always _did_ repay them, and they always did the same. He was probably the closest thing that he and Neo had to a friend these days beyond Junior, and he'd done a lot to help them settle in and stay under the radar when they'd relocated from Vacuo.

But at the end of the day... they were all criminals, one way or another, and criminals never really had friends. He'd learned that lesson in Vacuo.

"What do you want?" He shook his head, "We're not exactly going to be available much in the future."

"So I heard," Roman grinned, "Beacon's newest professor, was already all over the news, at least on the crawl. Now what could you two possibly want so badly in that school?"

Neo let out a sound that a less intelligent man would have called a snort, shaking her head and rolling her eyes as she did.

"What, I can't be curious?" Came the reply, hands digging around in his coat again before emerging with a cigar and a lighter. A flick of the latter brought the former to life, and Roman puffed a few times before speaking again, "You two came out of nowhere a year ago, broke as hell and running from something... something that none of my contacts in Vacuo can tell me about. So far as they know you're a pair of survivors from that old school, good in a fight, with a passion for antiquities."

Roman was at his most annoying when he was bantering... he never got to the damned point.

"So, if I had to guess," He continued, exhaling smoke. "You're after something old, something valuable, that you think is in the school. No, something you _know_ is in the school. How much is it worth?"

Jaune glanced at Neo, who let out a sigh and then shook her head while shrugging. It was hardly the first time that he'd tried to pry into just what their plan was, what they were even doing in Vale. Initially his guesses had ranged from absurd to comical, but the longer they'd stayed, the more he'd gotten to know them, the closer he'd started to come. Telling him the truth was out, they didn't trust anyone that much, and even part of the truth would be dangerous.

He liked them enough that he probably wouldn't sell them out for mere lien... but if it was his life or theirs, Jaune wasn't under any illusions as to which the flamboyant thief would pick. There wasn't any real chance that Ozpin and the schools he controlled would go that far, at least he hoped not, but the other side.. they wouldn't hesitate for a moment from what little he knew about them.

 _As useful as his help would be, its not worth the risk to us, or to him._

Roman nearly lost his cigar as he finished processing Neo's silent words, "Wait, you don't _know_ what it's worth!?"

"We're not even sure it's there." He countered, shaking his head. "We're pretty sure, but there's no guarantee... it's just the best lead we've got, and the pay-"

"-could set you up to keep looking." Roman nodded, recovering himself. "Risky, but I suppose I can see that. What's it for?"

"Personal reasons." Jaune replied, "And that's all you're getting, you owe us enough already."

Green eyes regarded him before there was another tiny nod, "...hm, suppose I do. Bit of advice kids, personal jobs never go well. You get too invested, can't back out when you damn well should."

Neo nodded, then sighed and shook her head as she held her palms up.

Roman frowned at that, then grimaced, "I get it, that's not everything. Guessing if I ask more you two are going to clam up?"

They did, and he let his shoulders fall as he exhaled a puff of smoke, "Well, no sense in owing you more favors by prying. We got two minutes, let's get down there and be ready to take out some more mechs."

The pair nodded, heading back for the stairs along with the thief. They found a hiding place behind a couple of old barrels, settling in while Roman and his people performed their own vanishing acts. Just a few minutes later came the deep, steady rumble of a train, its breaks squealing as it slowed enough to stop safely within the structure.

Jaune was honestly surprised at how long it actually took to arrive and come to a stop. Neo's amusement with the job had worn off entirely by the time it did, her fingers drumming along the blade of her sword while bored brown eyes stared at nothing in particular. Only when they could hear the crew-members stepping out of the engine, the sounds of conversation filling the air, did Roman burst into view, everyone else following his lead.

The reaction of the engineers was... odd.

"You have _got_ to be shitting me!" One of them swore, putting his hands on his head more out of frustration than fear. "Gods be fucking damned, this.. this... gah!"

Jaune blinked, looked at Neo to see her shrug, and then glanced at Roman in time to see the man actually look nonplussed. "...what?"

Another engineer waved her arm towards their train, ignoring the guns and blades pointed at her, "You want to rob the third of a train we have left, be our guest. They don't pay us enough to fight off the White Fang _and_ Vale's most wanted on the same day."

Blinking again, Jaune glanced at the train and saw that it was indeed rather short, it might have been eight or nine cars long. Nothing like the several dozen that it was supposed to be, and some of the cars that had arrived looked... pretty battered.

Roman noticed the same thing, and threw his cigar away, snarling as he did. "You, you said the White Fang did this? You're sure about that?"

"What it to you?" The man replied irritably.

Neo rolled her eyes beside him as Roman abruptly blurred forwards, Melodic Cudgel pressing into the civilians throat.

"Right!" The man's attitude changed almost at once, as he could have guessed. "Yeah! White Fang! Three of them! One took our dust cars, the others jumped off a few miles later!"

"And you're sure?" Roman growled.

"They had the masks!"

"...for the love of..." His weapon fell as he turned away, all but stomping petulantly as he headed towards the door they'd come in through. "Rufus, get these idiots out of here, and have the boys check the cars for anything valuable. I need a drink."

Jaune and Neo shared another confused glance, something that everyone else seemed to be indulging in as well, then moved to follow. He tossed her the parasol as he walked, sheathing his own sword once she had it. They caught up to Roman outside as he headed down the alley, making for the sedan he'd driven over in.

"You two might as well bail." He muttered when he noticed them, leaning against the hood of the probably-stolen car. "Job's done, fucking animals ruined it. Going to have to go after the local stores to make up the amount."

Neo pursed her lips, then gestured at the pair of them to ask if he'd be incurring more debt by asking them along.

"Hell no, I owe you enough already." Roman growled, "I'll talk to Junior tomorrow, shake some of his men loose, cheap bastard owes _me_ as it is. I'm going to pay back one of your favors by the way, your hotel's been comped for your stay."

Jaune frowned, "We'll take it, I guess... not like you to just volunteer payment like that."

A hand waved furiously towards the building. "My client was going to pay top dollar for the dust, and for any mechs we could disable. It was an easy job, especially with you two with. Two Nevermore with one bullet."

He considered that, nodding slightly... though mostly for show.

Roman was trying to get rid of them now, and he was being fairly obvious about it. The hotel costs were just a bribe disguised as a trade, something worth far more than the small favor he owed them so they wouldn't press. Whatever he was up to, he didn't want them to know who his client was, or why he was so angry about a blown job. Hell, they'd been on jobs with him that had gone spectacularly bad, far worse than this one, and he hadn't reacted like this then. But... he wasn't sure he wanted to burn another favor by pressing the subject. If things went badly at Beacon they might need those from him to get them out of the city, or out of the kingdom entirely.

Plus, it was well after midnight and all he really wanted to do was get back to their hotel, find some food, and then pass out.

 _And that's a lot of lien we're not out anymore, so... can't complain. Roman's secrets can wait._

His partner stepped over to him, wrapping the fingers of one hand around his wrist. He nodded to her, then to Roman. "We'll be in touch."

Their last sight of the thief was of him furiously kicking the car, nearly caving in the driver side door before Neo's talents carried them away.

* * *

 ** _Bit more setup before we start season 1 proper, as well as a few more hints and clues as to what they've been up to. At the moment I plan on having at least one chapter per weekend, two on those where I have the free time to write a second. General thanks to everyone who has been reviewing, it's really improved my mood the last week or so to see how much people seem to be enjoying this story despite how short it is so far._**

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 ** _Thanks, Kat_**


	13. Semester I: Day One

**Day One**

* * *

 _His footsteps crunched as he walked across the charred ground, his numb eyes taking in the debris scattered all around him. Neo limped along beside Jaune, using her weapon as a make-shift cane. Once and a while she used it to turn over broken things to see what was underneath. The answer was usually things they didn't want to see... that or more embers and smoke._

 _It had been three days, but some areas still seemed to be burning. It was almost impressive in a horribly depressing kind of way._

 _They didn't see another living soul until they reached the main ziggurat. The stepped building that had served as the school's main hall and home to its staff and professors resembled an old volcano more than a place of learning. Both of the topmost levels were entirely blackened, and the decorative awnings and cloths that had once sheltered lazy students from the evening sun had melted their way down the sides like so much ashy sludge._

 _"Jaune? Neo?" A woman spoke, her voice thready and stunned. Jaune lowered his eyes to see Sol staring at him from where she was sitting with her back to the structure's wall._

 _Four days ago she'd been the prettiest girl in their year, with the deeply tanned skin of a native Vacuan combined with dusty blonde hair and green eyes that always seemed wickedly merry. Now... her hair was half burned away on one side, the rest cut unevenly to hang over an eye. Her skin was bruised and governed in grime, sand, and blood, and she nearly collapsed when she tried to get up._

 _The other team leader stumbled forwards as they approached, all but throwing herself at Jaune. He caught her on reflex as she gasped. "Gods... gods..."_

 _"Yeah..." He replied quietly. "SMRK?"_

 _Her breathing hitched, but when she pulled away from him no tears fell from her eyes. She was past that... they all were. "...I'm it. I came back to... I don't even know. JNPR?"_

 _"...Haley killed them." Jaune looked over towards the east. "When... when she did all this. We're here to find them."_

 _Sol just stared for a few moments, then shook herself and stepped over to Neo. The smaller girl... smaller woman returned the hug, for once not avoiding the physical contact. "I'll go with you."_

 _Jaune gave her a sad smile. "Thank you."_

 _She returned the gesture, though it didn't reach her eyes, and limped along with them as they moved away from the central structure. In daylight, without the whirling sand, it was easier to see what had happened. Where the lines of battle had been drawn, where different teams had made their last stands, cut off from each other by the storm and Grimm. A wrecked bullhead had come down right on top of the upper-year dorms, the pilots probably having tried everything to get here, to save who they could._

 _Their bodies were still hanging out of the broken cockpit._

 _None of them spoke as they limped and shuffled along. He didn't ask how the rest of Team SMRK had died. She didn't ask for details about their own losses. There wasn't any point in talking about it._

 _The storage building was identifiable mostly through its absence... there wasn't even enough left of it to call it a ruin. There just a small crater where the Headmistress had used her semblance to blow herself, and most of the plateau, to pieces._

 _Neo didn't signal them when she found their friends... she just dropped to her knees and bowed her head. He'd heard her drop, and turned in time to see a single hand reaching out to pull a silver rod from beneath a mound of debris..._

* * *

Jaune settled Variable Impact onto the weapons' rack in his new office, his fingers lingering on the dust flail for a few seconds. Dragon's Breath was already in place beside it, mementos to the friends that they had lost to the shadow war.

 _I can't even remember burying them..._ There was a giant blank spot in his memories, even though he knew that they had given their teammates that honor. They'd found the markers when they'd gone back, along with three more graves belonging to the lost members of SMRK. Other graves had appeared as well, as the recovery teams finally arrived, as other survivors returned for their own friends.

Sol had gone with them to Vacuo City in the aftermath, even had shared an apartment with them for the first two months. She'd understood and supported their quest to find the truth when they'd begun it, but... she'd been done with that entire lifestyle. She'd opened a cafe near Shade with the money allocated to her from the survivor's fund, letting Jaune and Neo eat and drink for free whenever they visited.

She'd also kept her ears to the ground, and had been the one to warn them when a massive man with an oddly deep voice had started asking around about survivors from the school. Who'd talked with her about her experience, who'd seemed oddly well informed about who had fled where. He'd left her alone after confirming that she'd been wounded and had gone over the edge before the blast, and she'd called them the moment he'd left.

They'd departed the city that same night, heading into the wastelands and desert, keeping in touch with her via their scrolls to make sure she was all right... and whenever they needed her to look up something when their own access became spotty. Not that they gave her many details... and she didn't ask for them either. She was smart enough to know that they had started to move in dark circles, and that limiting her exposure was best for everyone involved.

Closing his eyes, he forced himself to turn away from the old weapons. _It's your first day as a Professor, you can't screw this up... not yet anyway. Worry about the now, not the past._

Of course, no sooner did he nod to himself confidently and turn around did his concentration shatter once again.

Several cards were scattered across the wood of his desk, all offering congratulatory messages that made his guilty conscience squirm unpleasantly. Sol had sent one shaped like a coffee mug, along with a pouch of grounds that were simply labeled 'nirvana'. He'd gotten a snarkier one from Junior asking if he could record any 'private detentions' with his students, and he'd made a mental note to punch the jerk the next time he saw him.

 _At least the bastard sent a few bottles with the card..._

A few others had come in from people they'd worked with over the years... most were sincere but bland, except for one.

His lips pressed into a line as he picked up the card from his family. A happy looking puppy stared at him from the paper, the dog's head covered by a party hat, colorful words beneath its paws reading ' _Congratulations!'._ Inside were more kind and supporting words from all of his sisters and his parents, all nine of them stunned that he'd gotten such a good job... as a manager at Vale's hottest night club.

"I'm going straight to hell." He sighed, setting it back down. But... he hadn't seen what choice he had. They _would_ reveal him if they knew, and he had the evidence to support that conviction. They wouldn't accept that he'd made his own choices, accepted the risks, that he could handle himself.

 _They do it because they love you..._ An echo of Prim's voice made him glower at nothing in particular.

 _Doesn't mean what they did was right._

He'd moved past what they'd done three years ago, but he knew that was more because it hadn't ended up mattering than because he'd ever forgiven them. So far as his parents knew he hadn't been at the school when it had fallen, and he'd been working at Sol's Cafe for the last several years. Sol hadn't approved of being used that way... but she'd gone along with it in the end, covering for him whenever she had to.

Now it was Junior's turn, Jaune having burned his last favor with the man to get that bit of sophistry set up.

A rapid and firm knock at his outer door finally snapped him out of the memories, plans, worries, schemes, and guilt. Grabbing Crocea Mors from its place on the weapons rack, he walked over the door and opened it slightly.

"Mister Arc?" A confused sounding Glynda Goodwitch frowned at him through the crack, though thankfully she didn't see the weapon he was holding in his off hand.

"Ah, Miss Goodwitch." He felt his face heat up a little as he replaced his sword on his belt, then quickly jerked the door the rest of the way open, "Sorry, old habits."

Her expression softened slightly as he invited her in, her eyes glancing around his rooms once before settling back onto him. There wasn't much for her to see, when you spent most of your time on the run, living in hotels, inns, caves, and tents, you didn't really get used to carrying much with you. Apart from the weapons against the wall and the well meaning cards, the only personal touch was a small picture of JNPR on his desk, taken right before their one and only mission as a team.

"It's quite all right. I was sent to retrieve you for the arrival speech, and to drop off these." He glanced down as she offered him several binders stuffed with paper. "These are for the three classes that you will be shadowing initially, and this final binder contains... advice that I thought a new teacher might appreciate."

 _So you don't hate me! Awesome!_ "Thank you!" He tried not to grin like an idiot as he took them over to his desk, setting them down, seizing on the distraction from his thoughts. "This means a lot to me!"

"You're welcome." Once again her expression flickered, her lips starting to pull into a smile before she mercilessly forced them back into a neutral line. "We are due to escort the first years to the main hall. If you wish to tell your partner you will be gone, now would be the time."

As if on cue, his bedroom door opened, admitting Neo into the kitchenette and living space. She gave them both a cheerful wave before wandering over. He quickly caught her up on the situation, to which she merely nodded before heading back towards the fridge to start on an early dinner. After a moment's thought, Jaune grabbed the binder of advice, and then hustled out after his new superior.

"If I may ask," Goodwitch spoke as they strode down a long hallway, heading towards the nearest exit to the courtyard. "Your partner... can she not speak at all?"

"She can't." Jaune confirmed, "Hasn't been able to since she was born from what I know."

"Ah." She frowned slightly, "Do you intend to involve her in your lessons? Once you begin your own class I mean. Such an impediment may prove difficult in a teaching role, though I suppose that demonstrating how she has overcome that may be a useful lesson."

He blinked. Neo? Teaching? The thought made him want to both laugh and cringe. "...Um, no, she doesn't really have the temperament for it."

"I see." _No... no you don't._ "In either case, we have settled on you primarily working with the first years."

He frowned, stepping ahead of her a bit before politely opening the door. "I thought that was already set?"

"Thank you." She gave him another almost-smile at the tiny bit of chivalry, then waited for him to catch up to resume. "I meant in terms of your shadow lessons as well. It will give them a chance to get to know you, and for you to know them, and it will avoid any... conflicts that may have come up with the older students."

 _That makes sense actually,_ Jaune mused.

"However," Goodwitch continued, "If you _do_ have any problems that my... tips are unable to help you resolve, simply request my assistance and I will find a suitable detention for the troublemakers."

The sheer helpfulness of the woman, before he'd even started, started to send his over-tuned sense of paranoia into over-drive. He throttled it down as quickly as he could. This _wasn't_ the Vacuan wastelands or the outer kingdom, this was Beacon. And he was very sure of his read on Goodwitch, she'd have killed him if she knew he had ulterior motives for teaching here.

 _She's being legitimately, genuinely helpful! Be grateful for that! ...and maybe take advantage a bit._

"Thank you so much for all this Miss Goodwitch." He gushed, trying to resist the urge to start flipping through the binder as they walked. "You're making this a lot easier than it might have been."

"It is no problem" She deflected, but he thought he caught a bit of color in her pale cheeks. "And... perhaps we can utilize first names, when we are out of the student's hearing."

"Of course Glynda." Jaune smiled, returning his eyes forward in time to see several airships approaching. "Speaking of... I'm guessing they're aboard one of those?"

Glynda nodded. "Indeed. They will have received instructions to gather at the main hall in the central tower, but several will, of course, lose their way. If you could direct any who try to move down the western paths, I will handle the east. The headmaster's speech begins in thirty minutes, so please be there by that time."

"Seems simple enough." He replied, "I'll see you there."

* * *

This was it. This was the moment where Blake left her past behind, where she chose to be something better, to leave a life of endless violence and escalation behind. Where she arrived at the place that would let her become a hero, a _real_ hero instead of just a collection of weak justifications. She could feel the warmth in her chest, just like her books often described, a surge of emotion that rose, becoming...

"I can't believe you talked me into this."

Annoyance.

"Oh, sorry." Ilia drawled, not sounding sorry at all. "Want me to wait while you have your existential moment?"

Blake felt one of her ears twitch against her bow, the motion sending a cramp of pain down the back of her head. "...you're still in a mood."

"Well..." Ilia muttered as the pair walked down the ramp, their pace slow enough that the other prospects got out ahead of them. "We're surrounded by Humans who would arrest or kill us if they knew who we were, we spent the last week in a homeless shelter, we're entirely winging this... and you're still hiding your ears. Yeah, I'm in a _mood_."

"They won't arrest us if you stop talking about it." She hissed back, "And leave my ears out of this."

Ilia stared at her, her jaw working as she clenched her teeth before an explosive breath came out. "I _can't_ believe I agreed to this."

"Would you rather go back to murdering train crews?" Blake replied, though she made sure to barely move her lips as she did. "I'm sure Adam would be willing to take you back after we left him in the middle of the forest."

Her older friend flinched at each comment, or maybe the caustic way she'd said it. Her shoulders seemed to slump as she sighed, "I... all right, but I still think that-"

Blake sighed, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. "We can talk later, all right? Let's keep a low profile, get through whatever initiation is, then we can relax and figure things out."

"...yeah, all right." Ilia blew out another breath, reaching behind her to grab the suitcase they were sharing. It was old, battered, and filled with equally old and worn clothes, books, and anything else they'd felt comfortable taking from the shelter's offerings. It was a harsh reminder of just where they'd come from and how little they could afford to fail, especially in comparison to the other students who all had much nicer baggage.

 _Speaking of..._ Blake's eyes narrowed as two men struggled to move carts piled high with pristine silver cases, each of which had a stylized snowflake proudly displayed.

"Is that who I think it is?" Ilia whispered, her attention ahead and to the left. She quickly flicked her own eyes in that direction to see a short girl walking ahead of them as if she owned everything around her, her head held up so that she could look down her nose at anyone in front of her.

 _Assuming anyone was shorter than she is._

"Weiss Schnee." She muttered, "What's she doing here?"

"I don't know..." Her friend replied, "I think we should get moving though."

Blake nodded, carefully walking forwards, letting the heiress stay ahead while the struggling men kept hauling her luggage along beside them. They'd gone about ten meters before she felt a pair of eyes on the back of her head, and twitched her head a little to one side, then the other.

A tall, handsome blonde man was lazily following them, his eyes flicking between them and a folder of some kind in his hands. The jeans, t-shirt, and battered boots were simple enough, though the tan cloak he wore lent him a degree of eccentricity considering the summer sun. He was also obviously armed, a sword riding on his left hip, and he was letting a hand rest on it in a fashion that struck her as unconscious.

"Older student following us." She murmured.

"I saw him." Ilia replied, though she kept her attention forwards. "Think I see the main crowd heading into the tower, another student is up ahead and... crap!"

Blake jerked her attention to the front as Ilia abruptly darted forwards, catching a smaller girl right before she could stumble into the Schnee's luggage. Unfortunately her kindness went unrewarded, as the old butler jerked in surprise at the sudden motion beside him, swinging the cart around to tip over the pair of them anyway.

She winced as baggage fell all over the two girls. _So much for keeping a low profile..._

"Owie..." The smaller girl Ilia had tried to help groaned as she pushed things off of her. She was in all blacks and reds, even her hair seemed to have highlights of the latter, with an over-sized box on her back. _A giant weapon, or weird fashion statement._ "...oh, are you all right?"

Ilia groaned, sticking her head out from behind a case. "...yeah, I'm-"

"You _dunce_! What did you do!?" Blake felt her ears try to flatten, sending more pain through her head, when the little heiress screeched and stomped back. "Do you have any idea about the damage you almost caused!"

"I-I-I..." Red and black stuttered, shaking her head and shifting back and forth woozily. "They fell on-"

"These are filled with dust!" Schnee snapped, grabbing an open case and shaking a vial of the stuff in front of the girl as if that would help. "Fire! Lightning! Do you have any idea what might have happened if one of them-"

The little girl huffed once, twice, and then... sneezed. Schnee shrieked again, something about germs and disgusting... and lost her grip on the dust as she flailed around.

Blake flinched as a small explosion cracked the stone of the courtyard, everyone in sight jumping slightly. Thankfully the little bit of fire dust was more heat than actual blast, and it had landed far enough away that there wasn't anything or anyone nearby for it to really hurt. It just made a loud bang, a bright flash, and charred a good bit of grass while making everyone jump.

"Look what you did!" The banshee snapped again, "What are you even doing over here, shouldn't you be at the CCT by your family!? How much of a dunce are you? Do you have any idea who I am?"

 _...does she honestly expect her to answer all of those questions?_

"I... I'm attending Beacon, and I tried to tell you it wasn't our fault princess!"

"Heiress." Ilia groaned as she finally pushed the rest of the luggage off of her, "She's the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, largest such company on Remnant."

"Finally some recogn-"

Blake chose that moment to interrupt, taking a few steps forwards. "The same company infamous for its questionable business practices and terrible labor relations."

"Why...how dare you! I... I... ugh!" Schnee stomped her foot and then turned away, storming away while her butlers started grabbing the containers.

 _I shouldn't enjoy this... I really shouldn't..._ _that's right, run away you little bi-_

"And here I thought my first day was interesting." A man's voice made her jump forwards and spin around, her heart hammering as she realized that the older student had come up right behind her without her noticing.

 _How did he manage that!? Wait..._ She frowned at him, something twinging in her memories. "...do I... know you?"

He blinked, snapping his binder shut and tucking it under an arm as he tilted his head, "I don't believe we've ever met, but I've traveled a lot the last few years. It's possible we ran into each other."

 _Traveled?_ Her dark amusement at driving away the heiress faded instantly in fear and something like panic, wishing she'd kept her mouth shut. Now her mind was running circles trying to remember where she'd seen him, if they'd interacted, if he knew what she had been. _If he remembers, if he reveals us... wait, what would a student be doing traveling?_

He pulled his scroll out while she frantically tried to place his features, grimacing. "Sorry to rush you girls, but the speech will be starting soon. Is everyone all right?"

"We're good!" The young girl nodded quickly, having helped Ilia stand up while Blake had been distracted. "I'm Ruby by the way!"

"...Blake." She replied, grabbing her battered old suitcase, tightening her grip as she swallowed. "That's my friend, Ilia. Who are you?"

"Jaune Arc." He replied with a smile, "Come on, we don't want to be late, do we? First years will be gathering in the main tower, right up ahead."

 _Jaune Arc..._ the name didn't help. "Thank you."

Arc shrugged, already walking in that direction. "You're welcome. Was your flight all right?"

She bit her lip, not trusting herself to speak, but thankfully Ruby evidently didn't feel anything like what she did. "It was awesome! It's so cool to see the whole city, and then to see Beacon as we got closer. I still can't believe I'm here you know?"

"Me either." Ilia spoke up, giving Blake a pointed look as she did. _...still in a mood, then again, I probably would be too if I'd gotten buried by a Schnee's baggage._ "...is that your weapon or your luggage on your back?"

In response the girl whipped it off of her back, mecha-shift whirring as the boxy shape unfolded into the form of a massive scythe. Blake felt herself start a little at the speed she'd done it, and heard a quiet click on her left. A glance showed the older student's own grip tight on his weapon's hilt.

 _He started to draw it, then put it back... who are you?_ He was handsome enough, she supposed, though not really her type. Tall, more slender beneath his cloak then he'd looked from a distance... was at least a year or two older than her, maybe three or four from the tiny bits of blond stubble she could see on his jaw. _Who did I know who used a plain sword and was paranoid..._

"Crescent Rose!" Ruby proclaimed, as if expecting them all to be in awe, "She's my baby! A war scythe combined with a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle!"

Jaune whistled, "How much maintenance does it need?"

Ruby beamed at him, "Not as much as you'd think, my uncle was really strict about how I designed her. What do you guys have? What kind of sword is that?"

"It's... well, just a sword." The boy drew it, turning it a little. "But my grandfather used it in the war. It's never broken or needed to be reforged since then."

The little girl whistled as well, "Wow... it must be really well made. Ilia, what do you oh-my-gods is that a variable dust whip!?"

Blake felt her eyes widen as the spots on Ilia's cheeks turned pink, literal bright pink, in embarrassment. "It... it is, yes. I just modified it last month so it can hold two dust vials instead of one."

"Sooo... cooool..." Ruby all but drooled, thankfully staring at the weapon instead of at Ilia's face, and their male companion was craning his neck around like he was looking for someone.

Ruby promptly began all but circling Ilia as they walked, somehow managing to do that without tripping over her own feet, barraging the other girl with questions about her weapon's composition, her dust preferences, how far it could extend, what modifications she was thinking about doing...

 _Well, at least she's distracting Ilia..._

"There she is." Jaune murmured, looking ahead. Blake blinked, following his gaze to see the Deputy Headmistress standing just outside of the tower. He held up a hand and waved as they drew closer, lifting his voice. "This should be everyone, Miss Goodwitch."

"Thank you Mister Arc." Goodwitch replied, waving at the three students. "You three please file in quickly, the speech is due to begin any minute and Professor Arc and I are due with the other teachers."

... _wait, Professor!?_

* * *

Jaune tried not to stare blankly as the Headmaster's short speech concluded, mindlessly following the other professors into a small staff room behind the stage.

 _He's as bad at motivational wisdom as Verde was... wonder if he's going to kick them out of an airborne plane too._

The room was pleasant, filled with comfortable furniture and low tables, with windows that provided a pleasant view of the gardens just outside. It seemed overly large, and almost empty even with the seven of them piling inside and closing the door behind them.

Two of the other teachers he recognized at once from his preparation. Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck, accomplished archaeologist and legendary huntsman. Personally proclaimed friend of the Menagerie faunus by their chieftain after he'd ventured into the island's interior to kill a sand drake and refused any payment for the hunt. Beside him was Peter Port, his expanding waist and graying hair told of a man past his prime, but from what he'd learned the man had been an absolute terror in his youth; capable of killing an entire Grimm migration on his own.

Lounging in a chair beside a window was another older teacher, this one a woman. Light red hair was threaded through with silver, but her face was free of wrinkles and her body remained... well, fit. Beside her was a faunus woman, with both fox ears and a lazily wagging tail, the two glancing at him as he entered behind Glynda. He didn't know anything about them, they hadn't been in the information Roman had sold him.

"Welcome to Beacon Mister Arc." Ozpin smiled as he settled into an armchair beside the older woman, "Officially, that is. May I introduce the other members of the senior staff?"

He'd barely nodded before a hand slammed into his shoulder, nearly making his knees buckle. "Peter Port, you've got an impressive reputation lad! Look forwards to working with you!"

"Thank you." Jaune replied, shaking himself a little. "I'm looking forwards to your classes."

For some reason Glynda grimaced, while the faunus quietly snickered. _Wonder what that's about..._

"Quite." Ozpin continued to smile, sipping from his ever-present cup of coffee. "To my right is Professor Peach, she teaches basic education. Arithmetic, languages, the sorts of things our students often miss out on due to their specialized focus."

The woman gave him a cheerful wave, her voice soft but strong. "Or the ones they avoid on purpose. We likely won't work together much, but it is good to meet you."

"We," The faunus spoke up before he could reply in kind, "Might see a bit of each other, depending on how healthy you are. I'm Tsune, the medical head... I also teach students with medically related semblances, and the later years come to me for training in first aid. But mostly I just treat the various wounds suffered in training."

"Hopefully I won't have to visit you professionally then." He smiled, though it faltered when the woman's ears drooped a little.

Thankfully the last teacher came to his rescue, a blur of motion appearing in front of him. His hand was grabbed and pumped in a quick shake before he could react, "Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck, I must say that I look forwards to working with you and learning about the Vacuan point of view when it comes to teaching. I admit to being fascinated in expanding my breadth of knowledge and imparting other considerations to our students to ensure they are ably prepared and educated."

The words had come as a blur of sound, and Jaune had to shake his head and guess at a reply. "I look forwards to that as well."

"Excellent!" Oobleck replied, whirling away to the other side of Port, though even then he kept shifting his weight as if he couldn't bear to stand still.

... _huh._

Ozpin sipped from his coffee once more before setting it aside. "I do hate to impose on your first day, Jaune, but we do things slightly differently than you are likely familiar with, if I am remembering the Academy's process correctly. Our students remain overnight and will complete their initiation in the morning. I was hoping that you would be amicable to watching over them with Peter until then. The rest of us will be occupied ensure that the initiation equipment is ready and that the first year dorms are prepared."

 _...all night?_ He nodded cautiously, knowing this was his job and he couldn't afford to push back on his boss on day one. "I'd be happy to," he lied, "Though I haven't eaten dinner yet."

"The kitchens will deliver something for you both." The Headmaster waved a hand, "And you'll have the rest of the day off once the initiation is concluded to make up for it."

"Sure." He replied with a smile that didn't show how little he wanted to be up all night, "What do you do for initiation? We got dropped off on a desert island filled with Grimm and were told to find the boats."

Port laughed beside him, "Oh ho, now _that_ would be an adventure! Alas we have no such islands around, we simply launch them into the forest and have them return with a few relics."

Glynda nodded, "Speaking of, what did you use this year?"

Ozpin smiled enigmatically before lifting his coffee to his mouth again, "You'll see, I'm sure. To a successful year."

Oobleck hefted a thermos of his own, while everyone else just nodded, Jaune following along before Peter wrapped an arm around his shoulders, steering him towards the door. "Come on lad, we've got a long night ahead of us. Call me Peter by the way."

"Jaune." He replied, "Mind if I message my partner, tell her I won't be along tonight?"

"Of course, I'll get us some chairs and we swap tales of adventure while the little ones rest!"

"Sounds like a plan." Jaune said as Peter let him go, the older man moving with surprising speed as he moved down a side hall while Jaune continued back into the main one. Students were mostly standing around talking, trying to strike up conversations with one another and swapping rumors about what initiation would be.

 _Well, guess that's an advantage for the Beacon way._ He admitted, _they get a lot more time to get over their nerves and pick out partners and teammates._

Four boys had already claimed a stretch of floor, the largest of them evidently giving some kind of speech that had the others hanging on every word. Others had split up into obvious partnerships; two of the girls he'd met earlier, Ilia and... Blake, that was it, were sitting near a wall with their noses in books, while Ruby was waving her arms demonstratively as she talked with a blonde girl far taller than she.

Glancing around to make sure no one was right beside him, he pulled his scroll out and quickly typed out a message. ' _Have to watch the students tonight. Won't be returning.'_

A few second later the device pinged quietly with a response. _:,(_

 _'Other teachers will be busy with setup.'_ He replied, ' _Near the forest, and the first year dorms. See you in the morning, don't worry about being out late... and get us some ice cream.'_

 _;)_ The dots continued for a few moments, then actual words came across, _Hunt begins._

Jaune smiled, clicking the device shut and sliding it into his pocket. The hunt was definitely on, and things were looking good. The other teachers seemed to be reacting well to him, they were at the place they needed to be, now it was just going to be a matter of time before-

"YOU!" The shout made him and everyone else jump and whip their heads around to see Ruby leap into the blonde girls' arms while the young woman with the Schnee crest yelled at them both.

A glance around confirmed that Peter was still absent... _up to me then._

With a sigh, Jaune started forwards, ready to start his new job.

* * *

 _ **This will likely be the last chapter for this week, I really have to work on Another Realm. Here we get our first small flashback, get some more hints as to what Jaune and Neo were doing, and then start the initiation section. I'm not going to be covering the actual initiation, it's been done a million times and it won't really be all that different from canon. For those looking for more Jaune/Neo, how and when the two of them ended up together will be told via flashbacks, and Neo will be getting her own sections from time to time as the story progresses.**_

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 ** _Thanks, Kat_**


	14. Semester I: Teens, Teams

**Teens, Teams**

* * *

Neo didn't like being invisible. Not because she minded no one being able to see her, but because it made it hard for _her_ to see much of anything. Whatever her semblance did to hide her also seemed to make everything like one of those stupid old movies; all the colors in the world turned into blacks and grays.

It made other people blend in against walls like... like... those stupid little lizards... chameleons, that was it.

She also didn't like waiting. Patience was not, had never been, and would never be, a virtue of hers. When she wanted something she took it, when something angered her she dealt with it. Sitting around and _waiting_ was a waste of the time she could be spending doing something else. Like making Jaune serve her ice cream. Or getting him drunk and taking him to bed. Or going out with him and Roman on a job that required less waiting and more violence.

Heists like this... took a lot of patience, and Neo hated them for that.

She let out a quiet sigh as she leaned against the wall of an old classroom, the closest location to Beacon's security office that she'd been able to find after nearly three hours of careful exploration. She'd then had to waste another hour checking the room for any cameras or sensors inside the room with her extremely limited sight, and only once she'd been sure she was clear had she released her semblance to bring the world back into color... or as much color as a room lit only by moonlight had.

 _Step one... get into the security room, note where all of the cameras are, and if there are any in Ozpin's office._ Neo let her head fall back against the wall, closing her eyes as she exhaled. Her shoulder slumped as the wave of exhaustion hit her; using her semblance for so long always left her woozy without her personal battery around to recharge her.

All she wanted to do was find a comfortable bed... but instead she was trapped in here... _waiting._ Getting into the room meant waiting for a change in the guard shift, which might not even happen before dawn. In which case she'd be sitting alone in an empty classroom for next to eight hours, stuck listening for footsteps the entire time.

After about five minutes she lost her patience, pulling her scroll out of a pocket and setting the screen to its dimmest setting. Checking to make sure she had her body between it and the cracked door, she fired off a message to her partner. _X_X_

Jaune replied less than ten seconds later. _I'm convinced Port's semblance is some kind of brain melting effect attached to his voice, he's managed to make a hunt into the Grimmlands both boring and unbelievable. Want to switch?_

She blinked at that, then let out a little snort and shook her head. _X_

 _No fun._ His sigh was practically audible even in the text. _Student thought she recognized me earlier, you remember a pale girl with yellow eyes?_

Pale girl with yellow eyes... Neo thought about it for nearly a minute before shrugging. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

 _Me either... she almost looked panicked, starting to eat at me a little._

That made her frown slightly before she resent her last. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

... _you are as helpful as ever._

She pouted and glared at the screen. The jerk was trying to bait her into using actual words by annoying her... as if she would fall for such a simple ploy! _;P_

 _Same old Neo._ That made her smirk a little, easily picturing the annoyed yet fond expression on his face. It was one of her favorites. _Just got an alert from Glynda, she wants me to demo in her combat class with the first years on Friday to 'establish myself'. Want to help?_

Neo cocked her head, tapping a few keys to let him know she was thinking about her response. She was never one to turn down a good fight, but kicking around a bunch of arrogant little snots didn't really do anything for her either. On the other hand... they had been rather slacking in their personal training lately, with all the errands they'd been running for Roman and Junior, and then everything it had taken to get ready to come here.

Clearing her screen, she fired off a new response. _J + N = :)_

It was his turn to think about it for a few minutes before he replied, _I'll get something setup right before class. Let us show off a bit without really revealing much. Should impress them and let us get some practice in._

Classic Jaune, looking to manipulate the situation to their advantage. She really did like that about him... she'd never been much good at lying or deceiving, even when she couldn't speak. Her stupid eyes gave too much away once you got to know her. Jaune though... he knew how to bullshit with the best of them. It had gotten them out of as many problems as her endless search for amusement had caused.

 _Have to get back,_ He continued, _pretended to need the bathroom to get some sanity back. See you in the morning._

Neo sighed and clicked her scroll shut, not bothering to respond to that. Typical, providing all of five minutes of entertainment before getting distracted and wandering away. She'd have to get back at him for this later, especially if she had to wait for more than.. well, at least a few more minutes.

She'd give him that window.

The next twenty minutes passed in a mindless, insanity inducing haze from her perspective. She counted every chair in the room, every tile in the ceiling, the number of light bulbs, and then every interesting stain on the floor. After another twenty minutes, she then went ahead and unscrewed all of the bolts in the teacher's chair so it would fall apart as soon as anyone tried to use it. After a bit of thought, and another few silent minutes where no new guard walked past, she sabotaged every third chair in the student's section as well.

She was debating whether or not to start messing with the light bulbs and the ceiling panels when the sound of footsteps made her head tilt. A quiet crackle of her semblance later had the classroom's darkness become oppressive, and she padded over to the doorway to listen more closely.

 _...one...two sets._

Did the guards work in pairs? That would be mildly annoying to avoid, depending on how cramped the security room itself was.

The sounds approached more closely, then seemed to blur together in an odd little rhythm. She frowned, and was about to reach out to nudge the door slightly more open when two bodies hit it more or less at the same time. Neo flung herself back, a hand going to her sword, and nearly dropped her semblance in sheer shock as a pair of struggling people tumbled past her and onto the floor.

They rolled once, away from her, then tumbled in her direction. She flung herself over them, landing in a silent crouch, whipping around with her sword ready to fight off whatever kind of rival thieves were... were...

 _You have got to be fucking kidding me!_

Two teenagers, oblivious to her presence, continued to passionately make out right on the classroom floor. The boy, who looked lithe and toned with long hair, currently had the advantage. He had a surprisingly well dressed girl pinned to the ground as the mouths moved, and Neo was pretty sure they wouldn't have noticed if she dropped her semblance and just stomped out.

She considered her options, sheathing her blade in a miffed little motion. Voyeurism was not one of her kinks, and from the way the girl was ripping at the guy's shirt, this was going to progress. Further, there wasn't another good place to wait for the security guard without having to use her semblance, and that would get tiring, fast. She was already fairly drained from earlier, and without food there was no way she'd last all night, even if she stood still.

So... her only real option was to call the night a failure and go back to bed.

 _You two just cost me a day's work and a night's sleep._ Glowering, she stalked over closer, getting the best look she could without getting hit when the guy's shirt was thrown off to reveal fabulous though scarred abs.

 _I'm going to humiliate you both for this. Horribly._ She growled in her head as she memorized their features. Once she had, she stepped back just as the girl managed to get her boy-toy off of her for a moment.

"Sit in the damn chair." Her voice was smooth, commanding, raising Neo's opinion of her microscopically. "And leave your pants on, I'll deal with those later."

Shaking her head, she turned her back on the door and headed for the door, and it was only as she reached it that the girl's words actually finished processing. When they did, a glance over her shoulder revealed the boy being pushed back towards the teacher's seat that she'd just sabotaged.

 _You are both going to suffer for this, ruining my pranks as well... unless... maybe..._

Ducking out of the room, she made it two steps before the was a horrible crashing sound and two very loud yelps of pain. A couple of seconds later, the door to the security room abruptly flew open, revealing a pudgy, middle-aged man in the dark uniform of the Vale police. He looked like he'd just had a heart attack, huffing down the hallway towards the source of the sound, one hand on his weapon while the other drew a flashlight, his attention entirely on whatever crisis he thought was occurring.

While Neo glided right past him and into the still-open security office.

 _I take it back, you're both getting presents._ She grinned as she looked around the room. It had a little more than a dozen monitor displays set up in neat rows before a desk, before which a comfortable office chair lay on its side. The fat-ass guard must have knocked over when the love-birds shouted.

Not wanting to linger and get stuck in here until the next shift change, she pulled out her scroll and quickly snapped pictures of the various screens. A bit more searching revealed a shift log taped to one wall, along with a set of in-case-of-emergency instruction sheets. Those were recorded as well before she glanced at the doorway and listened.

Several voices talking loudly... the girl the loudest, trying to talk her way out of having a teacher called from the yelling. She had some time yet.

Reaching into the pocket of her jeans, she pulled out a purchase from Roman. He'd had them work a full job as payment for the thing, but hopefully it would be worth it. Kneeing down, she ducked under the desk and found the usual mess of cables and power cords hidden back behind it. Placing the small listening device was simple enough, as was moving several things over it to obscure its position.

Getting back to the device to pull its memory would be annoying, but not nearly as much given that she now had month's schedule. It wasn't likely that they'd give up much talking in there, but there was always the chance that someone would mutter a password or complain about a worn-down camera or sensor.

Amazing progress, and on night one no less.

 _I... am... awesome._

Departing the security office with a broad grin on her face, she nearly ran into a tall blonde woman stalking past. Goodwitch was wearing a dark black robe and was barefoot, but she still held her weapon in one hand. From her expression, she was about to use it on whoever had dared wake her up this late at night. She stopped long enough to glower at the open security room, a flick of her wrist slamming it shut, and then she was off again.

Neo smirked, took her first step back towards her suite... then her grin widened and she padded invisibly after the Deputy Headmistress to enjoy the free show.

* * *

Everything was perfect.

Neo's arms were around Jaune's shoulders, her bare body pressing into his back. Her silent laughter was beautiful for the simple joy it brought, coming in time with the wind. Sand rustled by, drifting, a steady rhythm that he had grown to love while the first light of the sun began to heat the desert.

He could hear the birds waking in the nearby trees, their trills and songs adding a crescendo the to the perfect song in the air. It was all perfect... everything was incredible, amazing, beautiful. The world spun around him and all he wanted was to laugh in simple pleasure, to take it all in while he could, to forget everything that had happened, that was happening, that might happen...

To just enjoy the...

Jaune blinked as he tasted nothing, the distant sounds of combat returning along with Glynda's voice. "...we should decrease the Grimm culling next year, the older students were too efficient. Three teams already finished without truly seeing combat."

"Perhaps." Ozpin replied, sipping from his own mug as Jaune sighed, lowering his. "Place a note in our packet for next time."

The three of them, plus Peter, were standing atop the cliffs overlooking the Emerald Forest. Supposedly they were all supervising the initiation, though only Glynda seemed to really be paying attention to her scroll. The Headmaster seemed mostly lost in his coffee, much as Jaune had been, while Peter was directing those students who had already finished back towards the school.

He groaned as he set his mug on the ground, shaking his head and resisting the urge to smack himself. If he'd known that 'Teacher's Coffee' meant Mistralian Nirvana, he would have turned the stuff down. It might have tasted incredible, and literally sent your brain into la-la land, but it had enough caffeine in it to addict you even if you'd never touched coffee or soda in your life. The head-splitting migraine tomorrow would _not_ be worth the thirty minutes of bliss, he knew that much for certain.

 _On the bright side, I'll be awake for the rest of the day... huh, maybe I can sell the bag Sol sent us. Is there a black market for coffee? Something to look into if we end up needing lien I guess._

Yawning, he rose from where he'd been sitting on the ground, leaving his empty plate and cup behind. He'd let Peter go on ahead to make sure none of the first years got lost while he'd lingered to make sure none of them were late, and so he'd had to grab his food and coffee in a rush before taking it with out to the cliffs.

He stretched his arms out a bit, then padded over to the professional educators. "Things a little too easy for them?"

"Quite." Glynda replied, her pleasant features set in an unpleasant scowl. "Several fought nothing more than a few juvenile Beowolves, and one team encountered just a single Ursa. The remainder have encountered an elder Nevermore and Deathstalker, but they are currently outrunning both towards the eastern cliffs."

"Nothing wrong with running away if the situation calls for it..." He yawned as he walked over to glance at the screen in her hands. Sure enough, eight teenagers in colorful outfits were sprinting out ahead of a massive Deathstalker as it pursued them, while a Nevermore circled high above. "Excuse me. Huh... we only had one old Grimm."

Ozpin hummed, watching his own screen, "What type?"

"Creep. Bastard was the size of a small building." Jaune shook his head. "Thing almost beat us senseless before we got lucky and came up with a crazy plan that worked."

"Bah!" Peter rumbled as he returned to them, "Huntsman make their own luck lad! How did you dispatch the fiend?"

He tapped the hilt of his sword, "Rau and I distracted it, Neo stabbed it behind the head with my sword, then Primula used her weapon to hammer it through its brain. She hit it hard enough we had to dig it out of the sand afterwords."

The big man laughed, while Glynda smiled slightly. "Rather clever. What weapon does she use?"

"She used a dust flail." He shrugged, "We have it in my office. Neo and I both train with it, it's a way of... keeping them close, you know?"

Glynda's smile immediately became a grimace as she gave him a somewhat guilty expression, "I'm sorry, I did not intend to bring up memories."

"Not all memories are bad." Jaune shook his head, "She was my first real friend, we were going to try and partner up before Neo landed on my head."

The woman blinked, her expression morphing into a blank stare. "...you're being literal?"

He couldn't help but laugh at her expression, "Yeah. I landed hard in a pond, she glided down right after and planted both feet on my head so she wouldn't get wet. Nearly drowned me staying up there until I got close enough to the shore that she could jump off."

Peter let out another belt of laughter, "Initiations are always memorable. Why, in mine, I fell quite behind believe it or not! I knew all of the others were ahead of me, that I had to catch up or else fail in my destiny! So I seized the first Beowolf I encountered, used my belt and weapon to ride it all the way to our objective. The others... the looks on their faces when I charged out from the trees!"

There was a quietly merry sound, and it took him a moment to realize that Ozpin was laughing. He had... an odd laugh, like someone who did it so little that he'd almost forgotten how to. "Not as amusing as the look on your face when we all opened fire on your esteemed mount. I do wish someone had thought to take a picture of that moment."

Glynda rolled her eyes but there was a smile on her face while Jaune couldn't help but join the laughter. The amusement faded when she returned her attention to the screen, "Ah, it seems that they've run out of room. They're battling them openly now."

Everyone quieted down fairly quickly, Peter looking over Ozpin's shoulder while Glynda shifted hers to let Jaune see.

The students had divided into rough teams, four of them attacking each Grimm. Glynda split the screen, letting them watch both engagements, though he focused more on the group fighting the Grimm he was more familiar with.

A dark haired boy was leading the charge against the Deathstalker, shouting orders to a pair of red heads along with one of the girls he'd run into the day before... Ilia he thought, a glance showed Blake on the other screen before he returned to the more intriguing fight. Two of them seemed to be distracting the creature up front, and he found himself nodding as he caught on to the boy's strategy.

As soon as the Deathstalker's tail flung forwards to impale one of them, they both blurred backwards, and the other pair shot in. Two cuts from two weapons later, and the elder Grimm was minus its most lethal weapon, rearing back in pain as the students pursued. They went for its eyes and legs next as it scuttled back and sideways, and he found himself flinching as the Grimm drew closer to several old columns.

"Stay back... stay back..." The mutters were reflexive. "It's luring you..."

Glynda blinked, glancing at him before switching her attention from the other fight just in time to see the Deathstalker slam a claw into the ancient stones while its other protected its face. The pillars cracked and shattered, sending stone flying downwards towards three of the four students. Illia and the boy dove backwards, largely avoiding it, but the other girl was slower and didn't quite manage it. One of the blocks clipped her as she dove, sending her stumbling.

The Grimm batted her aside an instant later, flinging her into a wall to drop limply... a moment before a spear slammed into one of the creature's eyes. It flailed and bucked, slamming its entire body into more columns that promptly began to teeter and fall, this time onto the Deathstalker.

"Shit." He hissed as the creature twitched and began to dissolve. "Is she alive?"

Glynda had already shifted from one camera to another, her own body rigid for several seconds before relaxing. "Yes, she's mobile. Her aura is likely shattered but she's moving. I don't see any injuries, and they seem calm. I'll have her check in with Tsune when they return just in case."

Jaune let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. _Sometimes I really think my nerves aren't cut out for this kind of thing._ "Good... thank you."

"Indeed, I'm sure this will be a valuable lesson for Miss Valkyrie and her new team." Ozpin replied, sipping from a cup of coffee as he did. Jaune blinked and frowned at that, realizing that the man was drinking the stuff and decidedly not having an out of body experience as he did. Weird. "Unfortunately that leaves us with the final matter."

Everyone but him groaned slightly, and he looked to the Headmaster for an explanation. The man in question sighed and held up his scroll, "The allocation of team names and leaders. Personally I detest the practice but tradition is what tradition is. The four of us and Bartholomew all have the... honor of deciding upon a name for one team apiece."

On cue he felt his own scroll hum in his pocket, and he pulled it out to find four faces and names smiling up at him, the very same four that he' just been watching.

 _Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, Ilia Amitola, Pyrrha Nikos... at least the guy lucked out, Nikos is gorgeous and the other two are pretty enough._ "First names or last?"

Ozpin shrugged, "Whatever works, so long as the first letter belongs to the team leader."

Jaune blinked, then shrugged, taking all of a second to put the four last names into a better order. The guy had been giving orders, after all, so he must have had some latent ability to lead. He hoped... _So long as he does better than me in his first month, I won't feel bad._ "Team RAVN, led by Lie Ren."

Port gave him a disgusted look from over top of his own scroll, "Pathetically easy... not fair."

He smirked back at him, not feeling at all bad after having to listen to eight excruciating hours concerning the legend of 'lady-killer, grimm-slayer, supreme manly-man Peter'. "What's next?"

"You may go and get some sleep, Mister Arc." Ozpin replied, still flicking names back and forth on his own scroll. "Your first shadow-class with be with Peter tomorrow, so do be on time. Aside from that, relax and recover from you night. If you have any questions feel free to ask myself or Glynda... Ah, here we are, Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose."

* * *

Ilia Amitola stared at herself in the mirror, tugging at her new uniform. She rather liked the coat, but the skirt was... less than ideal.

 _At least it came with leggings..._ Sighing, she reached up and rubbed at her nose. _What am I even doing here... how did I let Blake talk me into this?_

 _You know exactly how she did._ A treacherous voice whispered in the back of her head, _The girl you have a crush on got that horribly desperate look on her face and your brain melted out of your ears._

And now she was stuck at Beacon, and not even on Blake's team. Her, a faunus, a terrorist, a... a murderer. Trying to become a hero, someone other people could look up to, could hold up as a shining example of what they should be. It would have been funny if it wasn't both horrifying and depressing.

 _Get a hold of yourself. If she can do this, so can you._ She forced her chin up, her blue eyes flashing as nodded to herself. _She's right, you can be something better. Maybe not a hero, but... better._

Blowing out a breath, she turned away from her reflection, opened the door... and caught an eyeful of pale skin and black lace panties as Pyrrha Nikos pulled on her skirt. Behind her she could see Nora tugging her shirt down over abs that looked like they could bounce dust rounds without aura. Her treacherous hormones promptly decided that nothing else in the world was nearly as interesting as those particular things, forcing her eyes to memorize them in exacting detail before they were covered up.

"Um... Ilia?" Pyrrha's voice made her return to reality, realizing that her new partner had straightened out and was blinking at her with very wide eyes.

It was possibly she let out an embarrassed squeaking sound as she whipped her head away. "I'm sorry!"

"I..." There was a long pause, as if she was trying to find her words. "You're... pink?"

She felt her heart lurch as she jerked her hands up, finding them both a brilliant shade of hot pink. _Oh gods..._

"Oh...my... gods! That is _adorable!_ " Something hit her from behind, hands whipping her around to reveal Nora practically vibrating in excitement. "You can change colors, that is so cool! Is it your semblance? Ah, what other colors can you do!?"

Ilia's cheeks burned as she swallowed, the pink rippling away to green as she braced herself. "I'm... it's not my semblance, no, I'm... a faunus."

"Ohhh..." Nora nodded sagely, "All right then. So?"

She blinked at that, glanced at Pyrrha to find the taller girl pulling her uniform jacket on, regarding them both with an amused smile. "...so... what?"

"What other colors can you do silly." Nora tilted her head, as if the question was perfectly obvious. "Can you disguise yourself in your uniform? I'm not sure plaid would look very good on your skin though, you don't have the hair for it."

"How does that even..." _No, don't go down that rabbit hole._ "You're not... upset?"

The ginger haired girl blinked, "What would I be upset about? I mean, changing your skin color is pretty cool. Not as cool as sloths, but pretty cool. Maybe I'm a little bit jealous, just a little though. Not like, the super-insane-jealous I would be if you were a sloth faunus. Unless... you aren't a sloth faunus in disguise are you!?"

"I... no! No I'm not!" Ilia shook her herself, feeling her skin ripple back to normal as she tried to make sense of this conversation. She hadn't exactly intended to hide that she was a faunus from her team, she'd been done with concealing her heritage after her parents had died, but this was definitely not how she'd expected the revelation to go. "I don't think I've ever met a sloth faunus, to be honest. You're really not upset?"

"Why would I be?" Nora repeated blankly.

"Because I'm a faunus?" She prodded. "Lots of people have problems with us."

"Lots of people are stupid too." The other girl replied, "Right Pyrrha?"

The celebrity smiled again and shrugged, "A good many of my best opponents were Faunus, and I never truly understood the discrimination to be honest. There are far greater evils in the world to worry about compared to a few minor differences."

Ilia just stared at her, something like hope making her eyes water a little. "Oh. I'm... I'm sorry, I'm used to... well... different reactions."

Pyrrha frowned at her, then the other girl's expression became something close to nauseated. "Oh. I... I see. Well, rest assured you will never have any problems among our team. Right Nora?"

"Right." Nora nodded sharply, stepping back and punching her fists together. "And if anyone else screws with you or Team RAVN, we'll break their legs!"

"...that's not quite what I meant." Pyrrha sighed. "Come on, we should get to breakfast while we have time. A good first meal is important on a school day, and Ren is still waiting outside."

Illia nodded, grabbing her bag and making sure her weapon was inside. This... might have been the best morning she'd had in a very long time, but hope had disappointed her before, and having it with seemed prudent. She glanced at her partner in time to see the tall girl covertly sliding her own sword into her bag, and giving her an almost conspiratorial nod.

She felt herself almost tear up again, and nodded back. _This... maybe this won't be so bad._

They found their team leader reading the news on his scroll outside, though he closed the device when they emerged. "Is everything all right? I heard Nora shouting."

"Ilia is a super-cool faunus who can change her skin color." Nora announced as she started skipping along beside her partner. "She was really worried we'd be upset but Pyrrha and I set her straight. It's not like we didn't have tons of faunus friends in the orphanages, and Pyrrha said she liked a bunch of the ones she beat up."

 _...orphanages?_

Pyrrha winced, "Nora, I didn't mean it like that."

"Oh it's fine." Nora waved a hand, winking at Ilia. "She knows I'm kidding, and it's not like you didn't beat up _everyone_ you ever fought."

For some reason that made the other girl's cheeks darken, and she seemed to bite her lip and look away. Ilia found herself frowning at her new partner a little, puzzling over that as they exited the dorm building and entered the sunny courtyard.

"Forgive Nora." Ren glanced her. "She tends to speak before she thinks." The girl in question let out an indignant squawk. "Still, It is certainly a unique talent. Is it an ability you have control over, or was your revelation accidental?"

"I-" She began, only to be interrupted by Nora.

"She turned bright pink when we caught her checking out Pyrrha's butt."

Pyrrha's eyes abruptly widened and her cheeks turned scarlet... while Ilia felt her freckles ripple into an embarrassed pink once again as she hurriedly looked anywhere but at her partner.

"Yeah, kind of like that!"

 _Blake... this is all your fault._

* * *

 ** _First glimpse of Neo and the job, very abbreviated initiation, and Ilia settling into her new team. Experimenting with changing a lot of the little details to set the butterflies in motion, so that I'm not just repeating Professor Arc or canon. We're probably going to keep a slow pace for the first few days to make sure everyone is settled in and several minor plotlines are kicked off, then accelerate as the semester moves on._**

 ** _For those waiting on AR, I'm up to around four pages done in the next chapter, so hopefully something by early next week._**

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 ** _Thanks, Kat_**


	15. Semester I: Divided Attention

**Divided Attention**

* * *

Jaune really tried to move past his first impression, to think that there had to be something better behind the beautiful face and elegant movements. Some core of decent, honest, goodness that would make her more than a rich girl who threw tantrums whenever the world did not go along with her wishes. His mother had always said that everyone had _something_ good about them, you just had to find it.

Then Weiss Schnee opened her mouth again, and he again had to question that bit of wisdom. "Excuse me, Professor Arc? I was hoping to talk to Professor Port but he's in his office. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"

 _Why me..._ "Do you mind if we talk outside? It's too nice a day to stay in here. And please just call me Jaune, that title makes me feel old."

"Of course sir." She replied, making his eye twitch as the two departed Peter's classroom.

His first experience as an assistant teacher had been... interesting, though not really in a good way. Peter had opened the student's first class with a short speech, and then he'd moved on to a story about himself. Knowing that to pay attention meant insanity, Jaune had promptly bleached his brain and gone to his happy place, only returning to reality whenever Peter had laughed at one of his own jokes and startled him.

Most of the students had followed Jaune's lead, staring at nothing in particular as they tried to survive the damage being done to their fragile psyches. A few had started swapping notes, one had simply gone to sleep, and Blake was openly reading a thick book while Ilia shot her odd looks from where her own team was sitting. He'd had no idea what that was about, and he'd spent a while trying to place either of the girl's faces only to come up with nothing.

Things had shifted when they'd moved to the practical part of the class, with Schnee volunteering to fight a Boarbatusk. She'd wasted half of the fight arguing with Ruby, and hadn't seemed to notice or care about how the younger girl had flinched at the last angry shout.

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked as they walked out into the sun, Jaune heading for a nearby bench. "Was it about the lecture?"

 _Please be about the lecture so I can bullshit some excuse and leave, I've got things to review with Neo and I don't have time for this..._

"No, well... sort of." The girl paused before shaking her head, "I want to know how team leaders are selected."

 _Of course you do._

Jaune sighed, he didn't need to be a genius to know where this was going. "You want to know why Ruby was picked instead of you."

"...well, yes." She nodded, brilliant blue eyes narrowing. "She's a complete child who's never had the kind of training for the position that she would have if she'd stayed at her other school for two more years. I'll admit that she is... a combat savant, but outside of battle she's useless and frustrating! We were nearly late to class because she couldn't tell time, we didn't even eat breakfast! And she nearly demolished our room with her garden tool of a weapon! And did you see her in class!?"

The girl was almost panting after her little eruption, and Jaune sighed, guessing in advance how well his reply was going to go over. "I saw a young girl trying to help and encourage a friend in a fight, and I saw an older, more mature woman try and bite her head off for doing so."

Schnee's eyes widened as her jaw clicked shut.

 _I wonder if anyone has ever told her something that bluntly before._ Considering her attitude, he rather doubted it... but in his experience, getting through to entitled people usually meant being blunt. They wouldn't, or couldn't, accept more gentle criticism. Of course, how they react to that bluntness tended to vary wildly, and he could only hope that she took it better than most.

"Miss Schnee... Weiss," He shook his head as they reached the bench, settling onto it while she remained standing. "It's been a day. One day. You're talking about Ruby as if you've been suffering under her leadership for twenty years instead of twenty hours."

The girl, to his surprise, actually flinched, as if she'd realized how she'd just sounded. Then she lifted her chin and rallied, "I think I would be a better leader."

"Probably." He enjoyed the way she stared at him in surprise, "I think one of the other members of my team would have been better than me too. I was a terrible leader at first, it took me most of a month to even get my act together and really try. Even then it took my team kicking me once and a while to make me realize how badly I was doing."

Weiss frowned at him, "I'm... what do you mean?"

Jaune sighed again, trying to prod her into talking with the proper person instead of him. "I mean have you tried _talking_ to Ruby about this? She's your teammate and your partner Weiss. You should be discussing this with her, not with the first professor you ran across. My team confronted me when I was doing things badly, they didn't run off and rant about me to others."

"I wasn't ranting!"

"You really were." He shook his head, "Weiss, I want you to settle down and answer two questions for me. I want you to do it honestly."

Her frown deepened, her arms crossing. "Yes sir."

The stiff tone made him grimace, "Question one. Did you really, honestly think that complaining to me, or Peter, was going to get you made the leader?"

She opened her mouth instantly... and said nothing. Her expression shifted into something almost confused before she offered a quiet, "Well... sort of. I may have."

He nodded, "Second question. Can you tell me what the purpose of a school is?"

Weiss tilted her head, "It's... a place of learning and teaching, of course."

"And what," Jaune continued, "Would you learn if you were made leader? You said it yourself, you've already had training in the subject, you'd probably be a decent or even a great leader of your team. But would you actually learn? What would Ruby learn?"

The frown deepened, "Is that why she was chosen?"

 _No, she was probably picked because it was the easiest way to make your team name work._

"It was one of the factors Ozpin considered, as was her leadership in the fight against the Nevermore." He exaggerated before bringing out the big guns, the same terror that he could remember feeling when Rau had helped him realize how much of a fool he'd been... and the best way to end this conversation. "Look, I know you're disappointed about not being the leader, but... I'm going to be honest again, you're making a terrible first impression on almost everyone by complaining about it without even giving Ruby a chance to learn and grow. If you keep this up you're going to spend the next four years as a friendless outcast in your own team, and I don't think you want that."

Weiss flinched far more openly this time, her pale lips setting into a thin line. "...do you really think so?"

"I think you should talk to Ruby, and help her become a better leader." He replied. "You said it yourself, you have the training... she doesn't. As a teammate, a partner, helping her grow is part of the job description."

"I... will, sir." She bowed her head, then shook herself before giving him a little courtesy. "Thank you." With that, she turned to walk away. A few steps into the motion, she paused and looked over her shoulder. "Professor Jaune? When your team confronted you about... being a poor leader, what did they do?"

Jaune twitched a little at the even worse title, then shook his head. "They gave me two black eyes and had my partner spar with me from midnight until dawn. I...wouldn't recommend that method, I think Ruby's sister is a bit over-protective."

Weiss actually snorted before her hand flew up to her nose, as if embarrassed that it could make such an unladylike sound. "I... think I'll try a proper discussion. Thank you again."

He waved as she walked away again, heading in the direction of the cafeteria.

 _Well... maybe you finally did something honestly good there, and in a pretty short conversation too. Then again, you got rather lucky with the subject matter._

"That was well said, Mister Arc." A new voice interrupted his thoughts, Professor Ozpin emerging from the same building they'd just left. Behind him trailed Ruby Rose, the girl fidgeting a little and not looking at him. "Let us hope she takes your advice to heart."

Jaune ran a hand through his hair. "..you both heard all of that?"

The older man gave him a small smile, "Only the ending of it. I was just telling Miss Rose that she should not worry so much, that it has only been a day. That she has more than ample room to grow. If Miss Schnee takes your advice to heart, it may be even allow Team RWBY to become the best in their year."

"They certainly have the potential." He supplied, knowing he was supposed to say something supporting.

"They do indeed." Ozpin smile widened slightly, as if he was privy to a private joke. "Why don't you run along Miss Rose? I do believe I heard your stomach rumbling, and one should never go to history class without a proper lunch."

Ruby squeaked, rather adorably he thought, wrapping a hand around her belly. "Right. Um, thank you for the advice. And thank you for talking to Weiss, Professor Arc."

"Call me Jaune please," He spoke before she could run off. "Just Jaune. I'm not that much older than you."

She giggled quietly, "Ok Just Jaune."

He stared at her, then let his shoulders slump. "Not you too..."

Ruby smiled shyly, reminding him painfully of his younger sisters, then darted away after her partner, red hood flapping behind her as she ran. He watched her go, shaking his head a little and smiling. _Seems like a good kid... lot better than me, that's for sure. And Weiss... took things a lot more rationally than I thought she would. Maybe she's not all that much of a spoiled brat._

Rising from his seat, he dusted off his cloak before following Ozpin, the pair of them wandering the paths of the school.

"I did mean what I said." Ozpin informed him as they walked past a few older students eating their lunch in the grass. "You imparted your own experience to Miss Schnee quite ably for never having taught before."

Jaune frowned, shaking his head a little. "I'm pretty sure I just got lucky that she came to me with a problem I knew something about."

The older man shrugged, "As Peter so ably stated yesterday, Hunters make their own luck. I presume you know what this conversation will be about?"

 _Oh gods..._ He felt his paranoia abruptly surge into overdrive, and it was suddenly a fight not to reach for Crocea Mors with one hand, and his scroll with the other. _No, no, think logically. He wouldn't confront you in public like this if he knew what you were here for. That means is about something else, something about your job._

"You're... going to explain the age thing?"

Ozpin didn't quite nod, but his chin slightly twitched. "Over the last several years, I have been striving locate a suitable candidate. Not for a Professor so much as a student counselor, someone who could assist our students coming to terms with things they may have seen or done on their mission."

The Headmaster was looking directly ahead as he spoke, so he missed Jaune's scowl. _I hate that phrase... coming to terms, why not just tell us to develop amnesia and forget about it. Wait..._

"You can't be serious."

"I am quite serious." Ozpin replied. "The difficulty with speaking to young huntsman and huntress is that they so rarely respect, and civilians so rarely understand, the problems they are suffering from. Worse, many older hunters become... well, detached is the polite way to phrase it. Few still hold to their heroic ideals as to many of the current generation do."

Jaune fought down another scowl. "I know, I've run into some. Old, bitter, jaded... not the kind of people you want making students feel better about life."

The other man waved a hand slightly, guiding him back into the building containing most of the classrooms. "Precisely. Locating a younger huntsman with such a talent proved... well, nearly impossible. When we decided to expand our range of classes, I thought it an ideal solution would be to fulfill both roles at once. You quickly came to the top of the list through both your reputation and your potential."

He sighed, "Look, Headmaster, I'm... I'm not a counselor. I don't know anything about the subject."

"Not at the moment, but at the moment you know little of teaching as well." Ozpin smiled, "Yet I believe you just assisted a young woman who needed guidance. You made her realize that she was avoiding talking to the person she truly needed to have the discussion with, as well as own up to her own immaturity. A partnership that started off quite poorly may quickly turn around, rather than festering for days or weeks."

 _I really don't want more work..._

"Allow me to make the formal offer." He continued, pausing beside a statue of a young huntress holding a tall spear beside her. His hands reached out to press one of the buttons on her coat, and... her stomach slid open to reveal a thermos and a pair of clean mugs.

 _...what._

Jaune blankly accepted one when it was handed to him, his nose prickling at the distinctive aroma of Nirvana. "...you know this stuff is addictive, right?"

"We mix the blends a bit to reduce the effect." Ozpin smiled as he poured some for himself, "The pure extract is only used on the first day to help us get through initiation."

He wasn't sure he believed that, but... his head was starting to pound rather badly, the legacy of the one cup he'd had the day before. The headmaster continued to simply smile, his eyes flicking from the mug to Jaune's own. Realizing he wasn't going to get away without at least sipping some, he did so.

The taste... wasn't nearly as good as the day before, far too bitter for his liking, but he could still feel the abrupt calming effect.

Things really weren't so bad, were they? Neo had already had some kind of breakthrough on her first night out, which would make all of this so much simpler. Peter, Glynda, and Ozpin all seemed to like him, which would make keeping the job until they found it so much easier. And...he may have actually helped someone, honestly and openly. Made her life and partner's life better.

 _We're making this work._

"What are you asking?" He asked, feeling his body relaxing.

"That you become the school's student counselor." Ozpin replied after a sip of his own drink. "I understand that shadowing three teachers would leave you with no time for such a thing, especially when your own classes start... so I would decrease your role an assistant merely to Glynda's courses."

 _...no more wild stories? Wait, you... son of a-_ "...you wanted me to sit through Peter's class before you made the offer, didn't you?"

Ozpin smiled pleasantly and took another sip of coffee.

 _…manipulative bastard._ He shook his head a little, unable to stop himself from admiring the move a bit.

Taking the position would both be good and bad, so far as he could see. It would give him far less actual work to do, let him help Neo to a far greater degree during the day, and let him never have to sit through another lecture like that again. On the bad side... it would mean a lot more student interaction than he was comfortable with, in ways where he'd be expected to honestly, seriously help them.

And if he was being honest with himself, his odds of screwing up some poor student's life was pretty high if they came to him with a serious problem.

 _I don't like that idea. I'm... a criminal who took up a job teaching to rob the school, but that doesn't mean I want to fuck up a kid's career._ Criminal or not, he'd held fast the the ideal that he caused as little collateral damage as possible, especially when it pertained directly to people's actual well being. It annoyed Roman, and even Neo from time to time, but he'd put his foot down whenever the debate had come up.

 _This has the potential to screw that up, in more ways than one._

"...Can I think about it, for a while?"

"Of course."

* * *

That night, Jaune settled into his couch, frowning at the map that Neo had laid out on the table. A pencil scratched as she marked an X before pausing as she checked her scroll, then the sound resumed as she indicated where more security cameras were located.

"Bullhead docks... library... teacher's wing." He rubbed at his chin, noting the more concentrated areas. "Not many in the main halls, cafeteria, or by the classrooms."

Neo shrugged, rolling her free hand to ask what of any real value could possibly be stolen from any of those locations.

"Point." He admitted with a sigh. "Nothing in the CCT? Damn... they must have their own security system."

His partner grimaced and nodded.

"How many in Ozpin's office?"

She checked her scroll, tugging out another piece of paper with a rough sketch of the room in question before quickly noting down several spots near the elevator, the emergency stairwell, and then at each and every window. Another check then tapped the entrance to the man's private living space.

Neo pursed her lips as she finished, tapping the center of the office several times.

"Yeah... we have to get in there somehow." He agreed quietly. "If there's any hint to where the relic is, or _which_ relic it even is, it'll be up there. He's on the Council... so he's got to leave for business at some point, times he'll be gone for hours or even days. If we can work out when he'll be gone we can get you up there."

She frowned a little, then brought her hands up to make form the letter 'R'.

Jaune grimaced. He didn't like the idea of burning one of their limited favors, especially considering how limited their options would be for earning more. "No... we can figure that out on our own. We've got time. It'll be less suspicious if I say I can't take the pressure and quit over the next summer break then if I do it in the middle of the year, especially if the relic gets stolen right after."

Neo's frown deepened, fingers and arms shifting to remind him that they were being chased. That his very public hiring would draw attention if his background and schooling was discussed. They were safe within Beacon... but the longer they stayed, the harder getting away from Vale would become. They'd improved their abilities significantly over the past several years, but they had no idea if that would be enough to let them fight off either of the insane men from the Academy.

Not without the relic.

"I know, I know." Jaune sighed, "But I'd rather only be chased by one side in this stupid war at a time. We stick to the original plan. Find it before the year is out, quit at the summer break, then come back for it."

Neo wrinkled her nose, clearly not quite agreeing... but she nodded after a few moments.

He nodded as well, turning his attention back to the map. "Right, I'll look up the Council data in my free time while you start sweeping for hidden rooms...and I think you should check out that big statue out in front of the school. Maybe it's hiding in plain sight."

She reached down with her pencil again, quickly circling said statue's location and drawing a question mark next to it. After a moment she added similar marks next to the library, the main tower, Ozpin's office, and the CCT.

"Check the first year dorms as well." He suggested, "Ozpin said he's fond of potential... maybe it's one of those 'only a kid can find it' kind of things."

Neo rolled her eyes, her hands reminding him that kind of thing was only found in video games. Bad ones.

"Humor me."

She stuck her tongue out in disgust but marked that particular area anyway. After a few moments her expression morphed into a puzzled look, then she ruffled through the maps before coming up with one that included the entire school area and the forest around it. A quick circle marked the ruins where the student's initiation had occurred.

"Good thinking." He nodded in approval, "We'll have to figure out where the cameras are for that area though."

There was a grimace, then her pencil scribbled 'GG' and underlined it.

 _She's right, Glynda probably would have all that. So just need a reason for me to ask her._ He added that to his mental to do list. "Anything else for tonight?"

She pointed a finger at him in response, making his shoulders slump. "You want me to take the counselor's post."

In response, two pale hands waved at the scattered maps and notes in front of them, then shifted so that she could point at herself with two fingers. Neo clearly wanted his help, and the extra time he'd have free would definitely work towards that. Even if he wasn't actively doing anything, him being in a secure, mostly private location would let him use his semblance to help her recharge.

"It's going to make us interact with everyone a lot more." He reminded her quietly. "Remember what Roman said about long cons... making friends with the target isn't a good idea. It makes things harder, makes getting out harder."

Neo pursed her lips, looking down at the table again as she thought about it. Then she shook her head and poked herself in the chest before pointing at the calendar on the wall, and then at him.

She'd conceded the point on staying the full year, he'd concede this one.

"... all right, I'll tell him tomorrow." Jaune said, reaching out to start pushing the maps together. "...can you believe this? That we're really here?"

Neo's expression became somber, or at least, as somber as she could make it with her mismatched eyes and eternally youthful features.

"We're so close." His hands stilled as he stared at the maps, then at the room around them. "One of them is here, somewhere... one of the things that they died for. One of things that _bitch_ killed them for."

His partner rose, shifting quickly around the table, but he barely noticed her pushing his arms aside to free up his lap.

"Three years." He whispered as she settled across his legs, his arms sliding around her waist on reflex. "Three years of running, reading so many old books, digging in dusty tombs... trying to figure out what legends were real, which weren't. We're finally close. Do you think... they'd be proud of us?"

Neo pushed a finger against his lips and gave him a small smile, nodding. He tried to return the grin, but it felt weak, even to him. She seemed to notice because her hand lowered, and her mouth replaced it.

* * *

 _"Well... shit. You weren't lying. It's really here." Jaune groaned through his scarf, the harsh desert wind whipping the end of it around behind him._

 _Neo merely shook her head beside him, one hand clutching at his belt to help keep her smaller frame upright._

 _Stretched out before them was a massive ruin, possibly the largest such ruin in the western wastelands. A stepped pyramid dominated the complex, so large that it made the huge buildings around it seem small in comparison. Most of it was crumbling and half buried in sand, and he didn't doubt that everything valuable had long since been looted... but they weren't here for physical loot._

 _They were here for information._

 _Trudging down the long hill was a long process, as they were careful to take their time about it. Aura or no, you didn't take chances going down a steep incline in the desert... you never knew what might be hiding under the sand, and even a minor injury would consume aura to heal, which would require you eat and drink more food to recover, and every bit of both was precious in the wasteland._

 _Although nothing was quite as precious as time... and a guide._

 _"I told you so." The swathed native reminded them as they reached the bottom, nearly every bit of him covered in cloth to protect him from the sun and wind. "The Great Temple of the Brothers lies before you, a sight rarely seen by outsiders... few care about a few old stones in a desert."_

 _He had never offered his name, and they hadn't asked. His people, a tribe who'd contracted the pair of them as guards for a caravan, tended to be superstitious about giving their names to outsiders. They hadn't even asked for theirs, simply calling them blue and pink respectively._

 _Not that Jaune or Neo minded. Anonymity was as important to them as it was to the locals, and the pay had been more than generous. Even better, part of said payment had been directions to this temple, and three days to walk to it, explore it, and then return to the oasis where the caravan was resting. Neither of them had actually been confident about its existence, or that it would be intact enough to be worth it... but beggars couldn't be choosers._

 _It took them a good four hours to reach it, the wind dying as ancient stone blocked the currents of air. Which helped a little, but the fact that rubble was absolutely everywhere left them still cursing and grumbling as they fought to keep their footing among ancient stones._

 _"Which one is the actual temple?" He asked. "The one with the stories of the brothers on the walls."_

 _Their guide pointed at the pyramid. "The lowest level has the tale in its most basic form, similar to what is told in the old legends today. The higher levels have other stories about the gods, tales of other worlds, of failed creations, of the battles they fought with one another and of the gifts they bore to mankind."_

 _He nodded slightly, "What do you think of it? The stories of the Brothers, I mean."_

" _It is one faith of many, and one that is long dead now." The tribal native shrugged. "Its tales are interesting, but I do no consider them to be anything but that. Yourself?"_

 _"Same." Jaune lied, "It's just... wow, impressive that its still here, you know?"_

 _"it is indeed." The reply came with an agreeable nod, "It is a reminder of what this land once was capable of, before the others came. Do you intend to visit the temple this day?"_

 _"Yeah, we'll want to collect the stories for our book," He answered, rolling with their latest cover for their actual quest. "_ _Can you make camp in that old guard tower there? We'll check out the pyramid and be back by nightfall."_

 _The other man nodded, turning in that direction. "I'll have a fire going for us, it will be a cold night."_

 _"Thank you." He resumed walking, as if he intended to actually go on foot to the building that had to be most of a half-mile away. Only after their guide was out of sight did Neo take his head and fold reality, the nauseating experience leaving him all but draped over her as he tried to recover._

 _"Don't think I'll ever get used to that..." He groaned, looking around from their new place on the second highest level. It was probably the highest spot she was sure of landing on. He'd started to learn the basics of her semblance, and line of sight was evidently key to her ability to teleport._

 _Oh, she_ _could_ _go places she couldn't see, but only if she'd actually been there before and knew exactly where everything was. Even then she ran the risk of running into someone else, which was... unpleasant for everyone involved._

 _Neo merely patted his chest a few times, holding him up until he was ready to walk. Once he was, the pair of them carefully climbed up the old stairwell, arriving at the apex of the structure._

 _It was a partially enclosed room with a domed roof, four open doors at each of the pyramid's sides leading to stairs like those they'd just climbed. Four angled walls supported the roof, and before each wall was a circular pillar about as tall as Neo. In front of each of the pillars was a section of floor that was sightly raised, as if intended for furniture, though any such materials were long gone._

 _"Lot of fours in here." Jaune murmured. "Four sides to the pyramid, four walls, four columns..."_

 _Neo stepped away, brushing a hand over one of the upright stones to reveal chiseled writing... and a picture of something like an elaborate sword with more writing beneath it._

 _"...for four relics." He breathed. "They were real... they_ _are_ _real."_

 _Shaking himself, he quickly moved over to help her, the pair dusting off the walls and display areas to get a better look at the writing. Pulling old books out of bags, they settled in to translate as best they could. That wasn't all that well, to be honest, but it gave them the general idea._

 _Neo pointed at the first area, then at a line in their journals, the one place they kept all of the information they'd accumulated so far. Destruction → Shade (?). Then she grabbed a pencil as he approached the wall, glancing at his book on ancient languages as he tried to work out the meanings._

 _"Gift of destruction... given by the brother of young darkness, creates his creates, brings sun to soil, calls storm from sea wind." He pursed his lips, turning the nonsense into actual concepts. "It... gods, it can create Grimm, burn everything, or cause hurricanes."_

 _Neo's eyes widened, and he saw her swallow before jotting those down._

 _"Guess he really was the god of darkness." Jaune shook his head. "I'd say that sounds like best one to go after those guys with... but I don't like that line about creating his creation. And hurricanes are... a little indiscriminate."_

 _His partner gave him a rather empathetic nod, her hands spinning and rolling as she 'talked'; We need to know how to use it safely before we go after it, so going to Shade is out. Knowledge?_

 _Knowledge... right, that would be the ideal one to find first. He quickly moved around, checking the other areas until he found it, and then started reading as she took notes._

* * *

Jaune closed their journal before sliding it under his pillow, moving carefully so as not to disturb the young woman sprawled beside him. A thin sheet was the only thing protecting her modesty, or his for that matter, though it did nothing to hide the warmth of her body pressing against his own.

For all of the jokes about guys passing out right after sex, he'd always found it a little amusing that with them it was the opposite. Neo almost always collapsed the moment she was done cleaning up after their fun, while he usually got a second wind and actually had trouble sleeping for an hour or more.

 _Knowledge_. _.. Creation... Choice. One of them is here, somewhere._

The first two were pretty self-explanatory. Knowledge simply provided you with the answer to whatever questions you might have. Which sounded awesome, but the more he'd thought about it the trickier it had seemed. Sure, it could tell you anything, but only if you knew the right question to ask in the first place, and the tablets they'd found indicated that the Relic could be... rather literal in its answers. They'd have to be very careful about what they asked, and how they asked it.

Creation was likewise straight-forwards. It made things. Inanimate things, living things, whatever you wanted within a few obscure limitations. Evidently the ancient civilization who'd owned it had mostly used it to create crops and livestock in times of famine, but for some reason they'd been leery of using it for anything else. There'd been a lot of reasons listed, some terrible calamity about making a monster, but they hadn't been able to translate that into anything but horror-movie gibberish.

 _I still rather hope that one isn't here._

The last Relic, Choice, was the frustrating one: there hadn't been anything about it. The wall with the story of the thing had been cracked and broken by something, leaving nearly all of the words unintelligible.

 _Our best hope is that Knowledge is here, and that we can use it to find and learn how to use Destruction._ He exhaled, reaching up to flick the lights off, feeling Neo snuggle up against him, her head resting on his shoulder. _If it's Choice or Creation, we'll... have to wing it._

 _We can do this... we'll find those men, we'll find who sent them, and we'll avenge you both. And then..._ he promised himself quietly, resting his cheek against Neo's hair, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. _Then we'll find out just what you're hiding, Ozpin... and what the maidens have to do with all of this._

* * *

 ** _All right, this one was a lot more serious than the last, and little info-dumpy, but I felt like I had to get some of this out just for context's sake. We start to see more of Jaune's worries, concerns, and plans, along with one of the many places they investigated between the fall of the school and the current time period. In better news, Jaune's role as the student counselor is setup thanks to his conversation with Weiss, though only time will tell that's actually a good thing or not for him and Neo._**

 ** _Next chapter will open with the first combat class, with Neo and Jaune putting on a bit of a show. It will also hopefully be far more comedic, I intend for more chapters to be like the prior than like this one if I can manage it._**

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	16. Semester I: Pecking Order

**Pecking Order**

* * *

It was finally Friday, the day every first year had been impatiently waiting for, Yang included. Not just because it meant that the weekend was right around the corner, though that was a nice bonus, but because it meant that they had a double-block of combat classes to look forwards to.

More importantly, they'd get to see who could fight, and who could _fight._

Schools for hunters weren't the same as the ones for normal kids, or at least, they weren't the same as the ones she'd seen on television shows and movies. There it always seemed like the popular girls were the ditsy, pretty ones with lots of money to throw around, while the guys got ranked by manliness and how good they were at sports.

At Signal, and now at Beacon, the system had been a lot simpler; whoever was at the top of the combat charts was at the top of the social game. She'd been the Queen of Signal from mid-way through her second year on to graduation, much to Uncle Qrow's delight and her dad's occasional annoyance, a dominance she hoped to continue here.

Everyone had been awkward around each other over the past week, like nervous cats not sure who was actually a threat and who was someone they could ignore. There'd been lots of bragging and posturing, especially from those idiots on CRDL, but even they'd been cautious about pissing anyone off just yet. Not until they thought they had a better idea of who really was below them.

She yawned and stretched out her arms as she followed Ruby and Weiss to the classroom a good twenty minutes before they really had to, Blake shuffling along somewhere behind her.

The dark haired girl grumbled as they walked, clearly not happy about having to wake up earlier than usual. "Why are we here so early?"

Weiss looked over her shoulder, "As future huntresses this is our most important class, and it is equally important that we prove to Miss Goodwitch that we are eager to learn from her experience."

"That... makes no sense." Blake sighed. "Why not show just up on time and win all of our fights?"

"Because that goes without saying." Weiss sniffed, turning forwards, "Right Ruby?"

"Right!" Her sister pumped a fist in the air, making Yang groan at the energy her sister managed to have in the mornings. And in the afternoons. And... pretty much all the time really. "Team RWBY is going right to the top!"

"Yay." Yang offered, though her lackluster cheer when unremarked as Weiss promptly began to discuss potential opponents and plans with Ruby.

She had no idea what was up with those two. They'd seemed like they were going to be... if not friendly then at least functional during initiation, then like they were mortal enemies on their first day of class, and _then_ the two had vanished off to a 'super-secret partners-only' discussion after dinner that same day and had come back as... not exactly friends, but definitely friend _ly_. Weiss had toned down the ice-queen bitchiness in favor of actually discussing her reasoning with Ruby, who had started to tone down her usual energetic nature to actually try and listen.

 _Well, at least their partnership seems to be working out. Time to start figuring out what's up with mine._

She glanced at Blake as they walked, reciting what she knew about her after their first week together; quiet, liked books, surprisingly snarky, and seemed to have something weird going on with the faunus girl from team RAVN.

Yang had thought the two were friends, from the way they'd stuck together that first night, and with how Ruby had told her they'd been together when she'd run into Weiss... but ever since then some kind of tension had evidently started. Ilia had taken to glaring at Blake whenever she noticed her, and Blake had taken to trying to ignore the blatant stares whenever she couldn't hide behind Yang.

That wouldn't have been a problem except for the fact that Ruby had 'weapon crushes' on most of RAVN, meaning that Yang had ended up being used as a convenient thing for her partner to hide behind for the last two days when they sat together at meals and in class.

 _Wonder what it is... Blake doesn't seem like the racist type, and they were together when they got here, so doubt its that. Ooo... maybe they were 'together' and this is some kind of awkward fight or breakup? Maybe Pyrrha and I can throw them in a room and tell them to work it out._

That would at least be amusing, if nothing else. Eh, she'd save that plan for now, at least until things got worse.

She was so lost in thought that she almost didn't notice her sister and Weiss stopping ahead, and nearly trampled Ruby before managing to stop herself. "What's up sis?"

"Is someone already fighting?" Ruby cocked her head to one side. "Listen."

Yang blinked, but shrugged and cocked her head as well. Sure enough she heard quiet, repetitive thudding noises coming from up ahead.

"Someone already beat us there!?" Weiss gasped. "They're getting in early lessons!"

"They're having fun without us!" Ruby gasped at the same time. "Come on!"

Ruby tore off ahead, Weiss racing after her... leaving Yang and Blake to stare after the insane duo in an awkward silence.

Blake coughed into one hand, "She's really your sister?"

"...yup." Yang sighed. It was way too early in the day for pep... "She got the energy from mom. Come on, they'll complain if we don't follow them."

Yellow eyes rolled but her partner followed along as she started walking again. They caught up with the other two just inside of the huge class room, the pair of them staring at whoever was fighting down below. She looked over their shoulders, trying to get a good look and... _woah._

Professor Arc hit the ground hard, rolling back and away from a tiny girl who couldn't have been much larger than her sister. He used the momentum to come up to his feet in a smooth motion, holding his sheathed blade up in both hands as he regarded his opponent. The tiny girl grinned at him, twirling a closed parasol in her hands before holding it in the exact same way he was holding his actual sword.

"Move." She growled quietly, going from drowsy to focused in under a second. "Better view from the seats!"

Ruby vanished in a blur of rose petals, appearing in a seat with her eyes locked onto the young professor. She quickly followed, all of team RWBY settling in right on the edge of spectator's area to watch the fight. The new angle let her see Professor Goodwitch leaning against the back wall, observing the spar with a neutral expression, along with two display bars showing the combatants aura.

 _Jaune Arc... seventy two percent. Neopolitan... seven five percent. Who the heck is she?_

A blur of white motion jerked her gaze back down as the girl came at the professor so fast that she could barely keep up with it the motions.

He, apparently could, because he dodged the slashes and thrusts.

Like, all of them.

Jaune twisted, side-stepped, ducked, and back-peddled as the parasol hacked and slashed at him as if it was a bladed weapon, his sheathed sword occasionally diverting attacks that he couldn't avoid. The weapons cracked together, making the thudding sounds they'd heard from the hall, as the professor continued to fall back.

That changed when the girl over-extended on a lunge, and even from where she was Yang was pretty sure she could see her eyes widen in sudden panic as she realized what she'd done. The man all but surged into her guard, not bothering with any kind of fancy attack in favor of simply using his mass to drive her backwards. She stumbled badly as she backpedaled, trying to avoid being tackled, and promptly lost six percent of her aura when she missed a two handed slash that collided with her shoulder.

"Wow." Ruby murmured, her silver eyes wide.

She caught her balance, got her odd weapon up again, and then it was her turn to start making impossible dodges.

"I would break in half if I tried that." Yang whispered enviously as the girl flipped backwards, nearly driving her heels into Jaune's face. The professor dodged that, came in with a slow slash, and nearly got his head taken off by another kick as the girl tumbled, briefly doing a one-handed hand-stand while doing extreme splits to try and catch him with a foot as he pursued.

"Shh!" Weiss hissed beside her. "The two of you be quiet!"

Both of the fighters fell back after that, as if by some hidden cue... then they both twirled their weapons and rolled their shoulders in an eerily similar fashion before rushing one another again.

"Oh wow!" Nora Valkyrie's voice jerked her attention away from the fight for a second, revealing team RAVN standing in the doorway much as they had been. Ruby's gasp made her eyes snap around in time to see the professor reeling from a blow to his stomach, then rally and catch the girl with slash to a wrist.

Those two hits must have been some kind of signal because the fight got _vicious_ after that.

The girl went for his ankles like she wanted to actually break them, and at one point he backhanded her in the face so hard Yang was stunned that teeth didn't go flying. Both of them seemed to use their weapons as distractions and diversions as much as anything else, attacking in a way to make the other block and leave themselves open to a vicious kick, punch, or even a headbutt.

It was nothing like the elegant styles she was used to seeing... it actually reminded her more of how uncle Qrow fought those times when he thought a student was a bit too arrogant and needed to be brought down a peg or ten.

 _Wonder if they know each other._

Behind her, she could hear other students gasping and awing as they showed up, feet pounding along as they rushed to take their seats. Unfortunately for them, they ended up missing most of the spar as it ended about five minutes before class officially started, team CRDL being the last ones in.

The professor over-committed to a slash that saw the girl use his own momentum against him, her weapon actually dropping to the floor as she grabbed his arm and turned his motion into an unsteady spin. He tried to plant his feet to stop, only for her to blur around behind him, impossibly heaving him up and over her shoulders as if he _wasn't_ almost twice her size.

He hit the ground outside of the circle with a groan, lifting his head once before dropping it and... laughing.

"Match, Miss Neopolitan wins by ring out." Goodwitch announced, mostly for their sake she thought. "Final aura percentage was in her favor, fifty-four to fifty-two. Are you all right, Mister Arc?"

"I'm fine." The younger teacher laughed as he got up, "She's just reminding me I need to mind my surroundings a bit more, didn't notice I was near the edge."

Neopolitan seemed to beam at him, picking up their weapon from where they'd dropped them before moving to join him. The two walked over towards Miss G after that, evidently talking between each other while the student section abruptly became a buzz of conversation.

"She beat him?" Ruby gasped quietly, visibly distraught that her favorite teacher and not-so-secret crush had lost.

"By ring out." Weiss replied, patting her on the knee, "The fight was very even, and you heard him. She lured him there and then threw him out because she wasn't sure she could win a stand up fight."

"But... but..." Her sister shook her head, "She can't be older than _me_! What school does she go to!?"

"Maybe the Professor is teaching her personally." Yang offered, "Some kind of private thing? What do you think Blake? ...Blake?"

She turned, and found her partner staring at the Professor and his opponent in something like shock, her normally pale skin almost transparent, and her hands were actually trembling. "Woah, you all right? Blake!?"

The girl twitched violently when she put a hand on her shoulder, her eyes very wide as she jerked away. "What... oh, Yang."

"Blake?" Ruby asked quietly, leaning around Weiss and ignoring the other girls' protests. "What's wrong? You know that girl?"

"I..." Blake swallowed, the bit her lip as if not sure what to say. "Remember... how I said I thought I'd seen the professor before?"

Yang tilted her head, "Yeah, so?"

"I... when I was younger, my... family traveled a lot." She continued, pausing a lot as if picking her words carefully. "We ended up in northern Vacuo at one point, in a small village on the coast. We were there for... work... when a Grimm migration came through."

"I think I see." Weiss nodded slowly, "The professor was a huntsman sent to help, wasn't he?"

"No." Blake replied, swallowing before pushing on, her words coming out in a rush. "He was a student, along with that girl down there. They'd been sent from the Vacuo Academy for the Gifted."

Yang felt her mouth drop open, and she heard team RAVN go dead silent behind them.

"They saved us from a pair of Beringel that broke through the walls," Her partner's eyes grew distant, as if in memory. "Along with two others, their... teammates I think. One of them nearly killed him. His aura had broken fighting another one, and he kept fighting even then... the last fell on top of him when he ran his sword through it."

"Wow." Ruby whispered again, and Yang found her mouth forming the same word.

Everyone knew what had happened to that school... Signal had actually canceled classes the day they'd gotten the news, and all of the teachers had worn black for the rest of the week. Even Qrow. And Blake... the fight she'd seen must have been a lot worse than she was letting on, because she looked like her dad did when he remembered something he didn't want to.

 _How bad was that attack that is still scares you Blake?_

Before any of them could interrogate Blake further, and before she could think of something comforting to say, there was a quiet chime as the clock hit eight-thirty, signaling the start of class.

"Welcome to Combat Training." Professor Goodwitch spoke the instant the bell stopped, everyone shutting up on reflex as she walked into the center of the circle. "As I am sure I do not need to remind you, this is the most important class you will have during your time in Beacon. I expect all of you to treat it with the seriousness it deserves. Am I understood?"

"Yes ma'am." Everyone rumbled, Yang included.

"Excellent. Fights will occur in strictly regulated conditions. No area of effect or explosive attacks may be used, if your weapon or semblance relies on such things reach out to me after class and we will setup outdoor sessions." Goodwitch continued, "Fighting will end the _moment_ a combatant's aura reaches the red, upon ring-out, or when I indicate otherwise. An attempt by either party to continue well be met with severe discipline."

When nothing but silence greeted the implied threat, she nodded and waved towards the other teacher and his companion, currently guzzling water near the back. "This is Professor Arc. Beginning next semester he will be teaching a Group Combat and Excursions course, but for now he will merely be assisting and observing you. He also graciously offered to begin this class with a spar against anyone who wishes to volunteer and test themselves against a professional huntsman."

Yang kept her hand down. So did everyone in team RWBY... and everyone in RAVN... and everyone in MINT... and everyone in FRST. Literally every student who'd seen most of the fight declined, then turned towards the back, towards the late arrivals who'd missed much of it... and saw Cardin Winchester cockily stand up.

"Oh this is going to be good." She whispered, grinning as he walked down the stairs to the bottom floor, his mace up on a shoulder.

"You really going to fight with your aura like that?" Cardin asked, strutting over to link his scroll the reader, the green bar filling up... the comparison extreme when the professor did the same, his still hovering solidly in the yellow.

"Seems like I have to." The professor replied easily, gripping his sheathed sword in one hand

"You can always have the little girl who kicked your ass fight me instead." Cardin taunted, grinning as he did. "Or does she have to get back to grade school?"

Jaune's expression morphed into one of the coldest glares she'd ever seen, and behind him the 'little girl' fixed the teen with such a frigid expression she didn't even think _Weiss_ could pull off.

"Glynda?" The blonde asked, not taking his eyes off of Cardin. "Permission to hijack the lesson?"

Goodwitch blinked and adjusted her glasses. "Mister Arc? What you intend to teach?"

"Group tactics 101." He replied, not looking at her. "Myself and Neo against his entire team. We're both half-gone, you think you can handle us?"

"I'm up for that." Cardin scoffed, then he seemed to wince and quickly corrected himself. "...uh, with your permission, Miss Goodwitch."

The other teacher regarded them both for nearly a half a minute of increasingly awkward silence before nodding, "Very well. Would the remainder of Team Cardinal please come down to the floor."

"Poor Cardin." Weiss whispered quietly.

Yang snorted, grinning as she kicked her legs out and leaned back. "Don't feel bad Weiss, guy's an ass. This'll be fun."

Unlike their leader, the rest of CRDL seemed to sense that they were being set up for something horrible, and they trudged down the stairs reluctantly at best. Eventually they lined up next to Cardin, staring at the mismatched pair who'd stepped into the circle across from them.

"So." Yang leaned to her left, whispering to her partner. "What was he like back then?"

Blake blinked, then glanced at her. "...you're asking that _now_?"

"You saw them fighting earlier, you think this is going to be anything but a horrible beat down?" She asked. "Come on, give me the juicy details. Was he hot back then too?"

"We didn't really talk Yang." Blake hissed back, "It was a fight for our lives, then he was unconscious. That pink girl never said a word."

"Aww..." She groaned, disappointed "Nothing else?"

"I-"

"Begin!" Goodwitch shouted, causing chaos to erupt in the circle.

Cardin rushed left, heading for the tiny girl he probably thought was the easier target, the rest of his team all rushing towards the professor, who.. tossed his sword to his partner, catching her parasol in return as they swapped weapons. Pink lace abruptly flared out in front of him, evidently dust reinforced from the way it blocked the bullets flying in his direction. He surged forwards behind his almost silly shield, heading right for the three boys charging him.

Sky came flying at him with his pole-axe, saw the weapon turned aside by the parasol, and was entirely unprepared when a fist slammed his into face. He stumbled aside, replaced by Dove whose sword was ducked as the professor rolled to his right, moving away from them and coming up right behind Cardin as the teen wildly swung his mace, desperately trying to hit _something_ besides air.

"He had a shield back then." Blake found her voice as Cardin was abruptly hit from two directions at once. "Not just a sword."

"Huh." She offered, grinning a little as the two beat back Cardin, literally, with a parasol and a sheathed sword. He stumbled back, barely blocking a blow from the professor... right before the girl slapped her hands onto Jaune's back, vaulting him, and planted two high heels right into Cardin's face as she came over the top. "Wonder what happened to it."

"Change of fighting style, maybe?" Weiss suggested quietly, watching with every sign of interest while Ruby looked like she was in heaven watching her crush take on an entire team with someone who looked her age next to him.

 _Geez sis... you're starting to worry me here._ She liked the prof, he seemed cool and was pretty hot, but she was starting to think her sister was taking her first crush to a bit of an extreme for the first week of school. That or this was just Rubes being Rubes when it came to seeing professional hunters fight.

In front of them, the fight stayed about that one sided the rest of the way.

"...he really didn't like that grade school comment, did he?" She asked no one in particular about three minutes into the farce, watching as the professor throttled Russel with his _still_ sheathed blade, using him as a human shield against Dove long enough for his partner to dart past him and take the serious boy from the side.

"No he didn't." Weiss murmured back. "His aura has actually gone _up_ since the fight started."

Yang winced as she glanced at the display, seeing that he had indeed gained about five percent, while Neopolitan had gained about three. They hadn't even seriously been _hit_ , nor pushed to the point where their aura would stop recovering.

"They haven't seriously used their weapons either." Blake noted quietly, "The girl has a sword in that parasol, she hasn't even drawn it."

"Wow." Ruby whispered for about the tenth time.

Sky was taken out first, his weapon being ripped out of his hands by the professor before he swatted the young man out of the ring with it. The spear was hurled into Dove after that, the boy easily batting the awkward throw aside.. right in time for the professor to simply bowl into him while he was distracted.

She flinched when there was a particularly high pitched yowl, the boy curling up around his crotch after taking a knee right to it.

"...he seems a little angry." Blake whispered, seeming to shrink further into her chair at the sound, the guys around them in the stands flinching on reflex.

Russel got taken out next, by _Cardin_ when the girl purposefully dodged to one side, luring the boy into a wild swing that collided with his own partner's head.

 _And then there was just one idiot left._

Cardin, as always, didn't seem to realize that he was beaten. He rushed back in, and Yang grinned as she saw the professor roll his eyes before surging forwards as well. Just as with the rest of the fight, every swing of Cardin's mace hit absolutely nothing, both of his opponents nimbly dodging and avoiding every attack that came their way. In contrast... Cardin might as well have not bothered even trying to protect himself.

His aura seemed to plummet straight down as they beat on him, the blows ringing against his armor like some kind of demented music. He collapsed when his aura hit the red, a loud buzzer sounding, then simply rolled onto his back, panting.

"We," Ruby announced in the silence that followed, making everyone look at her. "Are taking that class. We are _so_ taking that class."

Below them, Goodwitch stepped forwards as the lights came up again. "Everyone will be taking that class, Miss Rose. I hope you all learned the lesson of never underestimating your opponents simply because they seem weak, young, or frail."

Yang nodded along with the others, watching as Professor Arc and his companion walked closer to the student section... and _woah._

 _She's not taller than Ruby, she's shorter than Ruby... just with more chest. Guess explosives do come in tiny packages._

"Also that proper teamwork can overcome numbers." The other teacher added, "I'm still tailoring the curriculum, but you can expect two on two, four and four, and two on four sessions. It's probably going to be a lot slower than your lessons here, I'm going to focus more on planning and strategy than the actual fighting."

"Which will remain the purview of this class." Goodwitch added, walking up beside him after she made sure that all of CRDL was capable limping back to their seats. She seemed inordinately pleased with what had just happened, a smile playing over her features. "Now, we will begin class officially. Teams MINT, FRST, and CRDL will remain here. Teams RWBY and RAVN, please shift over to the eastern arena where Professor Arc will supervise your sessions. I trust you will not give him any problems."

* * *

Jaune felt a little bad about the display they'd just put on... just a little. _Maybe I shouldn't have kicked that kid in the balls... he wasn't the one who fucked with Neo after all._

He'd probably let his emotions get the better of him there. He never liked it when people insulted Neo, especially not when they acted like she was a little girl just because she was short. Beside him, Neo obviously felt not even a twinge of guilt, grinning as she skipped along, the pair leading eight teenagers to the training ring in the next room.

 _Still... it was good to get in a proper pair of spars, it's been a while._ Not that the second fight had been all that hard, they'd fought aura-less bandits who put up a better fight... but that was mostly experience talking. The teens had come at them arrogantly, expecting to win simply because they thought Neo young and both of them weak. They'd hadn't even _tried_ to coordinate, meaning that about half of their attacks had been ruined when someone else had gotten in the way, and they hadn't been great at protecting one another either.

He was going to have his work cut out for him whenever he actually had to start teaching partner and group tactics.

"All right," He spoke as they arrived, glancing over the students... gods they looked so young, especially Ruby. "As you know, my name is Professor Jaune Arc. I would really, really rather you guys just call me Jaune though, all right?"

Ruby giggled a little, probably remembering her joke on him earlier in the week, while everyone else nodded agreeably.

"Any questions before we get started?"

The only boy in the group lifted a hand, "If I may... where did you and your friend learn to fight like that?"

 _Oh, right._ "Everyone, this is Neopolitan, call her Neo." He planted a hand on her shoulder while she gave them all a bored wave. "She's my partner from school, and my best friend. She's not actually a teacher and won't always attend class, but you may see her around from time to time. Also... I know she doesn't look like she's twenty, but don't call her a grade schooler."

Neo's expression told them what would happen if they did, and several of them paled and quickly nodded.

"As for training..." Jaune sighed, knowing it would come out sooner or later. "We attended the Vacuo Academy... and yes, we were there when it fell, and no, we don't really like to talk about it. Please respect our privacy there."

The teens' expressions... varied at that. Yang and Ruby exchange an odd look with one another while Blake seemed to be looking anywhere but at them. Between them, Pyrrha and Weiss gave him the kind of sympathetic looks that honestly annoyed him a little, while Ren and Nora simply looked serious and nodded. Ilia was the oddest, she'd affected the same kind of odd, searching look that Blake had given him when she'd said she'd recognized him at initiation, her lips pursed as stared.

 _...all right, not the reactions I expected, but I guess I can work with this._

"Thank you." He offered quietly before shaking himself and clapping his hands together, ready to move on before they tried to ask anything else. "Right, do we have any volunteers or should I pick at random?"

"Ooo, ooo!" Nora Valkyrie went from grave to vibrating with excitement instantly. "Can I go first? Can I?"

He smiled in amusement, "Why not? I think we should avoid inter-team fights for the first day, so who from Team RWBY want to fight Nora?"

"Yo!" Yang Xiao-Long held up a hand, grinning as she took a step forwards, planting a hand on a hip and giving him a wink. "We'll give you a good show prof, right Nora?"

"Right!" The orange haired girl grinned, though her definition of a show was definitely different from the way she drew and unfolded a massive warhammer from her back.

Jaune shook his head a little in bemusement, noting Neo's thinned lips as he steered her away, walking towards the back. The comment had been more than mild, even with the flirtatious lilt that Yang had given it... but Neo had always been the possessive sort. He got her settled into a chair by the control computer, where she gave him a look that told him she knew that he was keeping her away from someone she wanted to punch. He'd just smiled and then started up the system. Glynda had run him through how to use it this morning, and it wasn't all that hard to set up. The two girls walked into the circle once they had their scrolls linked, while the other students settled in together in the viewing area.

"Begin!" He called once they were both ready.

It was... an odd experience, actually teaching. When he'd been in Peter and Bart's classes through the week, he'd mostly just answered the odd question, wandered around, or acted as a particularly life-like bit of wall decoration. Here, he actually participated, giving advice when the spar ended and entering notes into the ring's computer.

It was... surprisingly pleasant.

The first fight was, oddly, the easiest. Nora and Yang both hit like runaway trains, and were both so bad at avoiding attacks that Neo refused to watch after the first minute or so.

"All right," He said when they finished, Yang having finally put Nora down for the last time. "You're both obviously skilled with your weapons and extremely strong." Both girls grinned tiredly, "And... you both seem to masochists from the number of times you let the other hit you in the face."

The grins turned to blushes while someone, Ruby he thought, giggled loudly.

"Next time you're both going to go up against faster fighters until you can learn how to, you know, _dodge_." Jaune noted that in the system, grinning a little at their crestfallen expressions. "Remember, you're here to learn, not to just do the same things over and over again. That gets you killed."

Nora groaned but nodded, while Yang gave him another odd look before nodding as well.

 _You are really confusing me Xiao-Long._ The girl seemed to alternate by maybe-flirting with him, and giving him looks like she wasn't sure what to make of him.

"Right," he waved them off, "Let's get to the next fight. Miss Belladona, how about you pick an opponent from Team RAVN?"

The quiet girl tilted her head as she stood up, glancing over the three remaining opponents before nodding. "Ren."

He rose without comment and padded after her, the two quickly getting set. Their fight immediately became a kind of bizarre ninja-acrobatics duel, both firing dust rounds almost constantly as they bobbed and weaved around one another. Blake's semblance was apparently an ability to leave images of herself behind when she dodged, which made the entire spar rather odd to watch.

 _Mental note, never drink teacher's coffee then watch Blake Belladona fight._

Ren did his best, even using his weapons as boomerangs to catch her off guard, but it was clear from the start that Blake was both faster and more experienced, though he seemed to have a slight edge in strength those few times he hit her. It ended when her weapons' ribbon tripped him up, and she hurled him out of the ring with a throw similar to how Neo had tossed him earlier.

"Miss Belladona wins by ring-out." He announced, knowing it was a little pointless but that he was supposed to officially end the spar. "You're both fast, technical fighters, I don't really have any criticism yet. Expect to go up against each other's partners next time."

While Ren nodded politely and then thanked Blake for the fight, the girl merely replied with quiet words he couldn't make out, and then walked away without so much as looking in Jaune's direction.

He frowned at that, at how she looked a little paler than usual, then shook himself and replaced it with a bland expression. _She's not sick from how she fought... no, not the time._

"Miss Amitola, how about you pick-"

"Schnee." The girl cut in, already up, stalking past Blake and Ren as they walked past. He wasn't sure if he imagined it or not, but she and Blake seemed to go out of their way to not look at each other even as they came within a few feet of one another.

 _Huh... I thought they were friends. Oh gods, I haven't even started the counseling thing yet and I'm already seeing things. I should have just talked my way out of it... or bribed Neo with ice cream and booze._

If Jaune was being honest with himself, the fight between Ilia and Weiss was by far the most interesting. Both seemed to be cerebral fighters, trying to out-think their opponent rather than simply bludgeoning or shooting them. Weiss held an initial advantage, staying at range and bombarding Ilia with shards of ice while staying rapidly on the move. That lasted until Ilia pulled out her own dust tricks to create some kind of smoke screen that hid her from view.

Weiss had tried to use some air dust to clear it, only for Ilia to come at the heiress from the side, bursting from the smoke when Weiss got too close. Ilia had come on hard, getting inside Weiss's reach and using her variable weapon to stop the other girl whenever she tried to break contact. After that... things went from interesting to tense in short order. Ilia hammered Weiss hard, using her fists and the hilt of her weapon to bludgeon the smaller woman down and back, and she visibly had to hold herself back when he called the match.

 _Oh boy... you're going to be a problem one, aren't you Ilia?_

"That was very well done, by both of you." He'd said after Weiss had gotten back up to her feet, a hand covering a bruise forming on one cheek. The beautiful girl's expression was... utterly remote, like she was forcing herself not to say anything. "Weiss, you need to go for the throat early, you gave her too much time to react by trying to chip away at her aura. You should also work on your swordplay without dust. Ilia... basically the opposite. She had you dead to rights early on, you should have pulled out that smoke right at the start."

The two had nodded and the moved off without commenting, and had kept a wary distance between themselves as they did.

 _Great... sparring between the teams may not have been the best idea._

 _"_ Right, least two girls are up." He announced, wondering if he'd be starting his counseling job trying to fix a mess he'd accidentally created. "Ruby, Miss Nikos, please come up."

Ruby Rose practically few up to the stage, her massive weapon unfolding as she grinned at him, and then at her opponent. Pyrrha paused when Yang reached after her, the blonde whispering something that made the redhead smile and nod. Then she calmly strode over, drawing her sword and shield and settling into a ready-stance

"Begin!"

Jaune had no idea what actually happened next, it was just _that_ fast.

Ruby seemed to disintegrate right in front of him, bursting in a stream of rose petals that covered the distance between herself and her opponent. Pyrrha twisted at her hips, bronze weapons blurring, and then there was a high pitched yelp as Ruby reappeared, her body bouncing one way while her weapon ricocheted another direction. She hit the ground twice before skipping out of the arena and settling onto the ground.

He felt his heart seize up, and rushed forwards, Pyrrha doing the same, the redhead skidding to a stop and dropping to a knee beside her while Yang vaulted into the arena to sprint in their direction.

"Owwwieee..." Ruby's long groan came as Pyrrha carefully checked her for injuries, and he let out a long breath of relief at the sound, forcing a trembling hand to settle on Crocea Mors' hilt to settle it.

 _Nerves... not made for this... gah._

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha bit her lip as he and Yang approached, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah... ow." Ruby repeated, blinking a few times.

Jaune grimaced, glancing up at the display. Ruby's aura was solidly in the yellow, so she wasn't in danger of dying. _It must have been the first hit, or maybe when she bounced; she might have been too stunned to engage it._

"How do you feel?" Yang asked before he could, her violet eyes very wide. "Can you feel everything? Your feet, your hands?"

Ruby seemed to test them, wiggling everything. "Yeah... I'm ok. Back hurts a bit... my shoulders where I hit the ground I think... ow."

Her sister visibly slumped in relief, rubbing at her head. "Gods Rubes, you just had to charge the Invincible Girl head-on? Were you trying to show off or something? What the heck were you thinking!?"

Though her words were directed at Ruby, he didn't miss the glare she sent Pyrrha before returning her attention to her sister.

 _The what?_ Pyrrha seemed to flinch at the nickname, and looked away from Yang, biting her lip again. _Oh great, that's not going to be an issue too, not.. at.. all._

"Probably from when you hit the ground." He offered, ready to be done with this class before he noticed another personal problem. "Miss Xiao-Long, why don't you help your sister up and head off to lunch. Everyone's fought at this point, just be back in the main room by one thirty for the lecture and the afternoon fights. If she gets faint or anything-"

"I'll drag her to the nurse." She nodded, "Come on Ruby, up you get."

Ruby managed to get up mostly on her own, though she groaned a lot as she did. Weiss had already retrieved Crescent Rose while everyone else was distracted, she and Blake quickly joining the rest of their team as they left.

RAVN was a bit slower, the rest of the team coming out onto the floor to join Pyrrha rather than leaving, and he stepped back to where Neo was still lounging by the ring's controls to give them some privacy.

"Well," He offered quietly, "That was a thing."

Neo shrugged, her attention mostly on buffing her nails.

He glanced at the students, found Nora hugging Pyrrha while Ren spoke quietly, and then lowered his voice. "You notice Belladona?"

His partner pursed her lips, then gave him a slight nod. Tossing her file into her lap, she reached up and poked her fingers through her hair before wiggling them. Jaune frowned, not really getting it until she shifted her hands to make it look like the girl's bow before moving them around a lot.

 _Her bow was moving...?_

"A faunus?" He guessed, "Hiding ears or something?"

Neo shrugged, lowering her arms.

"Where did we ever run into faunus..." _Besides everywhere in northern Vacuo... but it's not like we had dinner dates. Or stayed long in any one spot. I'd say she just saw us in passing but..._

"Go back through our journal, see if there's anything in there we might have done to someone like her." He sighed, "She was definitely afraid of us, and I want to know why."

Neo met his eyes and nodded in agreement, then pursed her lips and nodded again while pointedly looking behind him.

Jaune turned around to see RAVN walking over to them, Pyrrha speaking up as she came, "I'm sorry for earlier, Professor. I didn't intend to harm my-"

He held up a hand and spoke over her, "First, it's Jaune, not Professor, remember? Second, you don't have anything to apologize for."

"But I could have harmed her!"

 _...you're really upset about this, aren't you?_ Jaune needed a moment to work through that. When he and Neo trained, hurting each other was... well, kind of the point. Pain was an excellent motivator, you learned fast. _But... this isn't the wastelands anymore, or the slums, or anything even like it..._

"Yeah, you could have." He admitted, picking his words carefully so as not to make this worse. "Yang could have hurt Nora too, or Blake could have hurt Ren. There's a reason we call these fights, Pyrrha. I've lost count of the number of times I've gotten hurt training. It... well, it sucks, but it's a learning experience for everyone involved."

Ren nodded, reaching out to put a hand on his teammate's shoulder. "She learned that she can't simply overwhelm you with her speed, you learned you need to work on controlling your strength."

"Exactly." Jaune agreed, "Don't let this get you down. Go get some food and water, and relax a bit before the rest of class. We'll make sure you fight early in the next round, get it out of the way for you so you can relax the rest of the day."

"I...thank you, prof... Jaune." She corrected herself, though her smile seemed a little strained. "That would be grand."

* * *

 ** _Probably went a little overboard with this chapter in terms of covering their entire first combat class, but I couldn't help it as I went along, just enjoyed writing it. Hopefully everyone else liked it and that it properly showcased Jaune as respectable combatant, at least in comparison to first year students with no real semblances. For those worried, no, this is not going to be an overpowered Jaune story. This kind of situation was basically his ideal scenario; fighting with neo at his side against uncoordinated and slower opposition._**

 ** _We also start up a few of the interpersonal arcs, which should be fun. Next chapter will end their first week at school, start up the third major sub-plot, and the pace is going to start picking up quickly._**

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 ** _Thanks, Kat_**


	17. Semester I: Divisions and Plots

**Divisions and Plots**

* * *

Ilia stumbled into one of the study rooms in the library, a hand reflexively snapping up to bat away the person who'd grabbed her while her other dove into her bag to grab her weapon, starting to draw it, ready to lash out at whoever was attacking-

"It's me!" Blake hissed as she slammed the door behind them, "Calm down!"

"...Blake." She shook her head, forcing herself to relax and pull hr hand out of her bag as the other girl stepped back in the dark room. "I almost shot you!"

"I know where we saw Professor Arc." Blake, typically, ignored her entirely. "Remember that village in Vacuo three years ago, the one with the Beringel? He and that girl were there, as students. I even spoke to him, helped him get up after he got thrown into our hideout!"

It took her a moment of rummaging around her memories before she got there, and it was still a bit vague... but she did recall something like that happening. A tiny girl with pink hair and thin sword, along with a dark skinned teen with a flail... then a blonde boy who'd collided with Blake. Adam had said something... had scoffed at the students, she'd remembered their group leader snapping at him for that after the fight.

"All right." She crossed her arms below her breasts. "So?"

Blake bit her lip, "So he saw us in our masks, if he remembers we're screwed!"

"Blake, calm down."

"How can I be calm!?" Golden eyes narrowed. "We're about to be exposed, expelled!"

"You're not thinking clearly!" She hissed back. "You're Blake _Belladona._ You really think the Headmaster doesn't know where you're from? Or Professor Oobleck? They probably think you left when your parents did."

"And _he_ knows I didn't! Or he could." Blake retorted. "What do we do?"

Ilia narrowed her eyes, a week's worth of frustration with her friend welling up. "What 'we' are you talking about? So far as I see, I'm the only faunus in this room, and I didn't say a word to Professor Arc or his team back then. He has no reason to suspect me."

Pale lips parted in surprise. "...Ilia?"

"You told me you'd take that stupid thing off." She hissed, stabbing a finger at the bow, feeling her skin ripple to furious red and yellow. "That we would talk about how to make this work. Instead you don't say a word to me for nearly a week, hide behind that blonde when I try and talk to you, ignore me when I try and pull you aside... and you keep pretending to be human."

Blake's bow flattened against her head, her jaw tensing as if she was in pain. "I said I'd take it off when I was _ready_ , when I was settled in, when I could trust my team!"

"And when will that be, Blake?" Ilia growled back. "Next year? Graduation?"

"It would be sooner then that if _someone_ hadn't tried to kill Weiss in class yesterday." Came the retaliation, "Way to keep a low profile, way to prove that we aren't violent extremists!"

"Like you wouldn't have done the same!" She snapped, her hand shoving at Blake's shoulder. "After everything that her family has done to our people, don't lie and tell me you wouldn't have done the same!"

"I wouldn't have lost my temper!" Blake slapped her hand aside, "Do you have any idea how much harder it's going to be for me now? What she'd do if I revealed who I was after that? You didn't even think about that did you!"

"I shouldn't have had to!" She retaliated, "She should have already known!"

"Oh yeah, because she'd completely accept me if she'd known." Blake rolled her eyes, "She'd have judged me the second she saw and never given me a chance to prove anything!"

"You don't know that, my team-"

"My team is different than yours! This would have been so much simpler if you'd just-" Her mouth abruptly shut, but the damage was already done.

Ilia felt her aura crackle as her fists clenched, her own nails digging into her palms. "If.. I'd... _what,_ Blake?"

The other girl clenched her jaw and looked away.

"No!" She snarled, lunging into Blake's personal space, grabbing her uniform collar and shaking her violently. "You don't get a pass on this! I believed you! I followed you, I left the only place I was _ever_ welcomed for what I was because I thought you were right!" _Because I cared about you!_ "So you tell me: if I'd done _what_ , Blake?"

"If you'd just followed my lead!" Blake snapped, grabbing her wrist and trying to twist her way loose. Ilia growled in pain but tightened her grip, getting her other hand up to grab Blake's other wrist and holding on as they struggled. "We could have done it together! It would have been easier!"

"Easier would have been not hiding in the first place!" Ilia growled, then gasped in pain as Blake got a knee up into her thigh, sending pain up and down the limb. The taller girl rolled her wrist against her thumb while she was distracted, breaking her grip before using both hands to shove her away.

Ilia grimaced as her back hit the room's table, throwing her hands onto it for balance.

Blake glared at her, panting, "I made my choice. I'm going to stand by it. Are you going to help me or not?"

"No." She replied flatly, "I don't see my friend. I see a cowardly human whining about her own fuck-up."

Blake's entire body seemed to tremble, and for a second Ilia thought that she would try and slap her. Then she closed her eyes, shook her head, and shoved past her, yanking the door open before slamming it behind her.

Ilia stared at the shut door, her jaw clenched. Then she turned and hurled her school bag as hard as she could against the wall before letting her back hit a wall, sliding down it as she sat, burying her face in her hands.

 _Dammit Blake! I should never have told her about what my parents had me do..._ That had to have been where she'd gotten the stupid idea to pass as human. To wrap a bow around her ears and lie to herself about befriending everyone before revealing it... which she wouldn't. She'd go through the entire four years without ever taking that stupid bow of if she could manage it.

 _And where does she get off on yelling at me about the stupid Schnee!? After what happened to my parents... and wasn't she the one who snarked at the brat on our first day?_ She felt her jaw clench as she glared at the floor, felt her skin shifting between blue and red as her emotions bounced wildly around. _She'd have done the same thing if our spots had been reversed._

A quiet knocking sound came from the door, and she glowered at it, wiping at her eyes. "What?"

"It's Ren." Her team leader's muffled voice came through, "May I come in?"

She didn't particularly want company, but... it felt like she'd just burned one bridge, burning another would make this whole Beacon thing an even worse idea. _I shouldn't have come here. I should have just stayed, covered for her..._ "...yeah."

He entered the room slowly, as if afraid of startling her. After taking a moment to locate her on the floor, and take in her bag's contents laying across the ground across the room, he carefully closed the door behind him. To her surprise he left the lights off, padding slowly over before settling down about a foot away.

"Don't tell me you're a disguised faunus." She tried to joke, but it came off as bitter and flat.

"No," He replied quietly, "I just have an excellent memory. I saw Belladona storm out of here after she pulled you in."

Illian swallowed "Yeah."

"You fought." It wasn't a question. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really." _Especially not with a human... not that you're bad, you seem like one of the few good ones, but... you just wouldn't understand._

Ren nodded slightly, leaning his head back against the wall. "I didn't think you would... but I thought you should know that the offer is open. If not to me, then to Pyrrha. Bottling things up is never healthy, it's best to talk, to let it out.."

She looked away, even though she knew he couldn't see it. "...cheap advice, you talk less than anyone else I know."

There was a long pause before he sighed, "I know. I have my own method."

"What's that?" She asked, more bitterness in her voice. "You scream in a dark room? Beat up training dummies?"

"My semblance." Ren said quietly. "It masks emotion, I can hide myself or others from the Grimm. It also... drains me of that emotion, I think, is the closest description I can give. It grounds it out, leaves me calm, rational, cold."

"Lucky you." She muttered.

He was silent for several long moments, then replied, "...no, not really. Emotion is a part of being alive, human or faunus... emotions are part of who we are, part of what connects us to each other. You're angry at Blake, and she at you, because on some level you care, or maybe cared, about one another. When I use my semblance... I don't care in the same way. It all becomes logical, cold, mathematical."

It was her turn to be quiet, his words sinking in. "You sound like you hate it."

"It's a part of me, something I cannot change, and something that has saved my life and the lives of others. I use it when I'm overwhelmed, when I feel like I need to let everything go and simply reset." Ren shook his head, a sad smile on his face. "...and yet you're right, I don't like my semblance. It is a crutch I use instead of taking my own advice."

Illia swallowed, looking back at her bag. "..you really want me to talk to someone, don't you?"

"I think it would be good for you." He replied. "That it might help you. If not one of us, the perhaps Professor Arc?"

She blinked, "Huh?"

"A news article went out on the school intranet this morning." Ren shrugged, "He's taking up a student counselor position starting on Monday. Perhaps his experience may be able to help more than just our support."

"You going to annoy me if I don't?"

To her surprise, he shook his head. "No, I will respect whatever decision you make, and I will tell Pyrrha and Nora to do the same. We're your friends, Ilia, and your teammates. We worry for you, but we won't force you into anything."

She frowned at him, "You really think we're friends? We've known each other less than a week."

Ren pushed himself to his feet. "Yes, I do. If you don't mind coming with me, I could use some help in the dorm kitchens. I promised Nora I'd make pancakes for lunch and I could use an extra set of hands."

Illia sighed, "Could you be a little less obvious about trying to distract me?"

The boy simply smiled, extending a hand out to help her up, though his aim was a little off. Baking wouldn't help her... but sitting around in a dark room wouldn't either. _At least I'll have something to do... and maybe he will actually leave me be._

She sighed, reached up, and took his hand.

* * *

Sunday lunch proved to be the quietest meal in the cafeteria, nearly all of the older students seemed to spend the weekend out in Vale, and since there weren't any classes everyone just kind of trickled in and out as they got hungry.

Pyrrha was fine with that, it let her pick at her food in peace.

Beacon had started out so well... better than she'd dared to hope even. She'd found a partner who'd only vaguely heard of her before, teammates who'd waved away her fame before she'd even brought it up, and it had even seemed like she could make friends with another team! Seven friends...seven _real_ friends... more than she'd had since her second tournament victory.

Then... the time for combat class had come, and everything had seemed to fall apart.

 _"Hey..._ " _Yang caught her elbow, frowning after her sister. "I know we're not supposed to go easy on anyone, but... could you? I think she's trying to show off for the prof and for Weiss, prove she's supposed to be here you know?"_

 _"I know, and of course." She'd smiled back, having intended on doing just that anyway. If she paced herself, maybe she could finally lose that stupid nickname._

A hand rose as she groaned, rubbing at her forehead. She'd started to plan out the fight in her head as she'd walked, thinking of turning it into a gunnery duel where the younger girl's heavy rifle might clip her a few times, let her actually hurt the Invincible Girl. After that she could close the range and maybe drag out the spar a bit before winning.

Instead... Ruby had come right at her and she'd reacted entirely on reflex, all of her plans vanishing in a twist of her hips and the sensation of Akouo slamming into the girl's chest. That had clotheslined her, leaving her horizontal to the floor before Milo had rammed into her stomach to bounce her off the ground.

Ruby's own momentum had done the rest. Pyrrha had no idea how she hadn't broken her neck from the whiplash, and her heart had felt like it had stopped when the young leader had bounced and rolled to a stop.

Yang's glare had just been the start after that. Team RWBY hadn't sat anywhere near them at lunch, or in the afternoon class. Her second fight hadn't helped... she'd gone up against a girl named Meral, the leader of team MINT and apparently one of Yang's friends from Signal.

Pyrrha had tried to pace herself, she'd tried to hold back... she'd trounced her in under a minute without taking a hit.

The usual rush of awe had come out quickly after that. Several others had tried to come up to her, gushing about how she'd won two fights so quickly without so much as being struck once. They'd tried to get her to talk about it, to brag and boast like so many others did, had asked if she was open to sparring and training after hours. If she would sit by them at dinner and regal them with stories of her past wins.

When she'd been quietly humble and politely declined, the awe had shifted to glares and mutters about her being 'too good for them'.

 _Just like home..._

By the end of class most of the other students had congregated around team RWBY, the only team with two undefeated members in Yang and Blake. That Yang was gorgeous and had evidently been very popular at Signal Academy had only seemed to help them, and Weiss' own looks and reputation quickly had the male members of team FRST openly trying to get her attention.

Even Ruby had gotten notice, beating Sky Lark as nearly as quickly as Pyrrha had beaten her opponent, and her gushing weapons advice for anyone who approached her had seemed to cement her as an adorably skilled nerd.

 _Which left us sitting alone in the back, just like CRDL..._

"Ugh..." Nora groaned as she plopped down next to her, a giant stack of pancakes on her plate. "You two are _so_ gloomy!"

Ilia looked up from where she'd been picking at her food across from Pyrrha, her expression tired. "Nora..."

"I know, I know." The other girl rolled her eyes, wielding her knife like an axe as she cut into her food. "I'm just sayin', it's such a nice day! We should be having fun! Right Renny?"

"It's raining out Nora." Ren settled in beside Ilia far more calmly that his partner. "I think we all just need a day to relax and unwind."

"Aww..." Nora groaned theatrically, stuffing a massive amount of pancake into her mouth as she grumbled.

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile a little, and saw Ilia do the same. She may have burdened her team with the legacy of her fame... but Nora was just so over-the-top you couldn't help but be cheered a little when you were around her.

"Oh! 'ey!" She blinked as Nora noisily swallowed her food before standing up and waving her hands back and forth above her head. "Jaune! Come sit with us!"

 _Professor Arc?_ Her head jerked around to see the man turn away from the serving tables, a plate and cup in his hands. Despite it being the weekend he still had his brown cloak over his shoulders, and while he was missing the gauntlets he'd worn to Combat Class he still had his sword on his belt. He seemed to smile at Nora, then started their way.

"What are you doing?" Ilia growled, her freckles turning an angry red. "I thought you weren't going to push."

"I'm not!" Nora protested, "I just wanted him to sit by us, get to know him you know?"

Pyrrha bit her lip as Ilia worked her mouth, clearly not happy, but she didn't have time to protest further before the professor arrived.

"Team RAVN." He greeted cheerfully, choosing to sit down beside Ilia. "Good morning, how's everyone doing?"

"We're doing well." Ren replied politely, "How are you?"

Professor... Jaune, started cutting into his food, smiling. "Pretty good, thank you for asking. Neo's out visiting a friend, thought I'd see who was here instead of eating by myself."

Nora swallowed another half of a pancake, "You didn't go out with her? You two seemed real close. Like together-together close."

Pyrrha tried not to giggle as he needed a moment to figure out what she meant, then he actually blushed a little. "Well... yeah, we kind of are, but that doesn't mean we have to spend all our time together. Sometimes we need a day or two apart after how much time we've been alone with one another the last few years."

"If I may..." She asked quietly, swallowing, "I know you asked us to not ask about the school's fall, and I won't, I promise! I just... what did you do, after? You seem so young for a professorship."

Jaune went quiet at that, and her heart started to sink before he actually gave her an almost amused smile. "To be honest, I was surprised when Ozpin called me back... I didn't really think I'd get the job. I'm only twenty, and... well, keep it between us," his voice lowered almost conspiratorially, "I don't even have my license."

Her mouth opened in surprise, and she found herself leaning in too. "You don't!? How did you take missions?"

"Asking around, mostly." He admitted, rubbing at his hair. "When you're out on the edges of the kingdoms people don't really care if you've got one or not, just if you can solve whatever problem they have."

Ilia cocked her head a little, looking interested for the first time. "What kind of missions did you do?"

"Hmm..." Jaune hummed, taking a moment to eat some of his food and a quick drink of his coffee, leaving them all waiting rather impatiently. "All kinds really. Escorting caravans taking goods to remote villages, riding on the Vale to Vacuo trains as guards, doing the same thing on a few ships, clearing out old ruins filled with Grimm so some archaeological types could dig around in them, helping defend a town from a Grimm migration..."

"Quite the variety." Ren noted, "Did you ever have problems with bandits or criminals? Vacuo has... a reputation."

The professor went quiet again, then nodded slightly. "A few times, but those really aren't good conversations while we're eating. Another time."

Pyrrha nodded along with the others, then bit her lip. _No, don't stop, just ask!_ "Did you... did you ever go to Mistral?"

"Can't say that I have." He shrugged easily, "We pretty much stuck to Vacuo, and the western reaches of Vale. Why?"

"The three of us are from Mistral." Nora chirped up before Pyrrha could think of a reason that didn't sound selfish, "Me and Ren are from the outskirts, but Pyrrha was from the city itself. Were you from Vacuo?"

"Vale, actually." He shrugged, sipping more coffee. "Little place called Ansel, out near the eastern coast. Quiet town where retired huntsman like to settle. It was... a good spot to grow up, my family still lives out there."

Pyrrha frowned a little at that. _His family is in eastern Vale... but he spent the last three years in Vacuo, and western Vale? They probably visited him instead of the other way around. Vacuo is supposed to have lovely resorts..._

They continued to talk with the professor for a good hour, and he was so congenial and pleasant that it hardly seemed like that much time had gone past. At first he asked about their classes and how things were going, but when he realized that was kind of a tense subject he smoothly transitioned to talking about a mission that he and his partner had done; protecting a shipment of dust and food from Vale to Vacuo along with an elderly huntsman named Levi.

He was a far better storyteller than Professor Port, laughing and joking with them as he described how they'd had to run from car to car, trying to catch a Beowulf that had managed to set itself on fire by rolling around in some spilled dust.

"You should have seen them." He laughed, "A couple of the engineers had come up on top, young kids, never seen a Grimm before and thought it would be cool. Then this Beowolf hauls itself out of the box car, _on fire_ , just howling its head off. They start screaming too, one of them starts shouting that its the end of the world and starts praying!"

Pyrrha covered her mouth with her hands, knowing she shouldn't be laughing but unable to help it. "Did you get it?"

He waved his hands, "I'm getting there. So, they're screaming, its screaming, and me and Neo are just staring at them all trying to figure out what we're even looking at. Then Levi hauls himself up behind us, grins like a giant idiot and shouts, 'I ain't ever killed a fire grimm before!', and he just runs right at it with his cane in one hand and his pistol in the other, beard flying everywhere!"

Nora was clutching at her arm, giggling madly, "Liar, lies! No way!"

"We can't just let him fight it alone, so we run after him just as he _tackles_ the thing! So now the two of them are rolling around on top of the box car, they're _both_ on fire and screaming about it, and the crew are just freaking out entirely." Jaune continued, obviously into the story. "I tell Neo to help him and jump over the whole thing to drag the idiots back into the cab and grab some ice dust. I get back up just in time to see Levi kill the thing with his burning cane, just beating it over the head with his hair and beard _still_ on fire! Neo's trying to put him out without her bursting into flames too, and then she starts panicking when her coat starts smoking!"

"Pictures!" Nora stabbed a finger at him, still giggling. "I demand evidence!"

The professor grinned and pulled out his scroll, flipping through it quickly before setting it down and projecting a picture in front of them.

He and his partner, both looking embarrassed, scorched, and covered in fire-fighting foam, were standing in front of a stopped train next to an old man who looked like he'd lost a fight with snowblower. He held up the scorched remains of a cane in one hand and a burnt pistol in the other, and even though he looked absolutely ridiculous with only half a beard there was a broad smile on his aged face.

The sub-title read, ' _Fire Grimm Incident ~ 02/01/80; JNPR + Levi'._

She couldn't help but laugh, she and Nora holding onto each other as she felt tears in her eyes. They just looked... so _ridiculous._ The professor was even missing an eyebrow on one side, Neopolitan looked like she was pouting, and the old hunter was just... so... so...

Ilia was laughing beside Jaune, almost cackling as her freckles and eyes turned a bright, happy looking orange, and even Ren was chuckling in amusement.

They'd all laughed at that, and by the time he'd said his goodbyes and left, Pyrrha realized that the gloom that had hung over her and her partner had abated. She was still smiling a little when they got back to their dorms, Nora tromping into the bathroom for a shower while Ren vanished to return a book to the library.

 _I think he noticed how we felt... and wanted to tell us a story that would make us happy._ She bit her lip as she settled onto her bed, stretching out and relaxing. _Maybe..._

"..Ilia? I was wondering..."

Her partner had just settled into the chair at her desk, her weapon laid out in front of her while she pulled out maintenance tools. "..I'll think about it, all right? Just drop it."

Pyrrha blinked, then smiled a little. "Um..."

Ilia seemed to freeze, green appearing on her skin. "...you weren't going to ask about that, were you?"

Throttling her grin, she asked her actual question. "Would you like to spar with me later? Maybe just hand to hand?"

"I...yeah, sure Pyrrha." Her partner turned and smiled a little. "Sounds like a good way to unwind."

 _Maybe things aren't so bad after all._

* * *

Neo was not happy. In fact, she was something close to furious.. or murderous... definitely murderous. Someone was going to die for this affront.

 _Someone named Jaune!_

Her upper lipped peeled back from her teeth as she hunched a little more under the small overhang, cold rain pelting down all around her. The jerk hadn't mentioned that it was going to storm all fucking day when they'd worked out the division of labor this morning. He got to wander the nice, dry, warm school and check camera angles based on their map, while she was stuck out here, in the cursed rain... _waiting._

Neo was from the desert. She hated rain even more than she hated waiting. It was so stupid! Cold, wet, it got everywhere and left your clothing sticking to you unpleasantly, It completely ruined your hair, made it impossible for her to hold up her illusions, left her miserable and cold... and just... furious!

Stupid Jaune. Blonde bastard wasn't going to get sex for at least a week, assuming she let him survive the next twenty four hours at all!

 _"They're late."_ Roman's chief thug... Ruf... something or another, growled, his voice carrying into the earpiece she had in. " _Nearly two hours late."_

 _"Bitch does it on purpose."_ Roman replied, sounding as annoyed as she was. _"Prove that she's got the power to fuck with us."_

There was a groan from Ruffie, " _You sure we can't just deal with her boss? Between you and-"_

 _"Don't mention their names."_ Roman hissed with startling venom. " _If I hear one of you mention them again you're going to wish I gave you to the Grimm when I'm done."_

 _"...sorry boss, just... with you-know-who, can't we take her down?"_ Ruffa asked.

" _If I thought we could off the bitch we'd have already done that."_ Roman replied, " _We're not getting out of this contract that way."_

Neo exhaled slowly, pursing her lips, curiosity stirring lazily somewhere in her. This was the second favor that the kingpin had volunteered in the past two weeks, and she and Jaune had been suitably wary of his reasoning. Roman Torchiwk was not a man who simply offered up information, especially not as payment for the kind of minor jobs they'd helped him pull.

He always had a reason, a motive... and so when he'd offered to let them listen in to his next meeting with his 'employer', they'd come up with a few reasons why he might be inviting them to do so. Setting a trap for them was definitely at the top of their list, which was the reason why Neo was stuck up here after securing a burner-scroll behind some garbage inside instead of using the listening device he'd given them.

But... it was sounding like their other leading theory was closer to the mark: Roman was afraid of someone. If what she was hearing was him telling the truth, something she wasn't sure about, then the obvious reason he wanted them listening in was as an insurance policy.

He wanted someone he sort-of trusted nearby, someone with a semblance that let them teleport, ready to get him out if things went badly for him... and if she happened to bring him to someone who could heal him afterwords, even better.

 _"Boss, outwatch just sent word. Car is coming up."_

Roman let out a loud grunt, " _Right. All of you keep your mouths shut and let me do the talking."_

Blowing out a breath, Neo carefully drew in her semblance, concealing herself as she rose to a ready crouch. Grabbing her weapon, she settled it across her thighs, one hand on the grip and the other midway down it as she got ready to move if she had to.

It took several more annoying minutes of waiting before the sounds of high heels click-clacking their way across concrete sounded in her ear.

 _"Roman._ " A woman purred, her voice overly sensual. " _I see you brought all your little minions with."_

" _Cinder."_ Roman replied calmly, far too calmly, _"Kind of in the middle of prepping for the next job, I can't exactly haul around entire containers of dust by myself."_

Cinder... a name. That was worth the favor right there. If there was a new power player in the Vale criminal underground, she and Jaune definitely needed to know that. Someone powerful enough to cow Roman was especially a threat, since they'd relied on him to keep their presence and their names quiet so as not to attract the attention of the enemy.

There was a low, rich laugh. " _And here I thought they were here because of me."_

 _"I'm not stupid, you made your point last time."_

The voice abruptly lost its purr, _"A point would not have to have made if not for your incompetence."_

 _"It's not my fault those animals hit the train while it was en route."_ A long pause, Roman probably lighting a cigar to try and portray nonchalance. _"Now is it?"_

 _"I don't care for your excuses, or that tone Roman."_ She continued, " _You came highly recommended... and I expect nothing but the best. Progress report."_

More silence, Roman stalling to prove that he still had a back-bone, probably timing his response right before the woman probably would have erupted. " _We're still on schedule, grabbing every bit of dust coming into the chain stores as fast as their insurance replaces it. I'll have it all by the time you said."_

 _"Not good enough, dear thief."_ She replied, the sensuality returning " _The schedule has changed. I need it all a month before. There is an SDC vessel en route, its hold full of dust. I want it, and you're going to get it for me."_

 _"Little obvious of a hit, don't you think? Thought the point of working through me was to stay low profile."_

 _"Quite."_ Cinder answered, " _Which is why you will work with my new allies. You will provide direction, they will provide the manpower. No one will believe you are working together, after all. It is an ideal solution, no?"_

 _"You can't be serious."_ Roman scoffed, " _Those animals fuck up everything they touch, and the Vale branch is an incompetent as they come."_

 _"I am quite serious, do not mistake my words for a suggestion Roman. As for their incompetence... I quite agree, that is why you will be leading them."_ Her voice shifted, as if she'd turned away, _"Mercury, please give him the details. Do get to work quickly... I'll be in touch."_

High heels started clicking again, and Neo made a snap decision. Removing her ear-piece, she dropped her semblance and strode out into the rain, trusting its sound to cover up her footsteps across the high roof. Nearing the edge, she slowed down, bending down until she could just barely peak over the low wall at the end of the building.

Two figures emerged a moment later, one carrying an umbrella above the other as they headed for one of two cars. The black cloth stopped her from seeing much of them from this angle, a flash of a red dress, maybe a man in dark clothes, nothing else. She gritted her teeth and started looking around for a place to teleport, somewhere she could get a look at them through the car's windows.

That let her notice someone else near the second car, a luxury model she and Jaune had helped Roman steal from a Councilman last month. It was a woman with green hair, and she was walking around the vehicle without a care in the world despite one of Roman's people standing guard right next to it.

That... wasn't right. He didn't even twitch when she walked right past him and popped the hood open, attaching something to it before closing it and striding back to the other vehicle.

Neo slowly moved back from the edge, then pulled another burner scroll out to send a text to the man directly below her.

 _Green girl supposed to put a bomb in your car? You still owe us two._

Her device pinged a moment later to indicate he'd received it... then she received a terse reply. _Fine. You know Cinder?_

No... she didn't, but Roman was no pushover. He was a former huntsman, stronger in a straight fight than she or Jaune, though they could probably have taken him working together. Or if she just cheated. Either way, if this Cinder had him so cowed that he wouldn't even snark back to her with all of his little minions around, then she had to be strong, and she had to have given him a demonstration of that strength.

Her finger tapped a single button, _X_

Dots moved across the screen, stopped, then returned, _Shit. You're not lying, are you?_

Ah, that was what this had been about. He'd gambled that she was the one that they'd been on the run from, and that they would have answers for him. _X … $?_

He took his time replying, time she took to get back to the little bit of shelter she had.

 _Not yet._ Roman eventually answered.

She pursed her lips, shrugged, and then tapped a button to wipe the device's address book. Before that was even complete, she reared back and threw the expendable scroll as hard as she could into the distance.

If Roman didn't want to spend his favors buying their help just yet, that was his issue. He probably had some kind of scheme to try and get out on his own, and if he did, they could simply copy him. For now... he'd given them a name, and a goal: a woman called Cinder wanted dust. An entire train's worth, or apparently an entire ship's worth, and then some. And if she was working with 'animals', there was only one group Roman referred to that way: the White Fang.

Someone else was playing games in Vale... right when they were finally making progress. How aggravating.

Twirling her parasol, she concentrated and felt Remnant shift around her, the roof of a warehouse becoming her bathroom at Beacon, water trickling down all over the tile floor. She glowered at her reflection, reaching up to pull her wet hair out of her eyes.

"Neo?" Jaune asked, pushing the door open, "Thought so, how did it... go...?"

His voice trailed off when she turned to glare at him, her weapon clicking as she drew it, more water trickling down her face and making her left eye twitch.

"...I got us ice cream from the kitchens?" He offered, backing away slowly as she smiled broadly and walked after him, tossing her parasol aside but keeping the naked steel in her hand. "I'll massage your feet, and feed it to you while you have a drink... um, Neo? Um... right, it's raining... you're probably really upset that I didn't mention that, huh?"

She was... but she was about to feel a whole lot better.

* * *

 _ **Blake and Ilia have their first fight, as I think that Ilia is the worst possible person to witness Blake's volume 1 hiding phase. We start to see the external divisions between the teams along with Pyrrha's usual issue, get a little story from Jaune, and then Roman points a miserable and wet Neo at Cinder to try and get some information.**_

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 ** _Thanks, Kat_**


	18. Semester I: Counseling, Conflict

**Counseling, Conflict**

* * *

Ilia had no idea what she was even doing here... and it was depressing to realize how common a feeling that was becoming.

Professor Arc's office was on the second floor of the Beacon tower, and had what looked to be a brand new plaque beneath his nameplate reading 'Student Counselor'. Apart from that... it was a door. A wooden door, with four slightly indented panels, three interesting patterns in the stain, and a silver handle below a keypad. She knew all of that because she'd been staring at the door for the last five minutes, wondering if there was any real point to her knocking on it.

 _It's not like I can even tell him the truth..._ and how could she even convey her frustration with Blake, her hatred of the Schnee brat, without telling the truth?

 _But if I go back now... they'll know I chickened out. I'll get those disappointed looks again. They'll say all the right things but I'll still feel their eyes on me, judging, wishing I wasn't bringing them down._

Then again, she wasn't really alone in that. Pyrrha was morose enough for the entire team even without Ilia being around. Over the last week she'd thrashed everyone she ran into in combat class, and it hadn't even been close. Xiao-Long had landed _a_ hit on her, knocking her aura down to eighty-eight percent and startling Pyrrha... then still lost in less than two minutes. Being the only person to have even managed to hit the champion hadn't seemed to improve the blonde's mood.

Combine that with Nora surprising Schnee with her grenades in yesterday's outdoor class, her and Blake's fight the day before that had left them both bruised and glaring furiously at one another, and everything that had happened last Friday... Team RWBY had shifted from friendly, to polite ignorance, and then on to openly shunning team RAVN.

Since the girls on that team were all gorgeous and in the top ten of the combat chart, they'd decisively won the social advantage; the other teams were all following their lead. The sole exception was team CRDL, who seemed to hate everyone else pretty equally; leaving them as fellow outcasts who also happened to want nothing to do with RAVN.

It had only been a week, but they were all starting to feel the ostracization, even Nora... but Pyrrha was taking it the hardest.

 _Stop distracting yourself!_ She growled, shaking her head. _Either knock or go back!_

Sucking in a sharp breath, she forced her feet to move forwards and knocked once on the door. After a few moments she heard the quiet sound of high heels moving across hardwood, then the door opened a crack to reveal the professor's short partner.

A pink eye narrowed at her, and Ilia swallowed before forcing the words out, "I'm... here to talk to the professor. About counseling."

The woman's lips pressed together, then she nodded. She vanished for a moment, something rustling, and then opened the door all the way and waved her in.

Ilia cautiously stepped inside, and felt her stomach shift a little as she realized that his living quarters were connected to his office. While the area of the room she'd stepped into had a couple of couches and an armchair arranged around a broad desk, off to the left there was a small dining area and a kitchenette. Thankfully the door leading to his bedchambers was closed, which made her feel a little less awkward.

The Professor himself was sitting behind his desk, several papers spread out in front of him, though his tired expression became a smile as she entered. "Ilia, what brings you here?"

"Hello Prof-" Blue eyes abruptly narrowed and she quickly changed her word, "-Jaune. I was... I... well... my team thinks I should talk to someone."

"Oh." He seemed surprised at that, blinking a couple of times before nodding. "Of course, would you like to sit down? Something to drink?"

"Water please." She answered, looking to the chairs. She wanted one that didn't have its back to the... _none of them have their backs to the door? That's... something._

Picking the armchair, she took the short walk and process of sitting to get a better look around the room. It was surprisingly plain, without any real decorations. There was a weapons rack against the wall behind his desk, both his and his partner's arms carefully set upon it. Next to them were two more, a complicated looking dust flail, and then a hunter-grade shotgun with a cleaver-like bayonet attached.

Between the near-at-hand weapons, the lack of any personal touches, and the carefully positioned seating, the room felt... familiar. She could have been in an unusually well-furnished safe-house rather than a professor's home.

She had to fight the instinctive urge to relax, to sink into the chair and groan as if she'd just come back from a hard mission.

Miss Neopolitan walked over a moment later, offering her a glass, which she took. The woman then turned to her partner, bringing her hands up and signing something rapidly. He watched, then nodded and smiled. "See you when you get back."

Ilia watched her leave grab her weapon and then leave, biting her lip, "Am I interrupting something?"

 _If you say yes, I can leave and say you were busy._

He snorted and leaned back in his chair before waving a hand at his desk, "Planning out the syllabus for my class, its about as fun as it sounds."

She tried for a weak smile and sipped at her water.

The professor noticed her hesitation and some of his joviality faded as he neatly tucked his paperwork together, dumping it into a drawer before resting his hands together. "Well, what did you want to talk about?"

"..nothing." Ilia admitted after a moment. "My team are the ones who think I need this."

He considered that, tilting his head, "You're annoyed with them?"

"I... no, not really." She shook hers, "They asked me once, last week, but haven't pushed since."

There was a slow nod, "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Part of her did, but the part of her that was relaxing around him, around this room, thought that seemed better than her leaving right after showing up, or the pair of them sitting around awkwardly, so she nodded in return and sipped some more water.

 _Get your head in the game. You're in Beacon, not getting debriefed by a concerned comrade._

"Team RAVN seems like you are especially tight knit." Jaune said, speaking slowly as if working out his thoughts, "So I don't think its a problem inside your team. If I had to guess... it's either about Miss Schnee or Miss Belladona."

Her throat went a little dry. "...what makes you say that?"

"I'll admit I'm not very good at social cues, but even I can't miss it when two of my students try to kill each other in what should be a friendly spar." He replied dryly, holding up a hand before she could protest, "I know, not the best choice of words, but I could tell you wanted to go after Weiss even after the fight ended. And yesterday Glynda was about a second away from blasting you and Blake apart from each other."

She winced and looked away, feeling her freckles ripple to a depressed blue. "It wasn't like that."

"Of course." But he said in the tone of voice people use when they didn't mean it. "May I ask why you don't want to talk about it?"

 _You wouldn't understand._

"I wouldn't?"

Her heart skipped a beat as she realized she'd said those thoughts aloud. "I.."

"Because I'm not a faunus." He supplied for her, his voice... carefully neutral. "You hate her because of what the SDC has done to your people."

Something snapped inside her. "How can I not!? You don't know! You can't know! How many of my people has her family murdered!? How many of them have died in those gods-forsaken dust mines!? Just so they can turn a better profit, so she can have her grand balls and her concerts, so she can run around with three trollies of luggage just for school when I'm stuck with a ratty old suitcase we got from the garbage!"

Her skin flushed red as she rose, her fists tightening as she seethed, taking a step closer to his desk. "You haven't been there! You don't know what they treat us like! We're not even animals to them, we're... we're.. _machines_ that _complain_ , and they replace us like machines! They _laugh_ when there's a cave in and faunus die by the dozen, it's _joke_ to them! You don't know, you've never seen..."

Jaune regarded her silently, then to her surprise he nodded slowly, "You're right. I don't know, not like you do."

Ilia felt her chest heaving as she fought to steady her breathing. _I need... to calm down. He's... a professor._ "...thank you for admitting it, but-"

"But," He spoke over her, "You are wrong. I have seen it. I was at the Krohf mines when the workers rioted. I saw what they'd been living in, what their supervisors had been doing to them. Neo and I both did."

 _The Krohf mines...?_

The last SDC mine in Vacuo had been almost legendary, the deepest fire dust deposit ever discovered. It had been worked for more than a century, first by the natives, and then by Mantle when the other kingdoms had raced to carve up Vacuo between them. It had been taken over by the local government in the wake of the Great War, then bought by the SDC when that government had collapsed into anarchy.

Ilia shook her head, baffled, skin rippling to natural once more. "But... I saw the news," _Heard the reports, talked to some of the people who went there._ "That was a White Fang raid that started the riot."

Jaune snorted. "Oh they showed up eventually, and I'll give them their credit, they're the only reason it turned out well for... all of us... but they sure as hell didn't start the fighting. That was all on the locals, they'd just... had enough, they refused to work."

"... you were there?" She asked.

He huffed out a breath and waved for her to sit again. "Yeah, we were. The SDC knew that things were deteriorating there, that the White Fang in Vacuo was thinking about making a move. Shade had just told Schnee to fuck off, and that they'd consider any Atlesian military presence to be an act of war... so his people started to hire mercenaries."

Ilia froze halfway through sitting, red flooding her once more, "You worked for-"

"Sit." He actually _growled_ the word, and she found herself seated before she realized she'd done so. "Yes, the SDC hired us, and no, they didn't tell the truth about it. We and several other freelance huntsman _thought_ we were being hired to escort a giant dust shipment from the mines to a port city for a whole lot of lien that we badly needed. When we got there they told to us sit tight and defend the facility while their people... pacified a few problem workers in advance of the shipment."

Her fists clenched again, but she forced herself to stay quiet as his eyes grew distant. "We realized what was happening after about an hour, and... well, the SDC had fucked up. Everyone they'd hired except me was native to Vacuo, and when they saw Atlesians shooting at the workers... they just snapped. I went in with them."

Her breath caught as her mouth opened, "You changed sides?"

"I was _never_ on the SDC's side." The amount of vitriol in his voice made her eyes water, it was so near her own. "I'd seen enough to not like them before that, but... that was it. We went in and started demolishing the mechs, fighting off guards. We got the workers into their barracks and held the doors. Had to charge out once and a while when they tried to use the mine explosives and dust, but we held."

"For two days." She whispered, she knew the rest of the story. "Until Sienna Khan and the White Fang arrived."

"Yeah..." Jaune actually seemed to chuckle quietly, "I only saw her from a distance, but gods... that woman tore into the guards like nothing I've ever seen before. We helped them organize the workers and the wounded, then were... politely told to clear out. We grabbed what lien we were owed from the manager's safe and then left."

"Then..." She shook her head, "Then you know why I hate her, why I just want to... beat her smug little face in every time she turns her nose up at me."

The professor closed his eyes and then out a long breath, "I'll admit my first impression of her was pretty poor as well, but... I think you're transferring your emotions a bit."

Ilia blinked. "What?"

"I will admit that I hate Jacques Schnee." He replied, "I've never met him, but I've seen what kind of people he hires, what his corporation does... and I sincerely hate that man. Even if he doesn't order the things his people do directly, he's still responsible for hiring the ones who do it. But when I was at that mine, with those workers... _Weiss_ Schnee was a fifteen year old girl, who I very much doubt has or had any influence in how the SDC is run."

Teeth clenched together, "She is his _heir_."

"And her older sister isn't, because rumor has it she told him to fuck off and joined the army." Jaune waved a hand around them, "Considering that Weiss is here, and not in Atlas, how long do you think it will be before she's cut out too?"

 _That's... that's not..._ She shook her head, emotions and memories fighting with his words.

"I'm not saying you should run off and hug her or anything." He said gently, "Anger... isn't always bad, but if you're going to be angry make sure you're angry at the right person. Just think about it."

Hugging Schnee? Just the image of it made her stomach roll as she shook her head, but the rest of his words... "I... I'll try. Thank you... for listening, Jaune. And for telling me that."

"You're welcome." He replied quietly, a kind smile fighting its way back onto his face, but it seemed strained, like he was still remembering being there. "Come back if you ever think you need to."

Ilia nodded and rose, heading for the door. Just as she got there, she paused... swallowed, and spoke without facing him. "My parents died in a dust mine. I... thank you, for what you did for the others."

She jerked the door open and ducked out before he could reply.

* * *

Jaune watched Ilia go, the door swinging shut behind her. Then he buried his face in his hands and fought to catch his breath.

It had taken everything he'd had to stay calm when she'd screamed at him, then to rationally relate what he'd seen without screaming back at her.

He hadn't told her everything, he couldn't have. She seemed... not innocent, but close to it. She didn't need to know just how awful those mines had been. How confusion had turned to horror as they'd seen guards laughing as the shot the legs out from under screaming faunus before leaving them to die in the sand.

How that had been the first time he'd killed a man.

 _The guard had been laughing as a woman with ram horns screamed in pain. He'd stopped laughing when Crocea Mors went into his back and out through his stomach, black colored blood spraying when Jaune tore his sword free._

 _Others started howling in betrayed confusion and horror as the hunters fell on them, Neo slitting two throats in as many seconds. A dark haired woman beheading another with her axe while her husband gunned down a pair of mechs, Vest shouting for the workers to retreat east, into the barracks and housing structures. A pale girl with gang tats whirling a bladed chain as she cut down the manager who'd hired them._

Neo and another huntress with the ability to teleport, hers from one shadow to another, had been the only reason they'd lasted those two days, while they desperately tried to boost a scroll signal past the SDC's jamming. They hadn't cared _who_ they contacted for help, Shade; freelances, the White Fang, criminals... they'd simply been that desperate.

He'd revealed his semblance almost at once, and had promptly gotten the lion's share of everyone's food so that he could keep Neo and Charrie's auras topped off, so that they'd be strong enough to run out and take out the explosives that the SDC kept trying to use to blow the barracks to hell and gone. But they hadn't exactly been prepared for a siege, and that's what they'd ended up in. They hadn't had the food, the water, the supplies... the anything.

Midway through the second day, the six hunters had all gathered to hold a vicious debate: stay and die with the workers... or fight their way out and leave them to their fate.

They'd eventually agreed on a compromise; they would try for a mass break out with the workers just before dawn on the next day, when it was still mostly dark. Those few faunus with engineering skills would be the VIPs, protected by the six of them personally, and they and everyone else would rush for the rail yard together. None of them had been confident that any but the huntsman would make it, and even they'd been pessimistic about their ability to get a train going while under fire.

That had been the first time he and Neo had made love. Two grimy, sweaty, exhausted teenagers having fumbling, awkward sex in a rotted old cot, not sure if they'd survive until dawn.

The White Fang had hit around midnight, the ancient faunus custom of a shock night assault overwhelming the security guards and mechs in a matter of minutes. They'd been more occupied with Grimm attracted by the battle, and with maintaining the siege itself, and had died fast and brutally. The human staff had quickly followed, executed one by one, often by the workers themselves.

 _Only reason we survived was because they vouched for us, stood between us and the Fang._ He shook his head a little, remembering the growled conversations before the terrorists had told them the workers were insisting they be paid, and to take it from the vault... and to get the hell out before dawn.

 _That was the last time we accepted a contract like that... we never worked for an actual company again, not even a little one._

He shook his head, fighting down the bitter memories. That had been the closest they'd both come to actual death, to a no-win situation, how close their quest to avenge their friends had come to ending. All because they'd seen the giant amount of lien on the offered contract and hadn't asked the right questions.

 _Stop thinking about it... you both learned from that, you've never made that mistake again. Now get a grip._

Blowing out a breath, he rose from his chair and padded into the kitchen. A strong drink would help calm his nerves, then he could try and distract himself with work once more.

He hoped.

* * *

Ruby Rose sighed as she left the dorm building, heading for the forges.

 _Welcome to Beacon..._

In some ways, it was everything she had wanted and more, even the classes! Sure, Professor Port made her and everyone else fall asleep, but Oobleck could be really funny when you could understand him, and Goodwitch gave her the same kind of blunt but not unkind advice that Uncle Qrow did. And Professor Arc was... just awesome! He was kind, skilled, and always seemed ready with a kind word and a smile.

And she was on a team with Yang! Weiss had been... her sister would say 'weiss-cold' at first, but she'd started to warm up a lot! She could still be really prickly, but Ruby could tell she'd started to really care about team RWBY! They'd be best friends in no time! And Blake may have been really quiet and kind of moody, but she was funny when she snarked and she liked to talk about the old books Ruby had loved as a kid.

 _Team RWBY is awesome..._ She felt herself droop a little as she walked down the path, biting her lip. _I just wish I could say the same about the others._

She wasn't used to being in the popular group... even when Yang had been the most awesome girl in Signal, Ruby had just kind of been the tag-along sister. Someone Yang's friends put up with because she was related to Yang, not because they really liked her. She'd had some friends in her own year, but it had been kind of awkward for everyone with her dad and Uncle Qrow both around as teachers.

Now it seemed like _everyone_ wanted to be her friend... and she was surprised to find out that she really didn't like that. At first it had been awesome, to finally be included in her sister's clique, to have them actually want to know _her_ instead of to just know Yang through her. But... they'd remembered who Ruby was quickly enough, when she'd gushed over their weapons and showed off hers. None of them had the same passion she did, and it showed... but they tried to keep talking with her anyway.

It left the conversations really awkward, even for her. They usually tried to change the topic quickly, and not towards other weapon-theories. Or towards comics. Or towards games. They just wanted her to complain about 'stuck up' Pyrrha was, or about classes, or if Jaune was really 'involved' with his partner.

 _I mean... I'm kind of curious about that, but they just take it so far! Not that the guys are any better, they've just gone from asking me if they have a chance with Yang to if they have a chance with Weiss or Blake._

Ruby sighed as she turned right, her eyes on her feet. _Honestly... I'm the youngest one here and it seems like I'm the most mature sometimes._

Yang wasn't much help. She loved her sister, but she'd gone right into super-sister over-protective mode after her disaster with Pyrrha. Ruby had thought that Yang would get over that, her anger always burned hot and fast... then the red-head had beaten up Yang's friends in the ring, and then she'd beaten up Yang... and it was making things really awkward for her, because she knew she'd been the one who'd screwed up that first fight by charging in. Qrow would have bopped her on the head and made her run a hundred laps if he'd seen it.

She liked Pyrrha! And Nora, and Ren, and Ilia! Their weapons were so cool! Well.. Ren's kind of weren't, but the others were awesome! Ruby had been sure that she'd felt something click with Ilia that first day, and when she and Pyrrha had sat next to other in history on Thursday.

 _But now Ilia is fighting with Blake too, and Weiss just hates her..._

Ruby had tried to propose that they spar with RAVN after hours, since they were the top-ranked team overall, and you didn't get better by fighting people worse than you! Her cheerful speech had fallen on deaf ears and had been immediately vetoed by her entire team. None of them wanted anything to do with RAVN, and it had left her feeling depressed and awkward, as well as a failure as a leader. She'd even followed Weiss' advice, written it out ahead of time and read it twice to herself! It had sounded good!

They'd all just stared at her, apologized, and then flatly said they weren't interested.

Yang had noticed how crestfallen she'been, and tried to cheer her up with an impromptu party at MINT's dorm, proving that her sister could read her mood and yet completely miss the mark.

She'd slipped out almost as soon as she'd gone in, Blake bailing along with her before heading to the library to find a new book, while Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose for some late-evening maintenance.

Her thoughts were broken when another set of feet appeared in front of hers just as she got to a corner near a hedge, and another girl let out a surprised sound. Ruby jerked her head up, too startled to dodge, and saw a tanned chin right before her forehead smacked into it. Someone grabbed onto her to try and keep her upright, but since she was already going down all they managed to do was get their feet tangled with hers.

"Ow..." Ruby groaned as a hundred something pounds of huntress landed on top of her, the skin rippling between bright colors telling her who'd she just walked right into like a dunce. "Hi Ilia."

"Ruby?" Her name came out as a groan, the older girl pushing herself off of her. "I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."

"No-no-no! I was... kind of staring at my feet, my fault!" She protested,wincing as she pushed Crescent Rose out from where she'd landed on it. "...heh. Second time I've landed on my butt when you try and catch me."

Ilia blinked at her, then her freckles turned a shade of pink. "... it is, isn't it? Sorry again."

Ruby waved her hands back and forth as she got up, "No, no, it's ok, my fault. Whatcha doing out here?"

To her surprise, the color faded from the freckles, and Ilia gave her an odd look. "I could ask you the same thing. Shouldn't you be off with your partner or sister?"

 _Oh... right..._ "I um..." She reached down and collected her baby, hooking it up to her back, "They're kind of hanging out with MINT and FRST, it's not really my... thing. Thought I'd head to the forges."

Ilia blinked, then frowned. "Oh."

"So..." Ruby kicked a foot back and forth a little, stretching out her back. "...what are you doing out here? Thought you'd be with your team too."

"They..." The girl seemed to struggle with something before sigh. "Thought it would be good for me to talk with Professor Arc, about... a few things."

 _Oh. Ohhhh._ "Um, did you?"

Ilia nodded slightly. "I did, just left actually."

Ruby fought the urge to poke her fingers together. "Did it help?"

"I... don't know." She turned as she said it, looking back at Beacon tower with a slight frown on her face. "I told him how I felt, he... told me a story. I need to think about it."

"Well," Ruby tried, "I'm sure it will help once you do. Jaune's cool like that, isn't he?"

"He's certainly something." Ilia replied, cocking her head a little. "Um... were you going to go to the forges?"

 _Well, I was, but... now I'm just trying to work up the courage to actually do this._ "Well... since I ran into you, I was kind of wondering if, um..."

The faunus girl blinked. "Ruby?"

Ruby winced and looked down. "Can I spar with you? And maybe Pyrrha too? I really want to get better, and my Uncle Qrow always said that losing to people was a good way to learn fast, and she's the best in the year and you're fourth so it seemed like a good idea!"

That definitely seemed to take the other girl off guard. "What about your team?"

"I've sparred with Yang every week for like five years." She shook her head, "And I set up a team session on Saturdays where we all spar, but... variety is important right?"

Ilia pursed her lips, "I... kind of meant that I don't think they'd approve, Ruby. RAVN is... not really well liked right now. Me and Pyrrha especially."

Ruby clenched her fists. "I... I know. I asked them all to spar with you, and they said no. But I'm asking anyway, for me. And... and for them, when the remember how nice you guys are."

"Nice..?" Ilia repeated quietly, for some reason turning back to the tower again. "...nice."

"I mean..." Ruby glanced away, "If you don't want to, that's ok, I can just go to the forges and-"

"Pyrrha and I were going to do some light sparring in the gardens tonight." Her head shot up to see a small smile on Ilia's lips, "I was actually heading over there. If you want to come with, I'm sure she won't mind."

"Really!?" She gushed. "Awesome!"

Ilia set off that way, and Ruby happily fell in next to her, feeling her chest lighten. This _was_ awesome, one little bit of courage and she already had a friend back! Tomorrow she'd get started on a plan to get one set of friends to like the other set of friends, and then Beacon would be perfect! Tonight though...

She swallowed as she saw Pyrrha leaning against a tree up ahead, checking her blade and looking up when Ilia waved to her.

 _Planning is for tomorrow, tonight... I am going to give her a fight that she'll remember, and prove that I can do this!_

* * *

Cinder Fall sipped red wine, staring out from the window of the hotel at the distant light that was Beacon. She found herself in a rare, pondering mood, musing on her plans and the actions of the pawns that she had collected.

"He found the tracking device I left." Emerald reported quietly, "I'm not sure how ma'am. The guard never saw me, I was positive. There may have been another lookout."

"Hmm." She hummed in reply, not overly concerned. It would have been useful, to locate more of the thief's hideouts, but not crucial. "It is of no matter. How goes your second assignment?"

The girl hesitated, always a sign that she thought she had failed. "I... less then well, ma'am. I'm sorry."

A finger tapped on her glass. "Explain."

"No one will talk." Emerald replied, frustration coloring her words, lending them honesty. "Not even when I get them alone and make them think they're talking to their closest comrade! They clam up as soon as I even _hint_ about it and tell me to shut my mouth before Roman hears, or before _they_ do."

Her lips quirked a little, "Interesting."

And it was... so very, _very_ interesting.

Roman Torchwik may have been Vale's most powerful criminal, a disgraced huntsman, and, she would admit, very clever... but he had amassed power beyond that of his station over the past twelve months. Gangs that had only nominally paid him lip service had begun to rush to give him his due, and his heists had become more sensational and high-profile. His wealth had increased to the point where even she could no longer track what he owned and did not, and his actual home base remained irritatingly illusive even with Emerald's assistance.

More concerning, he'd even fought openly with Valean huntsman, professionals directly assigned to his capture, and had evaded them multiple times without incident.

The king of the rats had found allies... skilled ones. Huntsman themselves if rumor was to be believed: a man and a woman, whose description seemed to change with every story about them. Sometimes their skin and hair with both black as ink, others told of twins with red hair, and still more stories hailed them as faunus with wolfish ears.

Yet the most common tale had them both as shockingly pale with brightly colored hair and emerald eyes.

 _All features intended to distract, to catch the eye, to make it difficult to remember actual features._ She sipped more wine, admiring the technique. _One of them, perhaps both if they are truly siblings, has a semblance of illusion or something near it._

"Should I continue to work on that?"

Cinder considered the question, then shook her head once. "No. If you have not cracked them yet, a few more efforts will not help. In either case, Mercury and yourself need to return to Mistral soon, to keep up appearances before the other children."

"Yes ma'am." Another hesitation. "...will you be all right, without us?"

Without me, she meant. She truly had trained Emerald well... it was one of the things she took real pride in. "You have your orders, Emerald. Obey them."

"Yes Cinder." The girl replied instantly, and she saw her bow in the reflection of the window before leaving.

 _There really is nothing more valuable than a properly trained assistant..._

Idly lifting a scroll from its place beside her, she tapped a few buttons to project images upon the window, the lights darkening around her to make them clear.

The first was a simple image, rough, taken from a scroll amid a sandstorm. Four teenagers breaking away from a larger body, rushing for the dark shape of a building in the distance. All wore goggles and masks suitable to the environment and were covered in so much sand, gravel, and dust that features or hair color was impossible to tell.

Their weapons were visible however: Two swords, a flail, and a rifle.

"Hazel... Tyrian." She hummed, "Your failures again fall to me to resolve, and what failures they are."

They had accounted for the location and alibi of every other survivor from the school... but for the most important ones. Those who had been in that warehouse before it exploded, who had been present when those two fools had run their mouths. Students who had survived, who had remembered, who had raided libraries and ruins, who had stayed one step ahead of Hazel, then Tyrian, and then Hazel once more for nearly three years.

A man and a woman, whose features could never be consistently defined, whose names had seemingly vanished from the paltry records left over.

The second image was a map of Vacuo, while the third one of Vale. Red dots showed confirmed sightings, blue suspected, and green those now being watched by Seer Grimm as sentries. The pair had traveled widely and rapidly, starting eight months after the fall of the school, fleeing from Vacuo's capital when Hazel had been too obvious in his cursory search.

Salem had been displeased with him for that, though not as displeased as she had been with Tyrian when he had spent most of a year chasing ghosts with nothing to show for it.

Hazel had been given the hunt once again, as she was too occupied with preparations for her own mission, while Watts had his own focus in Mistral. He had tracked them by rumor and sighting across the failed nation, and his reports had increasingly made Salem's temper shorten even as he had at least made progress.

They had assuredly journeyed to the ancient temple and witnessed its tales, and they had also been placed at the tomb of the fallen king not long after. Other locations were less relevant, and struck her, and later Watts, as the flailing of amateurs. They had clearly learned that some of Remnant's myths and legends held grains of truth, but not which in specific should be followed up upon. Overall it seemed like the pair had simply struck out in whatever direction they were nearest to next, absorbing information as quickly as they could before fleeing to the next.

 _They know they are hunted, and they are right to be afraid... but that amateurism may make them useful tools._

Cinder smiled and tapped another command, straightening her shoulders and lifting her chin. The call connected a few moments later, Arthur Watts' features appearing on the window before her.

" _Cinder dear, so good to see you."_ His voice dripped with its usual insincerity. " _Do you have a report for her majesty, or is this simply a social call?"_

"A report." She purred in reply, "Please connect me."

He rolled his eyes but did so, and a few moments later she saw her mistress seated upon a chair, her chin carelessly resting in the palm of one hand. " _Cinder."_

"You majesty." Cinder replied, bowing her head. "I have excellent news for you."

Salem's red yes narrowed, though her lips curled one side. " _Do you now... let me hear this good news of yours, dear child."_

"I can confirm that Hazel's mistakes are active within Vale." She smiled in triumph as she said it, feeling her status growing as Salem's attention abruptly sharpened. "They have made extensive contacts in the city's criminal network, including with its two largest actors... and I believe they are still here."

The Queen of the Grimm's smile widened, "... _well done, Cinder. Well done indeed. I trust that you are attempting to locate them more precisely?"_

"In a manner of speaking." Which wasn't technically a lie, she had simply paused her search until new evidence appeared. Her search for Amber, to finish what she started, was now and always would be her priority. "But I believe my information gives us new insight, and a window of opportunity."

 _"Consider me... intrigued."_ Salem offered, " _Do explain."_

Cinder bowed her head once more, "We feared them reaching out to Ozpin, that they would become new assets set against us. Yet here they are, in Vale, the heart of the wizard's power... and they instead chose to associate with criminals. To work in shadows, to avoid attention, and their closest ally is a man who has terrified his own people so as not to speak their names even when alone... and he is also a renowned _thief_ who they have spent a great deal of time working with, perhaps even learning from."

Salem's eyes brightened into sharp rubies. " _...you have my complete attention, dear Cinder."_

"I believe they are as set against Ozpin as we, and that they wish to size the Relic of Choice for themselves." Cinder's lips quirked, "But I do not believe that they know that only the Fall Maiden can reach it, and even if they do, poor Amber lays dying. They will need me to reach their prize, and I will make sure they know it. We may be able to complete our complete our business here far ahead of schedule, and I can dispose of them once we are in the vault."

 _"Clever."_ Her Queen purred, nodding slowly, " _You may proceed. But Cinder... when you do locate this pair, when you have the Relic, bring them to me alive and as gently as possible."_

That took her aback slightly, "Alive?"

" _Useful pawns are more valuable than dead enemies."_ Salem replied, her gaze boring into hers. " _If you are correct, these two have evaded ourselves and Ozpin alike for more than two years. I can think of many uses for such talent."_

Cinder pursed her lips, but nodded, "Yes, my Queen."

* * *

 ** _Ilia rants, Jaune tells a less pleasant story, Ruby is Ruby, and Cinder is plotting. Situation... pretty normal. We're probably about halfway through season one at this point, glad everyone is still enjoying the ride._**

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	19. Semester I: New Routines

**New Routines**

* * *

Jaune's first month and a half in Beacon passed by in a slow blur as he, and everyone else, settled into their daily routines.

For him, that meant up at six to shower, shave, and generally clean up, followed by making breakfast for himself and Neo whenever she deigned to drag herself out of bed. By seven-thirty he was in the teacher's lounge, sipping coffee with the others as they braced themselves for yet another day. They would discuss the students, or the weather, or sometimes just sit in a comfortable silence before trickling out one by one.

Typically he and Bart were the last ones out. The history teacher had the latest starting class, and Jaune didn't open his office for 'counseling' until nine, so they usually lingered later than the others. The energetic man had taken to pumping him for information about Vacuo, about its history, and Jaune hadn't seen any reason not to oblige him.

Oobleck seemed incredibly knowledgeable, and while he tried to keep Roman's warnings about making friends in mind, this one seemed like a safe enough bet. If he could stay on good terms with him after he quit, he'd be a valuable source of information on old ruins and myths of Vale and Mistral.

 _And someone we can actually talk to besides Sol..._

Once the others were all off teaching class, he'd wander back to his office and settle in for a long day of counseling; also known as being paid to plot a heist against his own employer while sitting around bored.

He'd gotten a rush of students in the first week, but nearly all of them had merely been looking to get out of class or to get a look at the new teacher. Things had settled down quite a bit after that, to the point where it was a rare day where anyone actually came by. There'd been a couple of people who come in to rant about girlfriend or boyfriend troubles, which had left him feeling utterly lost and a bit awkward.

Jaune had said a few platitudes and been left feeling like he'd done nothing but sit there and listen to things he really would rather not have.

To his surprise, Ilia had actually come back once a week after her initial mini-explosion. She'd remained less interested in talking about herself in favor of asking his opinions on faunus rights, on what things were like in Vacuo, and occasionally venting about the state of such things in Vale. He still had no idea what was up between her and Blake, though she _did_ at least seem to have stopped acting like she actively plotting Weiss' murder.

Not that it had helped relations between the first year teams any.

"Was I just blind in school?" He asked Neo on a Wednesday where she had gotten bored enough to attend Combat Class with him. "Because I don't remember things being this tense."

Neo tapped her lip then shook her head, watching as Nora and Yang went at it again in the ring. The friendly camaraderie and grins of their first week were long gone, and the fight between the two physically strongest girls in class was smashing bits of the floor to pieces as they brawled.

"Tensions do develop between teams," Glynda spoke from beside them, her eyes remaining on the fight. "But I will admit this year's are particularly divisive. I don't suppose any of them have approached you?"

"Just one." He winced as Nora caught Yang in the leg with her hammer, sending the other girl flying. She hit the ground, rolled, and then rocketed right back into the fight. "I think I helped her, or at least got her to start thinking rationally instead of emotionally, but it's going to take some time."

The other teacher pursed her lips, "The Forever Fall field trip is in two weeks. If things continue as they are we will be bombarded by Grimm from the time we land until we depart and it will be a wasted experience."

Personally he thought that a bit of an exaggeration, but he supposed he couldn't blame her.

Beside him, Neo lifted her hands, miming a fighting pose followed by bringing them together. Glynda, frowned at her, then glanced to Jaune for a translation.

He rubbed awkwardly at his hair. "She wants to know if that's really a bad thing, that kind of life or death struggle might wake them up a bit."

Glynda exhaled slowly, looking back to the spar. "It may, but I would prefer we not have to resort to such tactics. The chance of a student being harmed, even with us supervising, are simply too great."

Jaune glanced at Neo, who winked at him and nodded once the other woman's back was to her. _Right, here we go..._

"What about something smaller then?" He asked, "Something less dangerous, closer to the school?"

"One moment." Glynda murmured before raising her voice. "That is the match! Miss Xiao Long is the winner by aura loss."

The two girls looked horrible, covered in bruises that their aura had stopped from being broken bones, but both staggered over as they were supposed to in order to receive their grades and advice.

Glynda regarded them flatly once they showed up, and her tones became the arctic gale she used to indicate her extreme displeasure. "I am not sure what personal problems you have with one another, and quite frankly, I do not care. However, if the pair of you ever put on such an obscene and unskilled display again, you will both face _me_ in the ring."

Nora's eyes widened almost comically, and Yang's sweaty skin paled considerably.

"Professor Arc has spent the last month attempting to impart advice to both of when it comes to mitigating incoming damage and attacks." Glynda continued, "Advice you both have consistently failed to learn from despite his cherry-picking the proper opponents for you. From this point on neither of you will fight anyone besides Miss Nikos or Miss Rose. If you continue to fail to improve, you will graduate to Mister Arc and Miss Neopolitan... and those fights _will_ be counted against your ranking. Am I understood?"

Both girls nodded shakily, and were dismissed with an irritated wave of Glynda's hand. "Ilia Amitola of Team RAVN, Fiye Young of Team FRST, report to the ring."

Jaune let out a quiet sigh as the two teens fled with their tails between their legs. He didn't like seeing Glynda snarl like that, it reminded him too much of Verde... but unlike that jerk, she at least reserved her anger for when she thought it actually warranted.

 _In terms of raw strength those two are at the top of the class... hell, Cardin's the only guy who can even try and go toe-to-toe with them in a strength contest... but Glynda's right. They're getting worse instead of better when it comes to avoiding attacks._ He'd tried to help them, having them fight Ruby, Blake, Ilia, Ren, Russel... it hadn't helped as much as he'd thought it would. Especially Yang. She'd gone from being the closest one to giving Pyrrha a real fight to losing her temper almost at once and getting trounced.

Nora was normally better, but whatever bad blood was between RAVN and RWBY tended to set her off as well, leaving the two of them to just wail on each other like heavily armed drunks.

It had made them both start to backslide from their initial high spots, and he'd noted that Glynda hadn't counted the fight as a win for Yang...which promptly made her drop all the way down to sixth while Nora plummeted out of the top eight. The students noted the updated rankings and whispers seemed to break out almost at once; Glynda had never given out a double-loss before, and it definitely left an impression.

A glance at the chart told him what he already knew. Pyrrha remained undefeated at the top, with Weiss and Blake vying for second a good distance behind, though it was becoming increasingly clear that Weiss was going to hold on to that spot, especially as Yang had just vanished from third. Ruby, Ren, and Ilia formed a kind of revolving door right behind them, though Ilia seemed to be fading as people adjusted to her... unique style, and Ruby was fighting her way up in a slow but steady climb.

The only person not from RAVN or RWBY in the top eight was Dove from CRDL, the quiet boy hovering at seventh despite a mediocre win-loss record.

 _But it's not always about winning... it's about getting better, and learning, and it seems like so many of them just aren't._

Neo tugged on his arm, and he blinked to see Glynda regarding him with something like amusement. Her tones were those of someone repeating themselves, "What did you have in mind, Mister Arc?"

"Huh? Oh, right." He shook his head, barely noticing the next fight already starting. "I was thinking I could hold a preliminary group class, maybe this weekend. I'd take a couple of teams out into the Emerald Forest and make them work together."

Glynda crossed her arms, "I'm guessing you have two teams in mind?"

"They do seem to be the ones causing most of the issues." Jaune shrugged, "If they even start to tolerate each other I think most of the rest will simmer down, and I can always repeat it to make sure none of the others feel left out."

"Likely a wise decision." She pursed her lips, obviously thinking about it. "Their objective?"

"Relic retrieval again, that way we could use the cameras to keep an eye on all of them." He waved a hand at Neo, "She'd come with, one of us for each team, and we'd be close enough to the school that getting back in case of trouble would be simple."

Glynda's frown deepened, "You will have them work in their teams?"

"Not exactly..." Jaune sighed, "I'm going to do something I'm pretty sure they'll hate."

He'd told her his basic plan by the end of the next fight, and she'd thought it workable. Her only caveat was that since this would effectively be considered part of his actual class, they would need Ozpin's permission for him to start a month and a half early.

"I don't believe he will have any issues, Jaune." She replied, a small smile on her face. "I believe you have done splendidly so far. We can speak with him after class."

What was left of his conscience squirmed inside his chest as he smiled back, thanking her before she stepped out to critique the most recent fighters. Neo found his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, nodding to show that she approved of how he'd handled the conversation.

 _Another step closer._

* * *

Ruby winced as her sister wailed dramatically, "Mandatory _Saturday_ lessons!? Saturday _morning_!?"

"Would you please stop screeching?" Weiss sighed from her desk, not looking up from her history assignment. "Complaining about it will hardly changed their minds. Ruby, does it say what the lesson is for?"

Shaking her head as Yang continued to whine from her lounging spot in bed, she glanced down at her scroll and kept reading. "Um... Team RWBY is to report to the Initiation Cliffs for mandatory lessons at eight in the morning this Saturday, they are to bring their weapons and combat gear. This will be a group tactics session taught by Professor Arc! This is going to be awesome!"

Weiss sighed again, "Really Ruby?"

"You were just as excited as me when he kicked CRDL's butt!" She stabbed a finger at her partner, then jerked her eyes back to the message. "...the lesson will count as your first evaluation in Group Tactics and Excursions, and will involve a several hour trip into the Emerald Forest. Plan accordingly and good luck, Professor Ozpin."

"Ooo..." Yang purred, "Just the four of us and the professor, alone in the woods."

Blake rolled her eyes, turning the page of her book. "Honestly, I don't know what you see in the man."

"Seriously?" Her sister leaned over her bed, her wild mane of golden hair falling down around her head. "Didn't you see him spar with his partner last weekend without his shirt on? All that lean muscle and those abs didn't do anything for you?"

"He's not my type."

Yang scoffed, "What, too blonde? I take offense to that!"

"You're not blonde, you're just insane." Blake replied with a slight smirk, "And I'm not into men who are already in a relationship."

Yang shook her head, nearly fell, and hurriedly hauled herself back up and shook herself. "Just because they're partners doesn't mean they're sharing a bed."

Weiss shook her head, setting her pen down, apparently accepting that she wasn't going to get any more work done right now. "Why are you so interested Yang? It's not like you don't have options. Half the boys here hang on every word you say."

"Eh, thrill of the chase mostly." Her sister rolled a hand, "Guys our age are kind of boring, you know? They think they can suck face just because they buy you a soda or a movie ticket, and they spend most of their time staring at my chest. Kind of turned me off of dating when I was in Signal."

Ruby winced, remembering a couple of noteworthy Yang-explosoins after said dates. Not that her own experience was all that great either, just one time that Yang and her dad were never, ever, allowed to know about. It had been really awkward and neither of them had known what to do, and they'd kind of laughed it off the next day and just gone back to being friends.

Which had been good! And... a little sad at the same time.

"Jaune's cool." Yang continued, "He's hot, kind of funny, nice, doesn't think I'm a pair of breasts. Can you blame me for looking? You were staring too."

Ruby giggled when Weiss's cheeks colored, "I was observing their technique, not having whatever uncouth fantasies you were indulging in."

"My fantasies were plenty couth, thank you!" Yang countered, grinning to show she knew she was talking nonsense and was proud of it. "Anyways, guess I'll have to tell everyone our Saturday plans are shot."

"Not so fast." Weiss growled as the blonde's feet hit the floor. "Have you finished your assignments yet?"

"...seriously? It's not due until next week!"

"Then the sooner you get it done the sooner you can waste times playing video games and gossiping." Weiss replied primly. "Right Ruby?"

"Right." She nodded, giggling again when Yang gave her a look of melodramatic betrayal. "What? You could have just done in it Port's class like I did."

"Uggghh... my sister's been replaced with an even nerdier clone." Yang groaned, shuffling over to her desk. "What did I do to deserve this?"

Blake snorted from her bed, "You want us to start alphabetically, or chronologically?"

Yang stuck her tongue out at her partner, but sat down and started pulling her homework out. For all of her complaining, Ruby knew her big sister really was a good student. Their dad wouldn't accept anything else... but just because you were smart and good at homework didn't make it any more fun.

"Well," She hopped down to the floor once she was sure they were all busy. _Time to make my escape and meet up with Ilia and Pyrrha._ "Since we're busy Saturday I'm going to go ask Miss Goodwitch if there's an open ring on Sunday we can use. Might hit the forges after that, Crescent Rose's bolt's a little fiddly and I want to check it."

"Excellent thinking." Weiss nodded in approval, "We can use that time to go over what we learned."

Yang groaned again while Blake sighed. Weiss turned to glower at them both before giving Ruby a bright smile, "I... want to say that I think you're doing an... acceptable job as leader Ruby."

Ruby felt her cheek heat up, blurred across the room with semblance enhanced speed to hug her partner. "I knew you liked me!"

"Ack! Let...go you dolt!" Weiss promptly began flailing as she was squeezed, "That was not an invitation to molest me! Yang! Get her off!"

"Sorry Weiss-cream, I gotta get this homework done..." Yang shrugged helplessly, but her smile was wickedly merry. "Work before play, you know?"

* * *

Blake lowered her book as Ruby left, counting down in her head. _Five... four... three... two..._

"The forges again." Yang muttered, "I'm starting to get worried about Rubes. It seems like she's just getting even more anti-social."

"You're being dramatic." Blake replied with a sigh. "Again. Didn't we have this conversation last week?"

"No I'm not." Her partner replied, "And so what? I know my sister, and she might be a weapons nut, but between when we go there for maintenance and when she goes off on her own she's spending _way_ too much time there. Crescent Rose doesn't need that much work, especially not with how obsessive she is about it."

Weiss heaved a sigh of her own, her pen once more clattering to her desk. "Maybe you should stop trying to hover around her all of the time?"

"I don't..." Yang started, then visibly forced herself to stop. She groaned and spun around in her chair, resting her chin on the backrest. "I don't mean to. I just worry about her. She's always been... the quiet, nerdy kid, you know? Never really had many friends. Just... classmates."

The white haired girl rolled her eyes and turned back to her assignment, "Well, maybe she's found a friend who's as obsessed with weapons maintenance as she is."

Blake felt her eyes start to widen mid-sentence, but Weiss turned before she could see her frantic gestures to stop talking.

"...oh my gods, that's it!" Yang's eyes widened in sudden panic. "No one in our year is like her, so it's gotta be an older year... oh _gods,_ what if it's a _guy_!?"

"Yang, calm down." She tried to interject, throwing a glare at Weiss. The heiress caught it and winced, clearly getting the message that the upcoming explosion was her fault. "I'm sure Ruby is-"

"She's fifteen! She can't date yet! I'm not ready for that!" The chair fell over as Yang shot to her feet, pacing furiously, "What if he's taking advantage of her? Just using her obsession to get close!? I'm a terrible sister, how didn't I see this!?"

 _...how did their parents survive seventeen years of this?_

"We have to go check on her. Right now."

"Yang!" Blake rolled out of bed, moving to block the door while Weiss rose and moved so she'd be ready to help restrain Yang if she had to. Not that Weiss would be able to hold her back for more than a second, but she might slow her down enough that Blake could jump her as well. "Ruby is _fine_. She's fine."

"You don't know that!"

"Yang." Weiss tried, "I'm pretty sure I know Ruby at this point, and do you really think she'd be able to keep a secret friend without babbling about it?"

The blonde blinked a few times, bit her lip, then shook her head. "I... yeah, maybe. I'm still worried though, I really think we should check."

Blake held up a hand, seeing both a chance to escape and to leave Weiss to her well deserved fate trying to deal with a worried Yang. "I have to go to the library to return a book, I'll stop by the forges if you promise to stay _here_ and calm down."

It was Weiss's turn to give her a wide-eyed, panicked look, which Blake ignored entirely. _You started this ice queen, you can deal with it._

"I.. yeah, thanks Blake. You're a friend." Yang gave her a strained smile.

Blake gave her a small smile in return, heading back to her shelves to collect the _Knight's Lament_. Continuing to ignore Weiss's look of betrayal, she slid out of the room and headed for the library. Thankfully the other teams had evidently called it an early night as well, since she didn't have to deal with any of them by the time she reached the building's exit.

Not that she disliked an of them...well, any of them outside of CRDL. It had taken Winchester some time to recover his swagger from his disastrous opening day, but she'd heard him mutter more than one racist comment behind Ilia's back, and about a few upper year faunus students.

Ilia thankfully hadn't, she could only imagine the reaction. It would probably involve broken teeth, detentions, and Ilia's reputation as a thug growing.

 _Worse, it might generate sympathy... for Cardin._

Blake sighed, absently feeling her ears ache as they tried to droop. She had no idea what to do about Ilia, or about herself. Most days it was easy to get through without thinking about it, to just enjoy having her team and being here at Beacon. But some days... usually those days when Ilia fought her or Weiss in Combat Class...or when Professor Arc was their supervisor instead of Goodwich, it was all she could think about.

She'd come to the unhappy conclusion, after about two weeks of stewing on the subject, that Ilia... might have been right that she'd made a mistake putting the bow on.

 _If I had to go back, would I make the same choice...?_

She probably would have, though in hindsight she would have talked more with Ilia about it, been more open about her feelings and thoughts. Unfortunately life, unlike a few of her books, didn't let her go back in time to change things. She'd made her choice to hide her heritage, and now she had to deal with the consequences.

Consequences that Ilia had spent most of a month worsening. Sure, she'd seemed to calm down a little outside of class... but she seemed to have a harder time letting go of the lessons she'd learned than Blake did. Almost all of Ilia's spars resembled life or death struggles more than training sessions, and mutters about her were about as common as mutters about Pyrrha's aloof dominance.

 _Then there's Professor Arc..._

Blake had already had two nightmares about being called to the headmaster's office to find him there with his partner, along with police and handcuffs. Worse, she'd panicked so badly that she'd definitely gotten his attention by... so obviously trying to not get his attention. If he revealed her as a faunus... it would be rough, but she thought she had enough of a rapport with her team, even Weiss, to get past it.

If he revealed her as White Fang... this... dream would end.

 _No, that won't happen. I just need to figure it out._

Blake nodded to herself, coming around a grove of trees to see her favorite building on campus. The Beacon library was well lit and open twenty-four hours a day for students, and had one of the greatest collections of books in all of Remnant.

Still, at this time of night it was fairly quiet, the only other visitor in sight when she entered was Professor Ozpin himself, the man carefully settling an very worn, leather-bound book into a preservation case with the librarian's assistance.

"Ah, Miss Belladona." He greeted as he caught sight of her, "What brings you to the library so late?"

"Returning a book." She replied politely, offering the object in question to the librarian once the older woman had sealed the case she'd been working over. "What was in there?"

Ozpin smiled, "The personal journal of Vale's last king."

Blake's mouth almost watered, and she stared at the innocuous box with utter focus. "...really?"

"Indeed." Beacon's headmaster smiled, resting a hand almost reverently on it. "I enjoy reading it, once and a while. To remind myself of the past, those who fought so our world still exists."

"Can..." She wallowed, "It be checked out?"

He laughed quietly, "I'm afraid not, or at least not in the fashion you mean. It is very old and very fragile, as you saw. But... ask me again when you are a fourth year, and we may sit down and read it together."

Blake nodded fervently, "I will."

Ozpin smiled again, the expression pleasant as he picked up a nearby thermos. "Well, do not let me keep you from finding a replacement, though if you wish a recommendation I may have several."

"I... have a long unread list already." She admitted quietly, "And I have to get to the forges to check on Ruby."

"The forges?" He asked, sounding surprised.

Blake blinked, "Yes. She's been going there a few times a week almost since school started. Yang's getting worried, so I promised just to make sure she's all right."

"Ah." The professor frowned slightly "I see. In that case allow me to walk with you."

That made her good mood deflate a little bit, but it wasn't like she could tell the Headmaster that she would rather he not.

The pair left the building, Ozpin idly swirling the contents of his thermos without drinking, while she simply trailed along beside him. Silence seemed safer than conversation, so she stayed quiet until they reached a fork in the footpath. She started to go right, towards where the forges were setup near the cliffs; away from the other buildings in case an accident occurred.

"You're going the wrong direction." He noted, stopping whereas she took several steps.

Blake blinked, and turned to face him. "I'm...sorry? The forges are this way."

"The forges, are, yes." He agreed easily before lifting his cane in the opposite direction. "Miss Rose is in the gardens near the central tower."

She felt her lips part in surprise. "...what?"

Ozpin simply smiled and turned away, making her hurry to catch up. "She said she'd be in the forges."

"I am sure that she did." He replied, his expression growing somber once more. "But if you had reached them and checked the sign in logs, you would find that she visits once a week on Sunday, along with yourself and your teammates. No more, no less."

 _...Ruby's been lying to us?_

"What is she doing in the gardens?"

Ozpin said nothing, clicking his cane and swirling his drink. Blake followed, feeling the tension growing in her chest as they drew closer to the massive spire that was the heart of the school. She heard the conversation before she saw them, the professor carefully steering her behind a long hedge and walking along it.

"Keep your eyes up Ruby!" _That's... Nikos's voice. What?_ "Don't look at her feet, don't look at her fists, you have to look at all of her at once!"

"I'm trying!" Ruby shouted back, then yelped in surprise.

"Again!" Pyrrha called just as they reached the edge of the greenery, though Ozpin carefully held his cane up to indicate that Blake shouldn't go any farther. Swallowing, she nodded and leaned forwards to find...

Ruby fighting with Ilia, hand to hand. Lie Ren was sitting with his ankles crossed, back to the tower nearby, Crescent Rose leaning against the wall beside him. Valkyrie had her arms crossed next to him, watching the fight with an interested smile on her face.

Nikos was circling the two combatants like a referee in an youth match, watching as Ilia drove the the much younger girl back with quick jabs and short kicks. Blake recognized the style at once, it was among the most basic that her father had taught her when she'd been young.

Ruby was... keeping up surprisingly well, though she was entirely on the defensive. Instead of the painful to watch, theatrical karate-chop moves she'd tried the last time Blake had seen her try to fight without Crescent Rose, she was actually throwing proper punches. At least when she didn't have her arms up protecting her face and chest.

A head-level jab from Ilia saw Ruby duck and throw a quick blow at her stomach, landing a solid hit. Ruby promptly let out a cheer of success... and got a foot to her sternum when her guard dropped.

"Ruby..." Ilia sighed, pinching her nose, her voice the same kind of familiar tones she might have used with Blake. "You've got to keep your guard up."

"...got it..." Ruby groaned from the ground. "...ugh. Can we do weapons stuff now?"

"You should take a break first." Pyrrha suggested, "I still have to do my session first."

Blake bit her lip and backed up when Ozpin nudged her, the two silently departing the hidden little training spot.

"How long?" She asked quietly.

"Mister Ren requested permission for his team to train in the gardens in first week of classes, and Miss Goodwitch approved." He replied as they walked slowly back towards the dorms, letting her take her time. "Miss Rose joined them in the second week."

She wracked her brain at that, then winced. _Right after she said she wanted to train with them... and we told her no._ "Oh."

"She has shown significant improvement in that time." Ozpin noted, "Becoming more adaptable, versatile. And, if my memory does not mislead me, she is now the only person in your year capable of giving Miss Nikos a fight that lasts longer than two minutes."

Blake winced again, looking down.

"I understand that yourself and Miss Amitola are having difficulties," He smiled, lifting his thermos in the corner of her vision... and then he made a horrible noise. She jerked her head up to see his eyes very wide and his jaw clenched as if he was in agony, the hand holding his thermos in a white knuckled grip.

Her heart abruptly thundered into too-fast motion as she reached out to steady him.

"Professor!?" _Is he having a heart attack? No, this is not happening!_ The headline 'Professor Ozpin poisoned by White Fang infiltrator in Beacon' flashed through her head. "Are you all right? Do you need me to call someone!?"

Ozpin dropped his cane and reached up to squeeze her wrist gently, shaking his head. He seemed to try to smile at her, but it came off as a pained grimace. After a very long moment, his jaw worked as he swallowed, and when he spoke his voice was raw. "I... am sorry for that, Miss Belladona. I'm afraid my coffee... surprised me."

…what? His coffee... _what?_

"Is it poisoned?" She tried. "Do I need to get you to miss Tsune?"

"No, no." He gently pushed her hand away, but his smile did not reach his suddenly hard eyes. "It merely... surprised me. I'm afraid I will be calling our little chat here. I would recommend you speak with Professor Arc at some point, perhaps he can offer advice in my place. I have... something to investigate."

Blake could only stare in confusion as he turned, walking back towards the main tower. It... almost seemed like the darkness around him grew more acute as he walked, an invisible weight appearing on her shoulders that lifted only when he was out of sight.

… _I think I'm just going to cover for Ruby and go to bed._

The doors to the main tower slammed shut ahead of her and several people shouted in surprise at the sudden sound.

She hadn't known those giant things even _could_ slam.

... _definitely safer to lie to Yang and sleep. Much safer. I'll... think about all of this tomorrow._

* * *

Neo felt her eyes roll back a little as Jaune's hands worked at her shoulders, loosening up her muscles and sending pleasurable aches down through her. His strong fingers slid down her back, working along her spine as she absently nuzzled her face into the bed's softest pillow.

Today had been a rare day. Both entertaining and effective, and she'd decided to celebrate by having him rub her back after making her steak and ice cream for dinner.

She'd officially finished checking the dorm buildings and the library in the extreme early hours, confirming that there didn't seem to be any hidden spaces or room for a secret elevator or stairwell... though she had found six different coffee thermoses all filled with Nirvana.

She'd taken them all, poured the hilariously expensive stuff into a jug now in their fridge, and replaced the original contents with the cheapest blend of Atlesian Black she could find before returning them to their hiding spots.

Jaune had laughed himself sick, to the point where he'd nearly started crying.

After her long night, she'd slept most of the day away, waking up in time to go to Combat Class with him. Prodding him into putting his plan into motion had been easy, and they'd quickly gotten the news that Ozpin accepted the idea of starting Jaune's class early. In the short term it would be more work for the both of them, but long term... they'd be able to check and clear the ruins outside of the school far in advance of their planned schedule.

The more spots they eliminated, the better the odds that they'd find it in the next one.

"You sure you don't mind helping me teach?" Jaune asked, now working her lower back.

She waved a vague hand. It was fine, she could tolerate dealing with children once a week, and it might even brighten up her normally boring daylight hours.

"If you say so." He hummed, a quiet click and a loosening feeling telling her he'd just unhooked her bra. Warmth played over the stretch of skin as he resumed his massage, slow playing the escalation. "Just make sure you don't lose your temper, we need to make this work for another seven and a half months."

Neo rolled her eyes into the pillow, reaching back to point a finger in his vague direction. He and his big mouth had to watch it too.

"What did I do?" Jaune protested, hands sliding back up to her shoulders.

Her mouth opened as he worked her favorite spot again, the jerk distracting it her on purpose. Getting her hand around to gesture appropriately was difficult, reminding him that he was the one who'd taken to telling stories, and that she did not like how much he drank when he made the mistake of remembering the bad ones.

"You make it sound like I'm an alcoholic." There was a sigh as he shifted around behind her, then she saw his shirt go sailing into a corner of the bedroom. "It's not like I drink all the time."

No, she supposed he didn't. But when Jaune drank, he _drank_ until he passed out. And getting his unconscious ass clean and into bed was not something he paid her for. It was messy, annoying, and time consuming.

Jaune's fingers dug in a little more, "Relax, you're too tense. I know it's been a long month, and you're impatient to keep looking, but we're making good progress."

Neo exhaled sharply, telling him that she knew... then she started tapping a finger against the headboard, asking if he was going to move on or not.

"Impatient much?"

If she could have growled she would have. Instead she twisted up and, grabbing his waist and throwing him over so she could straddle him. She smirked as she grabbed her already loose brassiere, throwing it aside, enjoying the way he stared at up her... as he well should.

He belonged to her-

A scroll rang.

Neo's eye twitched, and her fingers abruptly dug into Jaune's pecs. His own had just clenched into fists, so she didn't think he even noticed the drops of red welling up on his chest. Her lips pulling back in a silent snarl, she bent over, rummaging around under the pillow to grab the stupid thing and check it.

The name read simply 'Melodic' _._

Exhaling an angry snort, she threw it at Jaune and climbed off of him, grabbing his shirt and yanking it over her head in tense, frustrated motions.

Jaune flicked the scroll open, stabbing at the audio-only button. "This had better be fucking good Roman."

" _...heh, I know that tone."_ The criminal drawled from the other end, " _How far into the fucking were you two kids?"_

Neo caught Jaune's eye and drew a finger across her throat.

"Neo says you have ten seconds before she teleports into the city and slits your throat." Jaune spoke, earning him an approving nod and a thumbs up.

 _"Kinky._ " Roman laughed, " _I need you at Junior's place on Saturday night."_

Jaune glowered at the blank device. "Why."

" _Let's just say I have a mutually beneficial business proposal for you._ "

Neo felt her eyes narrow as she leaned against the drywall, shaking her head as she did. She liked Roman, she really did, but he was starting to get on her nerves. Just because he was terrified of the new gangster on the block who had inroads to the White Fang didn't make that _their_ problem. They were in Beacon, fairly safe, and they planned on leaving Vale entirely when this job was done.

Ostensibly back to Vacuo, but in reality, across the ocean to Mistral to throw off pursuit and buy time to use whatever Relic they grabbed.

"You're not motivating us." Jaune prodded, catching her expression.

There was a disgusted sound through the phone, " _How much more obvious do I have to be that the bitch who is yanking my chain is a threat to us?"_

"I'm hearing you say 'us' where I think you mean 'you'." Her partner countered. "If you need help getting out of town we'll do what we can, but we're not getting involved in a turf war."

" _This isn't some low level shit like that."_ The thief retaliated, " _This is about a bitch grabbing up enough dust to start a small war, a bitch even Junior can't find anything on. Fake name, fake career, fake fucking everything and all the forgers who made it for her aren't paying taxes anymore."_

Neo shrugged and gestured between them, earning a nod from Jaune, "I'll admit that sounds serious, but again... what's it have to do with us? We're pretty much out at this point."

" _First of all,"_ Roman replied, " _No one's ever out of this life, thought you two knew that. Second, because I'm going to make it so your boss never suspects you of anything so long as you're there... interested?"_

Jaune's mouth thinned, and Neo felt herself grimacing.

" _Eleven, usual room."_ He continued, " _See you love-birds there."_

* * *

 _ **Jaune starts to set up his first class and get access to the ruins near the school, Ruby keeps up her private training, Blake finds out, and Neo commits the ultimate sin... Ozpin is not amused. Oh, and I guess Roman is up to something as well.**_

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 ** _Thanks, Kat_**


	20. Semester I: Class in Session

**Class in Session**

* * *

Jaune ran through his lines in his head again, trying to make sure he had it all straight in his head. He was pretty sure he knew how this was going to go overall, but it never hurt to over-prepare when you were trying to manipulate someone.

 _Especially teenagers._

He blew out a breath, glancing at Neo. "You sure you're good with this?"

She gave him a wink and a nod, her short coat whipping around along with his cloak in the morning wind. The pair were already at the cliffs, staring out over the forest as they waited for the two teams to show up, and had already gone over the plan a couple of times.

"Remember we'll be doing it again tomorrow with the other three teams, so don't overdo it today." He reminded her, smiling when she just rolled her eyes and waved a dismissive hand. "I'm just saying, if you get worn out you don't get to blame me."

Neo made a quiet little snort, stepping on his foot as she did. She'd blame him anyway and they both knew it.

It was his turn to roll his eyes, glancing behind him as he did; it was getting close to eight. Sure enough Team RAVN was visible, walking calmly in their direction, and far behind them he saw several colorful forms emerging from a path to start his way as well. They definitely seemed to pause for a couple of seconds on seeing the other team though, and only slowly got moving again.

 _Yeah... knew that was going to happen. This is going to be tricky._

Turning his back on the forest, he settled in to wait for them all to arrive, a hand negligently resting on his sword while Neo leaned against him in her usual familiar fashion.

"Hey Jauney!" Nora called as her team approached, waving jauntily as she did. "We didn't see you at breakfast, you missed pancakes!"

"Sorry Nora." He replied with a smile, "I had to get everything setup for class. We'll stop by the cafeteria tonight for dinner."

"You better!" She declared, earning grins from her teammates and a theatrical eye roll from Neo. Nora, and Ilia for some reason, seemed to be the only women she didn't have a jealous reaction to. He wasn't really sure why, but he also wasn't about to question it. "So, what we doin' today?"

"Waiting on team RWBY." Jaune answered, and then wished he was surprised when the smiles flickered and died across four faces. "Today's training requires more than one team, and since your two are the best in your year I thought we'd start with them."

That didn't seem to make them any happier, all of them but Ren glancing at one another uncomfortably while the sole boy took the news as stoically as he seemed to take everything. "May I ask what we'll be doing?"

"Once they're here." He shook his head, "Sorry, but I don't want to explain it twice."

Ren nodded and fell quiet, Nora started to fiddle with her skirt while Pyrrha bit her lip, and Ilia set her gaze to the horizon and seemed to be trying to will herself to wake up somewhere else.

 _Definitely have my work cut out for me. Gods I hope this works._

If it did, it would seriously bolster his credentials with Glynda and Ozpin, as both a teacher and a counselor. If it also happened to make a couple of students better off, he would take that as a win as well... sometimes it was hard for him to remember the end goal, that they were doing what they did to save everyone, but helping people along the way did usually make him feel better.

"Hey Jaune!" Ruby chirped as they drew closer, unknowingly mimicking Nora... though to his surprise team RAVN seemed to smile a little and regard Ruby almost fondly before turning cold stares at the rest of the girl's team.

Stares that were mostly returned in kind.

 _Right, time for the three step class intro speech. Step one, remind them why they're here and make sure they have everything._

"Ruby, RWBY." He greeted, keeping his smile fixed in place. "Morning everyone, welcome to our first Group Tactics and Excursions class. I can't promise that this will be fun, but I'm going to try and keep things interesting for you all. Everyone have their weapons and scrolls?"

There was a chorus of nods and murmured words.

 _Step two, make sure they know the rules._

"All right. Rule for my class when we're out like this: I want you all to set your scroll alarms for fifty percent aura. When that happens, you're out of whatever exercise we're doing, and are to cease fighting _immediately_." He stressed that last word, "You're also to stay with your team and to sheathe your weapons. No one is to attack someone with their weapon collapsed, and I know it's a strategy, but no pretending you're out when you're not either."

Everyone glanced at each other, though only Ilia and Blake seemed annoyed at that particular rule.

 _Step three, tell them the objective of the class so that they can keep it in mind._

Jaune sucked in a breath, "The purpose of this class is to develop teamwork and bonds, not fighting skills, I don't want to step on Miss Goodwitch's toes." Several smothered grins, "So you're going to be graded on teamwork, cooperation, and your strategies; not whether or not you win or lose. Any initial questions?"

Ruby promptly shot her hand up, and he smiled before nodding to her, "Are we going to be working with our teams or our partners?"

"Both, eventually, but you're also going to be working in what full hunters call 'ad-hoc formations'. Sometimes a priority mission comes up, and whoever is running it has to just grab whatever hunters are nearby." This was going to be the tough sell. "That's actually what we're doing today. This is going to be a test of your ability to adapt to new partners and teammates, while also accomplishing an objective."

Several faces, notably Yang's, Weiss', and Ilia's, fell considerably as they grasped where this was going.

"Ruby." He continued, "Tell me who is the strongest person on your team, and then who is the most tactically flexible?"

Ruby bit her lip, scrunched up her nose in an utterly adorable way, then nodded. "Yang and Weiss."

"Thank you. Ren? Same questions."

"Pyrrha..." The boy frowned for a moment, "...and Ilia."

"Thank you." Jaune waved a hand to his right. "Would the four ladies just named please step over to this side, and everyone else move over on our left."

They did so, reluctantly, and the difference between the two groups was almost comical. Ruby, Ren, and Nora seemed utterly at ease, even excited, while Blake seemed... content if not exactly happy with the situation. In contrast, between Weiss, Ilia, Yang, and Pyrrha, he didn't think he could find four people less happy to be put on a team together.

He made a show of pulling out his scroll and tapping a few buttons, pretending as if he was randomizing something. "All right. Team one, that's you four on my right, you're going to be led by Miss Amitola. Team two, your new leader is Miss Rose."

Blake pursed her lips, then cautiously lifted a hand without meeting his eyes, as usual. "...what's our objective? Are we fighting each other?"

"Not quite, we're going to be doing a bit roleplay." Jaune smiled as Neo stepped in front of him, putting his hands on her shoulders. "A wanted criminal has just escaped from a prison and fled into a Grimm infested forest. Your objective is to subdue her, capture her, and then return her to the proper authorities."

He couldn't see Neo's expression, but the students looked like he'd just told them to swim from here to Atlas and then back again.

"She won't be using her weapon, and her scroll will be broadcasting a ping that yours should pick up, representing a tracking anklet." He continued, trying to pep them up. "And she won't go farther than the edge of the ruins. Once she's in the trees, we'll give her a five minute head start, and then Team One will go after her. I'll be observing your progress from here. You have one hour, though I may give you an... overtime, I guess, if you've got her and are in the process of bringing her back."

 _Not that I think that will happen, at least not with team one._

The kids continued to look unhappy... but that was kind of the point. He squeezed Neo's shoulders once, and then let go. She nodded, walked around him, and then hopped over the edge, vanishing as gravity applied its hold.

"Five minutes starts now," He tapped a timer on his scroll. "I'd start planning, Miss Amitola."

Ilia gave him a sour look, then seemed to sigh and waved for her new team to follow her as she walked away from everyone else. Pyrrha followed at once, but the other two girls lagged behind for a couple of seconds before going after them. The argument didn't take long to start, though they were all smart enough to keep their voices down and at least pretend like they were just planning instead of fighting.

Jaune simply waited for the five minutes to run out, then called for them to go over the edge, bringing the camera network up on his scroll as they vanished into the forest.

"You guys can come on over." He called, noting team two still standing around a little awkwardly. "Might as well learn what you can."

Ruby frowned cutely, "Isn't that kinda cheating?"

He shrugged, "In my experience there's no such thing as cheating when it comes to fighting, Ruby. And... honestly I'm not expecting much from team one. I want you guys to learn from what they do, then show them how to properly run a mission like this when they're done."

Ren nodded, walking past Ruby to glance at his scroll. "Did you pick them on purpose?"

No, but he hadn't had to... he'd just known how to phrase the questions to make it seem like Ruby and Ren had picked them on their own. The only real gamble had been that Ren may have picked himself rather than Ilia, but that would have still left plenty of material to work with.

 _This was just the ideal outcome... lucky me for once._

"Nope, those were your own choices, I'll be asking the other leaders the same questions tomorrow. Considering the number of problems your teams have with one another, I thought it was a given that at least one of the groups would have issues."

"Ah." The younger man nodded again. "It would seem that they're already having said problems."

They were... and they hadn't made it very far into the forest, especially compared to Neo. A camera in a tree showed the four girls arguing with one another, Ilia's hands waving as she described some kind of motion that made Yang immediately shake her head and point at her own chest and then at Pyrrha. To his surprise, Pyrrha herself and Weiss seemed to be trying to stay out of the argument, as if sensing their involvement would just make it worse.

"Blake?" He prodded gently. "You're her partner, do you know what Yang's upset about?"

There was a very long pause before the dark haired girl sighed and stepped up behind Ruby. "Yang likes straight up fights, Ilia can't stand them. If I had to guess... Ilia wants to spread out, encircle around your partner, maybe use Yang or Pyrrha as a distraction. Yang just wants to go in straight at her, and she probably got insulted at being considered bait."

Jaune glanced at the others, "And which is the better idea... Ruby?"

Ruby bit her lip, obviously thinking hard about it. "There's four of them, and one of her... so either plan isn't bad, so long as they all commit to it, and stick together. Right?"

He nodded, "Right. A frontal attack is dangerous, there's a lot of risk that it might just fail... but can also be the best way to finish a fight quickly, and it might overwhelm your opponent when you outnumber her that badly. More things can ruin a flanking attack, but if it works its nearly a sure thing... and its a lot less risky _if_ everyone coordinates."

On the screen, the argument continued until Weiss stepped in between the two and evidently offering some kind of compromise. It didn't seem to please anyone, but after another several minutes of debate they seemed to settle on a plan of action.

 _Down twelve minutes with no progress at all to show for it._

By the time they got their scrolls out, checked their position to Neo's, and got moving, his partner was already at the ruins. She'd taken off her coat and was lounging on a giant stone slab, looking like she fully intended on taking a nap, or maybe getting ready to sunbathe.

"How she'd get there that fast?" Nora frowned, putting her hands on her hips, "It took us way longer!"

Jaune opened his mouth to answer, smiled, and then said, "Any guesses?"

Ren frowned, "Is her semblance speed, like Ruby's?"

"Nope." He half-lied, "Blake? Ruby?"

Blake cocked her head, then comprehension flickered through her yellow eyes. "She didn't fight any Grimm. She must have just run right past any of them that she saw."

"Right." He nodded once, then again at the screen as the scratch team ran into a beowolf pack. Yang promptly threw herself into the fray, and the others were drawn in shortly thereafter. "Why didn't she, and why is them engaging the Grimm a mistake?"

"How is it a mistake?" Ruby tilted her head. "We're hunters, killing Grimm is what we're supposed to do."

"Ohhhhh." Nora drawled the word, "I know! Because the mission is to catch the criminal, not to kill the Grimm! It's not the like the Grimm are going anywhere, you can always go back and deal with them later. Miss Neo might get away in the time they're wasting."

Jaune beamed at her, "Exactly Nora, good thinking. They've only got an hour, and they wasted most of ten minutes planning. So let's see how much time they have left after this fight."

The answer turned out to be around a half hour. The pack had been mid-sized, a few dozen individual Grimm, and didn't take them all that long to deal with despite their general lack of coordination outside of Pyrrha and Ilia. What slowed them down more was the argument afterwords, with Ilia losing her temper with Yang and the two erupting again.

This time Weiss was clearly on Ilia's side, something that only seemed to upset the blonde brawler even more, and it was a sullen quartet that got moving again.

Between the underbrush, their lack of communication, and how long it had taken them to get that far... by the time they got to where Neo was napping they only had ten minutes with which to deal with her. Which, he knew from personal experience, didn't even count as a warm-up as far as his partner was concerned.

Ilia called out something, and all four of them rushed in. Neo promptly shot up, grabbing her coat in a smooth motion, and then bolted towards the east. Weiss flicked her rapier in that direction, dust magic sending fireballs exploding in her path, trying to herd her back towards them while the others rushed in. Neo accepted the challenge, abruptly reversed course, and then bolted right for the only person who could stop her from getting away.

Yang over-committed to her attack, her wild punch missing when a blur twirled around her, her body blocking Pyrrha when she tried to come around. The two fighters collided, leaving only Ilia to try and help Weiss, her whip snapping out to full extension. Neo abruptly dropped into a slide, letting the metal flick past her to snap against Weiss's forehead instead.

The heiress seemed to yelp and flinch back, her hair abruptly standing on end from the shock, and that left her entirely open when Neo came in with a spanning kick that laid her out onto the grass... not enough to drain her aura to any real degree, but Weiss was too stunned to react when Neo accelerated to a full sprint and vanished into the trees.

Jaune sighed and tapped a broadcast button, "Mission over, everyone back to the cliffs."

"They still have a few minutes." Ruby pointed out quietly, but her heart wasn't really in the protest. "They're not out of time."

"No, but they can't catch her." He shook his head, "Critiques anyone?"

Ren exhaled slowly, "They didn't leave anyone to protect Weiss, and she was the only one who could really contain your partner. They should have sent either Pyrrha or Yang forwards and left the other back as a bodyguard."

"Ilia," Blake chimed in quietly, "Should have held off to one side, with her weapon ready to immobilize Neopolitan as soon as someone got her stunned or distracted."

Jaune nodded, "I'm glad you all learned from this. As soon as they get up, you're going in. Remember, I don't mind if you fail to catch her, or if she outsmarts you or outfights you... but I don't want to see repeat mistakes."

"Yes sir." Ruby's voice was strangely serious, respectful, and it made him flinch a little as he turned away, looking over the forest and remembering where he was going tonight and exactly why he'd picked this location for his first class.

How he and Neo had carefully recorded the position of every camera around the ruins and forest, all so that they could try and steal a relic from the school he'd lied to in order to be hired at.

 _I don't deserve respect, not from any of you._

* * *

Pyrrha hated losing. She hated it more than anything else in her life, except maybe...

 _No, don't got there._

She'd defined her life by her victories, by her championships, by that competitive high that she could only find in the final round of a grand tournament. Losing wasn't bad, wasn't a necessary part of the process...

Losing was unthinkable.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd lost a fight, not even a friendly spar, not even when her sponsors had gotten her a three on one fight with a group of first years from Haven. In so many years of success, of victory, of championships... she'd forgotten how awful it felt to fail.

"All right." Professor Arc said, not quite looking at any of them. His partner had taken a few minutes to drink some water and eat a chocolate bar before going over the edge once more, and team two was listening intently to Ruby as her hands waved through her plan. "I'm guessing you all want your grades...or do you not want to know how badly you failed just yet?"

Pyrrha flinched and looked at her feet, feeling Ilia's fingers brush her arm as as her partner tried to get her to stand tall. It was a kind gesture, but she couldn't look up and see the disappointment she knew would be in the professor's normally gentle eyes.

"Go ahead and hit us prof." Xiao-Long sighed. "We all get F's, or you taking pity and giving us a D?"

"Miss Schnee will receive a barely passing grade." He replied, "You three all flunked, to put it mildly."

Her throat worked as she swallowed, and she felt Ilia squeeze her forearm before her partner spoke. "Do we get specifics, professor?"

"I know it's hard to call me Jaune when I'm yelling at you, but please try." He replied before suddenly lifting his voice. "Ruby! Time, over the cliff!"

Pyrrha glanced up to see her friend lead the others, all of them vanishing from sight as they set off on their own mission. _They'll succeed... I know they will._

That should have made her happy, to know that her friends wouldn't fail like she had. Instead it just seemed to magnify how badly their assignment had gone, and how little she had done throughout the entire thing.

"All right, I'm going to give you each a chance to tell me what _you_ think you did wrong." Professor Arc, she couldn't think of him as Jaune, not right now, continued speaking. "If you get it right I'm going to bump your grade up for at least learning from the experience. Ilia, you were the team leader, you go first."

Ilia sucked in a breath beside her, then let it go. "I... wasn't decisive. I got into an argument instead of putting my foot down and just leading. If Yang wanted to go off on her own I should have let her, and adapted to what I had left. At the final fight I got too focused and left Schnee open, which screwed our chances of salvaging anything... and with how badly things went, I should have just aborted the whole thing any number of times."

The professor was quiet for several seconds, then said, "A bit too ruthless, but you're not technically wrong so I'll give you half credit. You _should_ have contacted me and told me to pull Yang off of the mission. _Never_ voluntarily let a teammate do something stupid, not ever."

"I..." She felt Ilia flinch a little at his suddenly harsh tone, though she wasn't sure he'd even noticed he'd used it. "Yes, Professor."

Pyrrha heard him sigh at the title. "But... you're otherwise correct. There were plenty of warning signs that said you were never going to finish the mission, and that you should have turned back. You pass. Yang, your turn."

She apparently needed a moment, because it took her a bit to reply. "I... let my temper get the better of me. I didn't want to listen to her, and I didn't want to work with Pyrrha... so I didn't. I wasted a bunch of our time arguing with everyone, and I got us all in trouble when I charged the Grimm without communicating with them."

"You tried to punch your way through the problems instead of thinking your way through them." He provided, his tone disapproving. "And this was despite the fact that Ilia and Weiss have far more personal problems with each other than you and Pyrrha ever could, and yet they seemed able to put it aside and at least _try_ to coordinate. I'm still failing you, but I'll give you something close to passing for realizing your mistakes."

Yang said nothing in response, but Pyrrha heard her weight shift guiltily nearby.

"Pyrrha?"

She swallowed, felt Ilia squeeze her arm again... and then felt Weiss reach up to rest a hand on her shoulder. Pyrrha blinked and looked up, with the height difference it was almost comical, but the heiress gave her a solemn look before nodding towards the professor.

Pyrrha inhaled, and then let it out. "I... was passive. I didn't actively support my team leader, in either argument. I didn't stop Yang from rushing ahead, even though I was the only one who could have forced the issue. I... didn't protect Weiss when we reached Miss Neo, I... let my emotions cloud my judgment, and rushed in, just wanting it over with instead of thinking tactically."

Professor Arc regarded her then tilted his head, "Correct on all accounts... you pass. Weiss, can you tell me why you got a passing grade?"

Weiss lifted her chin slightly, and then said, "I don't deserve one."

Pyrrha's jaw fell open, her own emotions vanishing beneath the shock. Ilia and Yang both turned to look at the smaller girl like she'd been replaced by an alien, and even the Professor's eyebrows went up, his voice slightly disbelieving. "You... _want_ me to flunk you?"

"Pyrrha was wrong." She stated confidently. "I could have stopped Yang in the first argument by siding with Ilia instead of trying to compromise between them. That just made Yang bolder and Ilia more upset instead of fixing the issue, and I could have stopped her from charging the Grimm via my glyphs. I should have made us _all_ stop when we approached her instead of attempting to follow a basic plan none of us had confidence in, or demanded that Ilia call the mission off once it was clear that it was going to fail."

The professor regarded her for a few moments, then actually smiled a little. "...you just keep proving me wrong, Weiss. I don't know how, but you keep managing it. I'm passing you anyway. I was going to make you all watch the other team, reinforce the point, but I think you all get it. I want you all to head over to the CCT mall and get some lunch together."

Pyrrha blinked a few times. "...Professor?"

He rifled through his pockets for a moment, then emerged with some lien. "Fifty... hundred... one twenty five, Ilia, here you go. Take your team and get some food in you. This wasn't supposed to be as stressful as it turned out to be, so I want you all to relax, try and unwind a little. I'll have Ruby and Ren call you when they're done."

Ilia seemed to blink at the money he'd pushed into her hands. "Professor, we don't need-"

"Jaune." He corrected her. "I'm going to tattoo it onto your brain if you don't start using it."

Yang let out an almost nervous giggle before clapping a hand over her mouth.

Prof... _Jaune_ , smiled a little. "Consider it part of the lesson. What you do after a mission, especially one gone bad, can be as important as what you do during it. Go on."

"I... all right." Ilia bowed her head. "Off to lunch I guess."

* * *

The CCT mall complex was both part of and yet separate from Beacon itself; a collection of buildings attached to the CCT tower filled with little shops, cafes, and full restaurants that served both students from the school and the civilians who came up to make long-distance calls. During the week it was largely empty, visited only by the occasional business person and those students looking for an alternative to the cafeteria.

During the weekend it was generally pretty packed with families of civilians visiting, young adults getting out of the city, and children of all ages running around for no other reason than because they could. As a result, Pyrrha had avoided the place like the plague for very good reasons, reasons she'd forgotten in her morose mood until the shouting reminded her.

"Is that... oh my gods, that's Pyrrha Nikos!"

"What!? Where!?"

"Dammit, I forgot its Saturday!" Weiss hissed as they approached one of the nicer restaurants in the complex, "Yang, Ilia, get in front of Pyrrha, now! Everyone keep your heads up, don't make eye contact, and don't stop for anything until we get to the doors!"

Pyrrha just sighed, sticking a plastic smile on her face as she tried not to notice the sudden rush of attention.

"Miss Nikos! Can we get your autograph!"

"Pyrrha! Our daughter is a huge fan, she'd love a picture with you!"

"Invincible Girl, over here! Can I-hey!"

"Back off!" Ilia growled, using her hands and elbows to push a pair of teenage boys away. "Back up! Move it!"

Yang quickly started doing the same on the other side, "Come on, clear a path! We're hungry here!"

"Oh, oh! Can you eat with us? Oh my gods that's Weiss Schnee!"

"Schnee and Nikos!? Are they dating!? Get a picture of them!"

Pyrrha fought down a groan as she tried to pick up the pace. They didn't quite run for the safety of the restaurant, only because the crowd was too thick to permit such a thing, but they gave it their best shot.

Weiss yanked the door open, all of the piling inside before slamming the door shut as a startled hostess goggled at them. "Student's room!"

"Um..." The woman managed. "Right, down the hall, the stairwell. Let me get your menus for you."

Pyrrha subtly reached behind her, twisting her fingers in a little motion and heard Weiss make a surprised sound as the door she was holding shut abruptly locked itself. The heiress was too intelligent to waste time questioning her apparent luck, and quickly started rushing the hostess along with the rest of them following.

"Holy crap..." Yang groaned as she fell into the seat across from Pyrrha, the four of them alone in the student's room. It was up on the second floor and far smaller than the main area, but it had floor-to-ceiling windows letting them see the city, and even Pyrrha could admit hat the view was quite something. Vale sprawled out before them, and a blackbird glided lazily past the window. "...you deal with that all the time?"

Pyrrha swallowed, looking away, down at the glass of water in front of her. "...in Mistral, yes. I've... tried to avoid going out since I moved here. I don't care for it."

"...can't blame you." The blonde sighed, lifting up her own water and downing about half of it. "Gah. Here I used to wish I was famous when I was young. You deal with that too Weiss?"

Weiss shook her head from where she sat beside her teammate, "Not to the same degree. I mostly had to deal with office parties and charity balls, people trying to influence my father by pretending to care about me, or trying to secure an alliance by pushing me at whatever uptight male they had for a son. Sometimes regardless of how much older or younger they were compared to me."

Pyrrha winced as Yang and Ilia both made disgusted faces, feeling a strange camaraderie rise in her. "...I hated those kinds of things."

"So did I." The heiress gave her a tired smile, too refined to sprawl out like Yang was, but slouching more than she ever did normally as she picked up her menu.

Ilia sighed from where she'd settled down next to Pyrrha, "Do you want to talk about the goliath in the room before or after we get food?"

"After." Yang replied promptly. "Or at least after we order. Appetizers? I want those cheese stick things."

"I'm for that." Ilia nodded, glancing at her own menu.

Pyrrha lowered her gaze and picked out something light, drinking some of her water as they waited for the waitress to arrive. It didn't take her long, though the woman looked a little frazzled. She could only imagine how many people had crowded into the lower level once the door had been unlocked.

The young lady returned with a pitcher of water and their mozzarella sticks a few minutes later, her voice quiet, "The manager wants you to know that he's locked the student section after a few young men tried to sneak up here, and he's sitting in front of it working from his lap-scroll. You won't be bothered."

Pyrrha bit her lip then gave the girl an honest smile. "Thank him for us? It's most kind of him."

"He's just fulfilling his obligations to Beacon's rules, but I'm sure he'll appreciate that." She smiled back at her and nodded, jotting down their orders before vanishing once again. In the wake of her presence an awkward silence fell, several of them glancing furtively at each other before lowering their gaze again.

"All right." Yang said a few tense minutes later. "Pyrrha... I don't like you because you almost killed my sister in our first real class... and you followed it up by batting my friends around like toys, and then humiliating me when I tried to at least tag you. I think you've kinda got a stick up your ass when it comes to fighting, and the fact that you can't hold back even a little is really demoralizing for everyone else."

Pyrrha winced and lowered her gaze. "...are... we being honest?"

She heard Yang sigh, "I'd like us to be."

Her mouth dried out a little, then she nodded and whispered as stared at the fork next to her plate. "I am holding back."

"...seriously?" The blonde drawled, "I get that you've probably got an ego, but you can't be that... good... wait, what?"

Pyrrha smiled weakly, lifting her eyes as the fork rose. A little gesture saw it bend, metal creaking as she idly twisted it around. "My semblance... polarity. If I didn't hold back, I would just rip your weapons away... maybe use them to hold you still, or hit you with your own equipment. It wouldn't be a fight."

The others stared at her with very wide eyes as she gently fixed the utensil, letting it fall back to the table.

"That's why we can't touch you." Weiss said, her own voice soft. "Why every attack seems to miss, why yours always track your target. You manipulate our weapons, armor... that's why you're only ever touched by dust magic or combat semblances. That's why Ruby and I are the only ones who even give you a workout. It's the only things you can't easily affect."

Pyrrha nodded slightly, but Ilia was frowning beside her. "So... why not just do that? Win instantly?"

"...because the crowds don't want an instant victory." She said quietly, her smile turning a little bitter. "They pay their lien to see a show. So I did little things, nudges here and there, enough to be the Invincible Girl without ruining everyone's fun."

Ilia bit her lip, "Why not just not use it at all then?"

Pyrrha looked away from all of them, shame pooling somewhere in her stomach. "...because I have to win."

"Even in training? In classes?" Yang guessed, shaking her head, her expression... somewhere between pity and confusion. "Seemed like you were kind of having a freak-out the whole way back from the forest. You can't just be _that_ competitive, can you?"

She shook her head, not... just not ready to go into that minefield within her. "I... think that's enough for today. I'd like to be done."

"All right." Weiss said gently, giving her a small smile. "That's fine, right Yang?"

Yang nodded slowly, "Yeah, that's cool. Look, I'll... try to be a little more even headed. You apologized to Ruby for that whole thing right?"

"The day after it happened."

There was another small nod, then a deeper one. "Right... right, yeah. I can't promise I'll be cool all the time, its been a long six weeks... but let's try to start things fresh. That sound good?"

"That... sounds grand."

"Great." Yang sighed before glancing between the other two at the table. "You two want to get things off your chest as well?"

Ilia tapped a finger on the table, leaning back in her chair as she looked at the heiress, then glanced aside. "I've been talking with Professor Arc, taking... counseling sessions. I'm working on it. But it would be easier if you stopped calling me a thug and miscreant."

A muscle in Weiss' cheek twitched. "I... suppose I can see how that would upset you. I only mean it in regards to your fighting style, not in regards to your species."

"Doesn't make it any less insulting." Ilia replied, her spots briefly flaring red before she closed her eyes and seemed to force them back. "Not all of us got years of training by tutors. I had a few huntsman types who helped me out, but mostly I had to pick things up on my own."

It was Pyrrha's turn to reach over and gently squeeze her partner's wrist. She knew, more than she thought anyone else did, how sensitive Ilia was about that, and how cagey she was about her past.

Ilia was what her trainers back in Mistral would have sneered at and called a 'gutter-fighter'. She used dust to create smoke-screens, flashes of light, and distracting but mostly harmless explosions in order to get close to her opponent. Once she got there, she didn't fight with any degree of elegance or rhythm, she just wanted to hurt her opponent until they _stopped_ fighting, and she wasn't picky about how it happened. She preferred yellow dust in her whip for a reason, if she could grasp you with it...

Aura only helped so much when you were electrocuted.

Even if you managed to avoid that, Ilia didn't really have any sense of fair play. She'd downed an opponent by brutally choking them into submission with her whip, she'd kicked men in groins, women in their breasts, and aimed for the throat, ankles, and wrists whenever she could. She would do anything she thought it took to win in as fast as she could manage. Sometimes it worked... sometimes it didn't, but the one constant was that _no one_ enjoyed fighting her.

Mutters about her attitude were becoming even more common that whispered conversations about Pyrrha. Mutters not at all helped by the words that Weiss tended to throw around.

"When you're out there, in the real world..." Ilia shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I'm here now, in Beacon. And I'm... working on it."

"All right." Weiss exhaled, "I will... try to be more considerate in the future."

"Great!" Yang pumped a lazy fist into the air, "All friendly now, high fives! Eh? Eh? Oh come on, don't leave me Yanging."

Pyrrha let out a weak giggle while Weiss rolled her eyes, "Welcome to my life... I deal with every day."

"Every day? Dammit Xiao-Long." Ilia sighed, "You're making me feel sympathy for her. Knock it off."

"Hey, don't get Yangry about it!"

* * *

 _ **I seem to be alternating between the more and less serious chapters, not really doing it on purpose it's just kind of happening. I'm going to be avoiding the 'one-conversation-fixes-all-of-our-problems' trope, so things will still be tense between RWBY and RAVN but this chapter is the start of their gradual improvement. They'll still have some issues, particularly between Ilia and Blake/Weiss, but it will be improving. Next chapter will be Jaune and Neo off to The Club to visit Roman. Oh, and some of the fallout from the great coffee theft will be felt as well.**_

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	21. Semester I: Scheme-Scheme-Fight!

**Scheme-Scheme-Fight!**

* * *

Jaune and Neo approached The Club from a back alley, her semblance giving them both neon green hair and matching eyes while shifting their clothes to match the suits Junior's goons always wore. He'd topped off her aura after she had brought them down, making sure she was able to cover them and also ready to get them out if they had to bolt.

The guard at the back door waved them in without comment, and they made their way down a narrow hallway to an old circular stairwell, the metal rattling a little as they went up. It was about the most basic of security precautions, but Junior had gotten sensibly paranoid after he'd figured out part of Neo's semblance.

 _Stairwells that are too thin for more than one person to go up an down... metal that rattles when in use... not impossible for someone invisible to go up and down, but too dangerous to risk._

"Hey~ey." The Malachite twins drawled in unison when he reached the top, the pair standing guard outside of a closed security door.

"Look who finally showed up." Militia gave him a flirty little grin, batting her eyes a few times. "We missed you~"

"You never visit anymore." Melanie purred. "We were starting to think you didn't like us."

"Militia, Melanie." He sighed, absently grabbing Neo by the shoulder as she started to stalk forwards. "I see you haven't changed. They inside already?"

"Junior is." Militia shrugged. "The peacock is late, as usual."

"Of course. Mind opening the door?"

"~aww... no kiss for us?" Melanie puckered her lips as she did so, then smirked as Neo almost vibrated with irritation. "Oh relax, you know we just like to tease, we wouldn't touch your man-toy."

"Not without permission at least." Militia cooed.

Neo huffed, the closest she could come to making a disgusted sound. She shook him off with an irritated motion and stomped past the pair and into the room, leaving Jaune to glower at the twins. They both smiled at him, each planting a hand on one hip in their usual bizarre level of synchronization.

Shaking his head, he walked forwards as well, adjusting his sword's sheathe to block one hand and batting aside the other when they both tried to smack his ass when he moved past.

"Evening." Junior grunted as he entered, shutting the heavy door behind him. The information broker and gang leader was seated behind an old wooden desk, a glass of whiskey sitting untouched beside a small mountain of paperwork. "Grab yourself a drink, Torchwick will be here sooner or later."

"Thanks." Jaune replied, noting that Neo had already draped herself across a couch. She gave him a nod to indicate she wanted a drink, and he wandered over to the mini-bar to fix her something. "You know what this is about?"

"I know that he's got offers to make both of us." Came a slightly tense reply, "But he's been cagey about the details."

"Of course." He sighed, mixing soda and rum before wandering back to the couch and giving Neo her drink.

She sipped at it as he settled down beside her, the leather couch all but molding to his body. The sheer comfort of it tried to lull him to sleep almost at once, even with the coffee that he'd downed before they'd left. Teaching, it turned out, was a surprisingly exhausting affair, at least as far as his mental faculties went.

True to his prediction, after the debacle that had been the first team's effort, Ruby had led her team to a near-success. They'd gotten to Neo within fifteen minutes, Ren using some kind of unusual semblance to hide them from the Grimm, letting them bypass several Ursa entirely. He and Nora had acted as a diversion while Ruby and Blake had come at Neo from the sides.

His partner had knocked Ren and Nora around but had gotten tangled up in Blake's odd weapon thanks to Ruby literally running in circles around her with it. They'd managed to drag her most of the way back before they'd run into a Beowolf pack, and she'd squirmed loose in the confusion. He'd called the training there rather than have them chase her around for another thirty minutes, and had them all run through the same self-improvement thoughts before dismissing them with passing grades.

He'd still felt rather bad for team one though, especially Ilia. She'd been the first, and so far only, person seriously looking for counseling and self-improvement... and he'd been the one who'd named her team. It was a flimsy attachment, he'd admit, but he couldn't deny he'd started to show them bits of favoritism in Glynda's class over the last couple of weeks.

 _Doesn't help that Nora grabs you every time you go into the cafeteria and makes a fuss if you don't sit with them._ Jaune sighed, letting his head fall back. _Just hope that things calm down with them all now... and that tomorrow goes better._

Glynda hadn't quite gushed in their post-class meeting, but only because such a thing was beneath her dignity. She evidently thought he'd given them the precise amount of eye-opening tough love that they needed and that he was a natural professor. That had made his guilty soul writhe a little, bouncing between a bit of pride and hope that he _had_ done something right for once, and uncomfortable as he remembered the horrible expression on Pyrrha's face.

Even Yang hadn't taken his admonishment as badly as she had, and Yang had been the one he'd honestly been the most annoyed with. She'd looked embarrassed, sure, but also thoughtful, like she'd understood what he was telling her and was honestly thinking about it.

Pyrrha had looked like she was in shock the entire time.

 _Poor girl is a mess._ He'd seen enough screwed up people, teenagers, adults, whatever, in Vaco to know someone hiding issues behind a cheerful smile when he saw it... but he had no idea what could be bothering her. A real counselor may have been able to puzzle it out, or find a way to gently talk about it... but he wasn't one. _I'm basically stuck hoping that she shows up and explodes at me like Ilia did._

Neo gave him a none-too-gentle elbow, and he shook his head sharply. This wasn't the time to be thinking about that, as much as he wanted to help. Tonight was for the real work that could save far more than one upset girl.

Jaune focused on nothing in particular, straightening his back out and clearing his head. By the time Roman showed up, a good twenty minutes late, he felt ready to deal with the situation.

"Good to see you on time." Junior grumbled when the twins shut the door behind him, "As usual."

"I had to lose a couple tails." Roman replied idly, electing not to get himself a drink but instead lighting a cigar. "Seems like my employer really wants to keep tabs on me these days."

Junior frowned. "Freelancers?"

"PI's, actually." The thief shrugged, "Two of the cheaper ones in town, guys who really should have known better. They weren't anything close to good enough to shadow me."

Jaune felt his fingers twitch at the implications of those sentences. Roman had either killed them personally, or more likely, he'd lured them into ambushes and let his people deal with them. "Get to the point Roman, what are we all doing here?"

The smoldering cigar stabbed in his direction, "Kid, what have I told you about banter? You really gotta relax more."

Neo made a quiet scoffing sound and gave him the finger.

Roman just chuckled, his cane clicking on the floor as he walked to an armchair, nudged it a bit so he could see all three of them and the door, then sat. "All right, brevity then. Let's talk about Cinder Fall, my new... boss. Junior, care to give them your little notes?"

"Yeah, why not." Xiong exhaled, settling back and folding his fingers together. "I spent the last month tracking down every bit of public data on her, and she's clean. Way, way too clean. No arrests, no black marks, no publicity, not so much as a traffic ticket. Did more digging and came up with her records."

He reached out, tapping a few commands on his desk's keyboard, and a display promptly appeared above it. The woman in the picture was... Jaune would freely admit, incredibly attractive. Pale skin, thick black hair that coyly hid half an eye and cheek, and a confident smirk on patrician features that made her look a little Atlesian.

"Graduated from Haven without distinction, exact middle of her class in fact." Junior continued, "Took on a few missions in the tundratic region of Anima, then returned to get a degree in political history from a small college in Wind Path. She took on a temp position as a Professor at Haven last year when one of their regulars was injured on a mission, then vanished."

Jaune frowned, leaning forwards. "How much of it is fake?"

"Everything before her tenure at Haven." Came the reply. "And yeah, I'm sure. Mistralian forgers have this obsession with leaving maker's marks in their backstories, and she's got a couple of keys I recognize. Nothing you could use to expose her, but neither of the guys I tried to reach out to picked up their scrolls."

"They're dead then." Jaune blew out a breath, rubbing at his hair when Junior nodded. "So what the hell is she doing in Vale?"

Roman held up a finger, "Ah-ah, that's not the right question. The right one is what is she doing with the White Fang, and what do they need several tons of dust for? She's not a faunus, so the follow up is what are they even doing working with her in the first place?"

That... was a better question, actually. After a couple of moments, he came up with the obvious answers; nothing good, and because they had a mutual goal.

"And why the hell did she need to work at Haven for?" Junior added, waving a hand, "She _was_ there, I got news articles about her."

Roman gave them both a hard look, "Think its related to whatever you two are doing at Beacon? She after the same goal?"

Jaune tensed for a moment, then forced himself to calm down and think through it. After a few moments he shook his head, "Doesn't track, it's not a long enough time period, and there would have been some kind uproar after she left. Or at the very least some kind of major disturbance at the school, like a teacher recall, or unusual numbers of huntsman being called in suddenly. Was there anything?"

There was a chuckle from Junior, "Just teenage boys writing into the gossip mags to complain about losing their eye candy."

Neo snorted derisively, tossing her drink back before flicking her fingers through a few quick motions in his direction. The other two men glanced at him for a translation, but he waited until she was done before nodding and speaking aloud, "She says Cinder was playing up the sex-appeal vibe pretty hard when she listened in on you two. Wants to know if that's normal, and just what the hell she did to scare you."

"She... plays with it to play with you." Roman said after a moment, puffing on his cigar. "She likes the attention, likes burning the stupid bastards who try to get close. And I mean literally burning them, her semblance is some kind of fire manipulation... and she's got one hell of an aura reserve."

Neo pursed her lips, but the thief clammed up after that. He was clearly not about to recount what was obviously a humiliating situation for him, leaving them to wonder just how bad it had been.

"Apart from that," He continued after a few more pulls from his vice, "She's got two kids at her beck and call, younger than you lot, that she uses to chauffeur her around."

"I'm still checking on them." Junior provided.

Roman waved a hand, "But that's not what you two are here for. I don't give a rat's ass about most of this city, and if she wanted to murder those uptight Council assholes I'd be first in line to help... but you don't need a mountain of dust and terrorist help for that."

"You think she's after something bigger." Jaune grimaced as he worked it out, "Something that's going to damage everything, and put you at risk."

"I've seen what happens when a city falls to the Grimm." He replied flatly, "It ain't pretty, and you can't do business in a ruined wasteland. I'm as likely to get killed as the next guy, more than just likely if this bitch decides I've outlived my usefulness... and I'm obviously opposed to that."

Neo nodded slowly, then pointed at him before gesturing at herself and Jaune. The silent question was clear; what do you want from us?

"Told it would be mutually beneficial. I need time to figure her plan out, and time to work on my escape options." Roman leaned back, "And I need her to not suspect I'm draggin' my feet on purpose."

"Ah." Jaune nodded, "You want us to intervene in a heist and fight you off before you get much of anything."

A glove hand rose as if he was pointing a gun at Jaune, "Bingo kid. She knows I'm too good for cops or security to stop me, and it's not like the military hunts down criminals in their spare time. But if a Professor from Beacon happened to be nearby, for totally unrelated reasons... and just happens to notice a bunch of incompetent terrorists wandering around... well, that's just too damned bad."

Roman inspected his cigar for a moment, smirking a little. "And for you... you get to stop and almost catch Vale's most wanted, just bad luck that I get away. You'll still help capture a whole bunch of White Fang in the middle of an obvious dust theft, a veritable paragon of virtue and duty. A true inspiration to those brats and huntsman alike."

The sheer sarcasm he put into the last pair of sentences made Jaune snort quietly, settling back to think about it.

 _It's not a bad plan... not sure it's a great one, but it might be workable. If it works it stalls this Cinder's plans, whatever they are, buys us time to try and find our relic, and removes us from any kind of suspicion..._

That could work out even better than they'd hoped. Once they quit and then came back to steal the Relic there was always the obvious problem that they'd be suspects no matter how carefully they planned their exit. But if they were renowned heroes in the city, people who'd fought against a terrorist plot... they'd be above suspicion, or at least above it to the point where they might get a cursory interview yet nothing more.

 _And admit it, part of you still wants to be known as a hero. Still... it's not a bad plan, the only risk here is that it's going to bring us to this woman's attention._

He shared a glance with Neo, who pursed her lips and made a 'maybe' gesture.

Jaune nodded lifted his own hands, asking her if the risk would be better if he was the only one involved. She could lurk nearby just in case, but stay out of sight unless it became actually necessary.

Neo considered that... then nodded slowly.

The discussion moved quickly from that point on. Roman gave the time and location, the northern end of the Valean dockyards exactly thirty days from now, and left them to come up with their own reason for being in the area. They'd nodded, and all four had traded the numbers for a new set of burner-scrolls, and then they'd left to try and get some sleep before their class too-early the following morning.

* * *

Sunday passed in a tired blur to Jaune. His second class went... more smoothly than his first. Teams FRST, MINT, and CRDL all failed to catch Neo but they all at least had reacted better to having their membership scrambled than RWBY and RAVN had. Mostly they'd fall in on a spectrum between his first attempt; he hadn't scored any of them as high as Ruby's team, but he hadn't scored any of them as low as Ilia's either.

The only problem had been that they'd been far less able, or willing, to identify their faults and areas they could improve on their own afterwords. He'd had to do far more prodding and lecturing, and more than a few had gotten defensive about their decisions instead of sitting back and thinking like Yang and the others.

 _Probably because they didn't fail nearly as horribly..._

He was probably going to have a harder time reaching some of them, especially since there was an extra bit of fallout that he hadn't anticipated... though in hindsight he really should have.

"It's a stupid policy." He grumbled over his coffee, "Why do we need to make the team's composite grades visible, and rank them publicly?"

"It fosters competitive spirit and competition." Glynda replied, sipping at her tea. "Thus encouraging constant improvement."

Jaune narrowed his eyes at his usual ally, not used to being on the opposite side of an issue from her. "You mean it fosters division, bragging, and feelings of superiority."

Tsune and Oobleck were being of no help, both sipping coffee and flicking their eyes back and forth like they were watching a tennis match, and Peter was openly grinning beneath his mustache as he observed from a nearby couch. Peach, wiser or hungrier than the others, simply focused on eating her breakfast.

"Such feelings fade when they are knocked down by the other teams," She countered, "We are here to train warriors, to make sure they know that they must always train and strive to be better."

"At the cost of making half of them arrogant beyond all reason?" He set his cup down, crossing his arms. "Starting fights between teams?"

Glynda pushed her glasses up slightly, making them flash in the light. "We cannot coddle them."

"I'm not saying we coddle them," Jaune protested, "I'm saying we don't need a giant billboard with their grades on it."

"I cannot help but notice you only complain about this now, after _your_ class's grades have been added." She noted, "And that you had no such complaints before today, Mister Arc."

He narrowed his eyes, "I have no complaints about your combat rankings being public, Miss Goodwitch, but I do not believe the others, particular team-based averages, should be. It's not like knowing their Grimm Studies grades matters."

"All of their grades are relevant to inspiring them to improve."

Jaune scoffed and waved a hand at Peter, "How does everyone knowing they're passing Grimm Studies inspire competitive spirit? They all _know_ they're passing, he never grades anything!"

Peter promptly choked on his coffee, pounding on his chest as he wheezed. "L-lies! Lies and slander!"

Glynda turned and gave the rotund huntsman an arctic level glare, then dismissed him in favor of returning to Jaune. "I believe we should agree to disagree, but I do not see the policy changing."

He made a disgusted sound, but sipped more of his drink, wordlessly conceding her point. At the edge of his vision he saw Tsune's tail start wagging happily as she held a hand out, and Oobleck rolled his eyes before pulling a few cards of lien from his pocket and handing them over. He made sure to glower at the both of them, which only made her tail wag harder while Bart gave him a disappointed look.

 _Like you'd do any better debating her, jerk._

Things settled down into the usual Monday morning malaise after that, everyone trying to get enough caffeine into their system to survive the day's coming events. As per normal, the others wandered out one at a time, Glynda pausing to pat him on the shoulder as she left; the closest she would come to saying that there were no actual hard feelings between them.

He'd nodded in reply, smiling a little as she departed.

That had left him and Bart as the last ones present, but before either of them could speak Ozpin had bustled into the room like a man on a mission. "Ah, Bartholomew, Jaune. Just the men I wished to see."

They both blinked at him, and then at the half-dozen thermoses carefully held in his arms.

"Ok..." Jaune tried, "What about?"

Ozpin ignored him, walking around them both to the nearest table and carefully depositing his cargo there. He set up them up in a neat line, and then carefully unscrewed their tops. "There has been a theft within the school. I require your assistance in locating the perpetrator."

He felt his back tighten a little as his mouth went dry, thankfully Oobleck stepped up before he could. "A theft? What kind of theft?"

"Of this." A hand waved at the drink-ware in front of him. "Over the weekend, I have found ten thermoses of teacher's coffee.. emptied, replace with a poison so foul I cannot describe it."

... _oh._ Jaune settled back, then remembered that he needed to look grave and not smile. He'd evidently found one of Neo's surprises, and hadn't cared for the experience. She would be entirely too pleased with herself. "That's... unfortunate."

"It gets worse." Ozpin replied, utterly serious. "Four bags of grounds were taken from the pantries last night, that amounts to nearly thirty percent of our current stock. Given the prices involved, it is also a significant amount of lien, and a significant portion of our kitchen's budget."

He idly remembered opening their pantry this morning and finding several such bags within it, and a note from Neo indicating she needed it to stay awake on her late night searches. For some reason he'd thought she'd actually ordered it herself, maybe from Sol.

 _I must have been half asleep still, not thinking rationally._

"I hold our staff above reproach, but I need you both to be on the lookout among the student body, especially yourself Mister Arc." The Headmaster's eyes bored into his, "Any student who seems to suddenly develop unusual wealth, or rumors of the teacher's coffee being made public should be reported at once."

... _there really is a coffee black market, isn't there?_

"Mister Arc, I understand that this may not seem serious." Jaune started and winced as he realized that Ozpin had caught him zoning out, treating the Headmaster as he would one of Peter's stories. "But I can assure this is far more important than it may seem. Beyond the defense of our special blend, this is a sign that one of our students has elected to go beyond merely pranking one another. Many of these cups were cleverly hidden throughout the dorm and library, and it would have taken a great deal of research and effort to locate them."

.. _Neo found them inside of a week._

Bart nodded quickly, "It is most likely an older student, one who knows the buildings very well and has had plenty of time to notice any circumstances where we availed ourself to the reserve thermoses. You said they replaced the teacher's brew and then returned them?"

Ozpin seemed to shudder. "They did. It was likely intended as a prank of some kind, one of particularly poor taste."

Jaune had to fight down a snort, the Headmaster had likely meant that in both meanings of the word. _Neo is going to laugh herself sick._

"The return of said thermoses likely indicates over-confidence, amateurism, and a childlike desire for amusement." Bart continued, sounding serious... but giving Jaune a slight roll of his eyes when Ozpin turned away. _Right, he's got his own private stash of coffee, he's bullshitting as much as I am._ "It is probable that they have not yet graduated to full criminality, but catching them early and educating them is our best approach. We will both, of course, keep our eyes open, right Jaune?"

"Right, of course. We'll, uh, keep an eye out."

"Good." Ozpin nodded once, "I have the complete faith in both of you that we will find the student responsible."

... _I choose to believe that you're just sane pretending to be insane._ Jaune sighed as he rose, making his excuses and promises that he'd help search for the missing coffee before he left for his office. _Maybe I should look up the long-term effects of Mistralian Nirvana intake, and see if I can find Neo some tea to drink instead..._

* * *

Weiss fought the urge to rub at her temples as team RWBY left Grimm Studies and headed to lunch. For some reason Professor Port had actually given out real coursework, and warned them that it would assuredly count against their grades. None of them had been sure what that had meant, but she'd taken one look at the questions and been startled to see them actually relevant to... well, Grimm Studies.

 _Maybe he's about to retire and Professor Arc will be taking over the class..._

She allowed that pleasant fantasy to linger for a while, then remembered that it could leave Miss Neopoliton in charge of Group Tactics.

 _No. Just no._

"Hey! Yang! Weiss! Over here!" Weiss blinked at the shout, everyone looking around until they caught sight of Fiye Young waving at them from outside the cafeteria. The redheaded boy was easily tall enough to look over everyone else, and as usual only seemed to notice the pair of them. "They updated the team scores with Professor Arc's new class! Nice job taking those jerks down!"

"...oh boy." Ruby muttered quietly. "We better go check."

She nodded, following her partner with the others to one of several screens outside of the building. Fiye grinned at them, already having the first years' information up, nodding at it. Weiss ignored him, and his follow-up effort to get her or Yang's attention, in favor of reading the information.

Sure enough, the original three grade columns, Combat, Combined Academic, Grimm Studies, now had a fourth companion tacked onto the end; GT&E. The team names fell in rows beneath it, sorted from top to bottom by their average grade in every category. Since everyone was passing Grimm Studies, it had really just been a comparison between their Combat Rankings and their overall academic grade.

Team RAVN had held the top spot almost since the start of the week thanks to Pyrrha's dominance in the ring, with the others doing well enough to keep them clear of any challenger. Weiss had been proud to note that Team RWBY had held a similar control over the Academic grades, with RAVN and MINT vying for second place.

"We weren't that far behind them overall." Blake noted quietly, "Jaune's first grade was just enough to push us past them."

Weiss pursed her lips as she noted it. In almost direct contrast to the Grimm Studies score next to it, pretty much every team was hovering just above failing in the new class. "Seventy even, they only received a sixty six... third behind MINT."

"You probably got a way higher score in our team than anyone else." Yang muttered, careful not to let a lingering Fiye listen in. "Don't think he flunked you like you asked."

She winced. "Apparently not..."

Fiye, unfortunately, chose just that moment to butt in. "Did you just crush it on Saturday or what? Oh man, don't tell me you actually caught her!?"

"Sort of." Ruby replied absently, missing Yang's attempt to tug her away until it was too late. Weiss winced again... the last thing you wanted to give someone like Fiye was attention, it made him think he actually wanted to talk with him.

Not that he was _bad_ guy... those few times she'd deal with him one on one she'd found him reasonably intelligent, and while definitely male, was not nearly as much of a lech as Cardin or Sky. He was just... a follower, someone who always wanted to be around the top of the social hierarchy, wanted whatever prestige he thought he could get from being associated with them.

She'd had to deal with enough of those people back in Atlas, thank you very much.

 _How he ended up the leader of Team FRST, I have no idea..._ Oh, he seemed to keep them together socially very well, but their grades and skills were easily the worst in the year and they seemed to have little prospects of improvement.

"You gotta tell us how you did it!" He gushed, focusing on Ruby. "I bet even CRDL will want to hear, we never even got close and I was on a scratch team with Dove and Russel!"

Weiss cleared her throat, "We need to get our lunch, thank you for bringing this to our attention."

"Sure Weiss, I'll tell the others you're on your way over!"

They wall waited until he was gone before Blake sighed, "Please tell me we're not sitting with them today. Yang, I know they're your friends, but I'm really not in the mood."

"Yeah... I... me either." Yang shared a glance with Weiss, who nodded in return. "I was... thinking... maybe we should sit with RAVN today."

To Weiss's shock, Ruby abruptly disintegrated into rose petals from her place in front of the screen, almost instantly re-appearing in front of her sister. "You mean it!?"

"I..." Yang glanced at her again, and got a helpless shrug in return. "Yeah, Rubes, I mean it. We talked after class on Saturday, and... I told them we'd try and start fresh, you know?"

"Really!?" Her partner's voice squeaked high enough that Weiss winced. "This is great! Come on, sooner we can get food the sooner the best teams in Beacon can sit next to each other and swap awesome stories of awesome!"

She opened her mouth to try and ask her to calm down, only to have a hand grab her wrist and nearly yank her off of her feet as Ruby dragged her into the cafeteria.

* * *

Ilia had gone into the day with her usual set of expectations; it would be a normally slow Monday, classes would be dull, and team RAVN would spend the day with only each other for real company.

The world, apparently, had other plans.

"Heya Ilia!" Ruby cheered as she dropped her tray next to her, silverware rattling on the plastic as she collapsed onto the bench. "We're sitting next to you guys today!"

Ilia opened her mouth, then turned around to see the rest of Ruby's team walking their way and looking far more awkward about it than Ruby had. Behind her, she heard Pyrrha offer a confused, "Um... you are?"

"Yang said she wanted to." The younger girl smiled, clearly over the moon to finally be spending time with both sets of her friends at once. "Isn't that awesome?"

"I... guess?" She offered, still a little in shock. No one sat next to team RAVN at lunch. Hell, not even the upper years. The sole exception was Professor Arc and his partner on those rare moments where they ate in the cafeteria instead of their rooms. It was practically a rule of Beacon.

 _I mean, I know we had kind of a moment on Saturday, and she told Pyrrha they'd restart... but this is kind of fast._

"Pyrrha... Ilia." Weiss Schnee greeted, taking the spot on Ruby's other side. "Good morning."

Ilia was too busy blinking, but Pyrrha managed a confused sounding, "Good morning."

Since they were at the end of the table, Yang and Blake had to move around the end to sit on the other side, moving past an also confused Ren and Nora to sit down next to them. Whatever olive branch was being offered between the two teams was apparently not being extended from Blake to her, however, since her old friend kept Yang between her and Nora and almost immediately pulled a book out of her bag to hide behind.

 _Same old Blake..._ The sight of that stupid ribbon poking up above the pages made her eye twitch, and she quickly looked at Nora instead.

"Sooo..." Ruby tried when the silence became awkward, everyone on RAVN glancing at each other and wondering what was going on, while everyone on RWBY seemed to be searching for something to say. "What have you guys been up to?"

"Well..." Ilia offered, "Port's class was the same as usual, so... not much. Nora was just telling us a story though."

Nora gasped as if she'd only just remembered. "That's right! I was right in the middle of it! Gah! Now I have start all over again!"

"A story?" Yang at least tried to sound interested. "What ab-"

Two hands slammed into the table, startling everyone. "So, there we were, in the middle of the night!"

"It was day." Ren corrected absently.

Nora snapped an arm around Yang's shoulders, pulling the suddenly wide-eyed girl almost cheek to cheek with her, her other hand spread in front of them as if she was drawing a curtain back. "We were surrounded by Ursa..."

"They were Beowolves."

"Dozens of them!"

"Two."

"They all swarmed us at once!" The hand closed into a fist and rocked the table again as she released Yang as quickly as she'd grabbed onto her. "We had no way out! Ren screamed at me, he told me to save myself! I told him I would never leave him, never!"

Ilia bit her lip as the other team, sans Ruby, got their first real exposure to Nora. Blake had lowered her book, and Weiss was staring blankly while Yang had bitten a finger between her teeth as she fought not to laugh.

"I drew Magnhild and swung it, crushing them as they came on, standing over Ren while he cried!" The boy in question buried his face in his hands and groaned, "Then, just when all hope seemed lost... just when the Grimm came for me... I was struck by... _lightning!"_

"She reloaded." Ren muttered, bound by some kind of duty to relate the actual story.

"Supercharged by my awesome semblance, I let out a titanic roar!" Nora abruptly surged to her feet, planting one foot up on the bench as she flexed both arms. "In the end they were no match for my awesome thews! And we made a boatload of lien selling Ursa skin rugs!"

Ren sighed, lowering his hands as his partner dropped back into her seat. "She's been having this recurring dream for over a month now, it gets worse every time."

Ruby broke into peels of laughter, actually grabbing onto her arm as she giggled. On her other side, Pyrrha lasted a few seconds longer before breaking out into an entirely genuine belly laugh, collapsing against Illia's other side.

Ilia felt her cheeks heat up a little as the two girls half-draped themselves over her, but was pretty sure she kept her freckles from shifting color. Of course, even if she had, she was pretty sure no one would have noticed because Yang abruptly let out a cackle. "I guess those Ursa couldn't bear the sight of your thews!"

Nora's mouth widened, then she grinned. "Oh my gods! Was that a _pun!_? That was unbearable!"

"Sorry~" Yang all but sang back, "Guess you'll just have to bear with me!"

"No! No!" Weiss all but shouted, rocketing to her feet, "We are _not_ doing this!"

"Aww..." Yang sighed, but there was a grin as she leaned closer to Nora. "Guess we butter stop before the Weiss-cream melts."

"Yeah, we'd have to-" Ren calmly put a hand over Nora's mouth, not that the girl seemed to notice because she kept talking before giggling at a pun the rest of them thankfully missed.

"Aww, come on, we're _bonding_! It's not like-" Blake abruptly muzzled Yang as well, making the blonde roll her eyes.

"Thank you Blake." Weiss sighed. "It is awful enough dealing with that in our dorms."

"As do we." Ren nodded in agreement, "Though normally pranks rather than puns. I'm not sure which is worse."

"Puns." The heiress replied flatly, her eyes taking an almost haunted expression. "Definitely puns. When she runs out of them she moves on to dad jokes... I'm sure she could defeat even Pyrrha if she could figure out how to weaponize them."

Yang abruptly knocked Blake's hand away, grinning in Pyrrha's direction. "Pyrrha! I-"

"What the heck is this?" Ilia felt her rising mood shatter at the sound of Cardin Winchester's voice, and Pyrrha and Ruby finally shifted away from her to stare as the tall boy strutted over. "What are you four doing hanging out with those losers? Don't tell me you feel bad for taking their place."

Beside her, Ruby's voice turned cooler than Ilia had ever imagined it could go. "Cardin, we're having lunch with our friends. Go away."

Cardin sneered at her, "Friends? Since when? Xiao-Long was telling us all how stuck up she thought Nikos was just last Friday, can't have changed much over just a weekend. Especially when they dragged your grades down with them in Arc's class."

Ilia let her skin ripple to red as the asshole tried to break them apart, right when they'd started to relax around each other. She felt Pyrrha flinch on her left, while her eyes saw Yang's jaw clench, her words barely intelligible. "Cardin... knock it off."

"We all heard it, all saw it, don't bother trying to cover it up." He grinned. "Look, I get it, you're trying to be all generous in victory and all that, but come _on._ You can't seriously say you'll ditch your old pals for a barbarian, a stuck up rich girl, a bookworm, and a colorful little animal."

Something snapped in her head at the last three words, and she only vaguely heard Pyrrha Nikos actually swear, offering a quiet but utterly heartfelt, "Oh shit.."

Cardin continued, though his voice had become odd, like he was talking from a great distance away. "Or were you looking for a pet?"

Everything went red.

* * *

Ruby's world spun as Ilia shoved her backwards, surging past her in a rush of bright scarlet and yellow. She felt startled at how fast the faunus girl was moving, but felt less bad about her butt hitting the floor when she saw Weiss grab at Ilia's legs and miss entirely.

Trays and plates went flying as Ilia simply took three long steps down the table and threw herself at Cardin. He seemed to panic at the last moment, as if he hadn't believed what he was seeing, and he let out a surprisingly loud yelp as the pair tumbled back onto the ground.

Ruby scrambled back to her feet as shouts and calls started to come from all over the cafeteria. Farther down the long row, the rest of Team Cardinal shouted their leaders name, their own food and books going into the air as they raced down to help him. All around the upper years rapidly backed away, getting clear of the mess that was starting.

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted, "We have to restrain them, can you-"

"Move it!" Nora's bellow interrupted her, and Ruby snapped her head around in time to see the orange-haired girl imitate Ilia and simply sprint right down the top of the table, kicking food into Blake's face as she ran past.

She got to the fight at the same time as Russel, and before the boy could try and drag a snarling Ilia off of Cardin, he was hit by her teammate in flying tackle. That seemed to set off the rest of the first years, one of the girls from Mint shouting that RAVN was trying to kill Cardin.

 _They didn't hear what he said! This is bad!_

All they must have seen was Ilia attack him when he came over to see why RWBY was with RAVN instead of at their usual seats in the middle of everyone else. Then, after the apparently unprovoked assault, Nora had come flying in to back her up when his teammates did their jobs and tried to help him.

 _We've got to stop this before it gets worse!_

She swallowed and tried to come up with a plan, "We have to-"

Pyrrha simply kicked off from the table, did a somersault above Ruby, and landed in a roll before also charging into the fight. Dove and Sky saw her coming and frantically tried to back up, all to absolutely no avail as the champion came at them without any such hesitation. Both promptly starting yelping in pain and shouted insults as punches and kicks drove them back.

"Ren!" Yang shouted, drawing her attention back to see the quiet boy standing near where Ilia had been, calmly rifling through her bag. A moment later he drew out her dust whip, calmly tossed it to Ruby who bobbled it for a moment, and then rolled up as his sleeves as he started towards the increasingly chaotic melee as well.

Ruby stared at him, then at the weapon in her hands, and then at his back. While she was busy gaping, Ilia was thrown free of Cardin by main strength, tumbling back towards Ren. He caught her by an arm and her belt, spinning in a circle to reverse her momentum before throwing her back towards her opponent as if it was move they'd practiced a thousand times.

Cardin let out another yelp as he was again hit with her full weight, the pair kicking and struggling on the ground once more.

"Ruby, give me that!" She jumped a little as Weiss grabbed the weapon, struggling with it, "Ugh, I need the dust!"

"Oh! Gimme!" Ruby grabbed it back, quickly turning it around. Ilia had let her help do maintenance on it more than once, and they'd batted around ideas to increase the cartridge count to something like Myrtenaster. Two quick pulls, and... "There!"

Weiss blinked at her, then at the two sticks of yellow dust in her hand. "How did you know... nevermind, stay behind me, I'm going to try and- _Yang no_!"

Ruby felt a pitiful wail come out of her throat as her _sister_ sprinted down the others side of the tables, leaped clear over Nora as she tried to strangle Russel with his own tie, and then planted her feet between the fight and the oncoming people from Mint and Frost. The first couple saw her, and tried to stop as she held her hands up, but the ones behind them knocked them right into Yang, and then a second fight promptly broke out as her sister retaliated.

"We.. we have to help!" Ruby felt her small hands ball into fists. "We can't stand here. Weiss, Blake, are you with me?"

Weiss stared at her as though she'd gone insane, and a glance at Blake showed the dark haired girl still seated, her mouth open and skin pale beneath the mess of food stuck to her features as she stared at the confused mess.

"Guys!" She tried again, "We have to-"

A hand fell on her shoulder, one much, much larger than Weiss's. "Stay put Ruby."

Ruby jerked her head up, hope hammering along with her heart. "Jaune!?"

Professor Arc's lips were set in a thin line, and he didn't say anything as he walked past her, his partner idly walking up beside Ruby and stopping. The pair watched as Jaune approached within a few feet of the fight before lifting a hand to his mouth and letting out a piercing whistle. Most of the fight paused at once, everyone twitching at the sound and jerking their heads around to find its source.

Most of them got pretty pale and froze in place.

The sole exceptions were the two who'd started it, Cardin and Ilia rolling back out from under a table they'd ended up under, the pair colliding with the professor's legs. They didn't seem to notice at first, Cardin struggling his way on top and bringing his fist back.

Jaune caught it.

Cardin struggled for a moment, glancing up... and then he also froze. Ilia needed a moment longer, but Ruby could tell when she figured it out because her skin went from furious red to a terrified green.

"I see we're having an eventful Monday." Jaune noted in the absolute silence that followed, his voice all the scarier for being his normal, happy sounding self. "You've managed to make a mess of the cafeteria."

No one moved. Ruby wasn't sure some of them were even breathing.

"Nothing to say?" He asked. "Didn't think so. I want all of the first years to put your books up against the wall, and start cleaning... quietly if you can. Glynda and I will discuss what do you with you all after."

Everyone flinched at a whip cracking sound, then turned around to see Miss Goodwitch's weapon clasped in both hands as she glared at them all. "Get. To. It."

No one disobeyed.

* * *

 ** _So we go from schemes, to a bit of light comedy, the start of reconciliation, and then... Cardin. Good job breaking things dude, we can always count on you._**

 ** _For those looking to discuss things about this story in more detail, I am active on the professor arc forums here on FF (there is a thread for this story there; just search "Professor Arc" in the forums section), and would be happy to discuss things further there. A few general notes based on the last rounds of reviews;_**

 ** _Regarding Neo's past actions and current thoughts; we will only get flashbacks from Jaune's point of view, and the unreliable narrator trope is always in affect in all of my stories. He does love Neo, and that may leave him positively biased in terms of how he views her actions. As far as why Neo is set on assisting him... she has her reasons, and I will say that they don't entirely coincide with his._**

 _ **Regarding Yang, and to a lesser extent Pyrrha/Ilia/Weiss/etc; I am trying to portray them as the teenagers and flawed humans that they are. They're not always, or even very often, going to act based solely on rationality. I'm hoping this is coming through correctly, and from the responses it seems like it is.**_

 _ **Pyrrha, as the last two chapters have hinted, is not a terribly healthy person mentally, and to some extent, neither is Yang. Some of that is spoilery territory so I won't go into more here, but again, I'll respond on the forums with what I can if you wish to ask.**_

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	22. Semester I: Forever Fall, Part I

**Forever Fall, Part I**

* * *

Weiss looked up sharply as Yang opened the door, the blonde brawler looking as exhausted and stressed out as she felt. Ruby flew over to her sister, vibrating in place, while Blake actually put her book away and sat up attentively.

"Well? Well!?" Their leader demanded. "What happened? They didn't expel her did they!?"

"Woah, Rubes! Woah!" Yang half-stumbled at the sudden shout, almost falling back out of their room. "I need a minute, ok? It was really tense in there."

Weiss stepped over, grabbing Ruby by the shoulder, "Why don't you get her a glass of water."

"Right, good idea!" She was gone in a blur of motion, running for the small kitchen on their floor of the dorms.

"Thanks Weiss." Yang groaned, shuffling past her. "Blake... budge over."

Their quietest teammate regarded the other girl for a few seconds, then sighed and shuffled over in her bed a bit. Yang didn't quite face-plant, but probably only out of respect for the bunk bed's instability. Not that Weiss could blame her, if not for the indignity of such a thing she might have copied her.

Today... had been awful.

The entire first year body had spent the rest of the day with Professor Port cleaning the schools' Bullhead fleet... by hand. The pilots and usual ground crew had made it worse by lounging around, sipping lemonade and yelling at them to put their backs into it, and Port hadn't been satisfied until each aircraft was practically gleaming. Then the ground crew had gotten up and made the students refuel, restock, and generally inspect each and every ship.

 _And if we so much as left a finger print behind we had to clean it again._ Weiss Schnee did not do manual labor... she was sore in places she didn't even know she had.

It had been nearly eight by the time they were done, with the kitchen staff not thrilled at having to stay late to feed them. The entire year had resembled zombies more than prospective hunters and huntresses when they'd shuffled in. They'd been tiredly eating dinner when Professors Arc and Oobleck had shown up, collecting all of CRDL, RAVN, and then Yang and taking them all off to 'discuss' what had happened further.

"That bad?" She asked, electing to remain upright. _If I lay down, I will not make it through this conversation._ "Do we have more detentions?"

Yang muttered something into Blake's pillow, making the other girl sigh before carefully grabbing her shoulders and hauling her partner onto her side.

"We don't." Yang probably repeated, "CRDL and RAVN have a day each with Oobleck, to discuss 'the right way to de-escalate a situation'. I didn't get any, since they were sure I was just trying to stop everyone else from making the fight worse and got trampled."

"Well," Weiss sighed, "I suppose that's something."

"Something like counseling with Jaune." Came a tired reply, "Someone told them I used my semblance when FRST tackled me... so now they're worried I've got anger issues."

Blake frowned, "But you didn't... did you?"

"Nope, you can tell cuz none of them had broken arms." Yang shifted over before flopping onto her back. "But I got pretty pissed, my eyes probably went red. So... yeah. I'm going to have sessions on Friday nights for the next four weeks."

Weiss pursed her lips, thinking about it. _That's... not unreasonable, I suppose. From their point of view. They only really had Yang's word that she wanted to stop Mint and Frost from joining the fight, and her opponents' words that she used her semblance._

That would have left the professors in an awkward circumstance if they punished her when she had been the only one to try and limit the fighting, or if they didn't punish her and she later admitted that she had thrown the first punches and used her natural ability. Counseling with Professor Arc on Friday nights would count as a minor punishment, and give him a chance to see if she had been lying after all. And if she wasn't, and proved she didn't need the counseling, he'd probably just call the sessions short and let her go. It seemed like the kind of thing he would do.

"Could be far worse." Weiss shook her head as Ruby returned, holding a cold bottle of water, kicking the door shut behind her as she came in. She quickly moved over to her sister, letting Yang sit up slightly so that she could guzzle most of it down.

"Yeah."

"What happened?" Ruby demanded, making Yang groan again before repeating herself. Her younger sister bit her lip as she finished, "What about Ilia?"

Yang's lips pressed into a thin line. "She and Cardin have a detention with Professor Port Wednesday night, helping him catch a live Grimm for his second year class."

Blake's mouth fell open, "Together? After what happened?"

"That's what Nora said." The blonde sighed. "Oobleck said they'd either learn to co-exist, or they'd get to do it every day until they could. They also both have to report to Professor Ozpin tomorrow, he's going to decide if anything else has to happen after he talks with them."

"But!" Ruby shook her head, "You heard what he said! Why should Ilia get punished!?"

Weiss walked over to her bed, slowly sitting down. "...because she reacted Ruby. She let him goad her into attacking him. Cardin probably _wanted_ her to, to make her reputation even worse and shame us for sitting by them. He just didn't expect how badly she'd take it."

Yang waved a vague hand, "That's pretty much what Jaune told her. Said if all it took was one racist jerk making a couple of stupid comments to make her lose it, she was going to get herself killed by the first criminal or bandit with a brain that she ran into."

Ruby let out a sad little sound that made Weiss close her eyes. "She'll be all right Ruby. She's... already taking voluntary counseling with the Professor, and she's less... like she used to be. Professor Ozpin will see that. She'll probably get more sessions, but nothing worse."

Blake frowned at her, "Don't sound so enthusiastic."

She scowled at her. "I'm sorry, but the last time I was paired with her in combat class she punched me in my... my breasts and tried to strangle me! And that was one of the more pleasant spars that we've had! I'm... willing to admit that I didn't help her state of mind, and that she does seem earnest in her self-improvement, but that doesn't mean I'm going to hug her at breakfast tomorrow."

The other girl opened her mouth as it to reply, then seemed to think better of it and simply looked away instead. Ruby watched them before seeming to slump a little, "I thought you guys were going to be friends now."

"We were trying." Yang sighed, "Until Cardin opened his damned mouth. We'll keep trying Rubes, don't worry. Is Nora always like that?"

Ruby giggled, though the sound was still a little weak. "Pretty much, she's always telling-"

Her mouth abruptly clicked shut, but by then she'd already given herself away. Weiss simply sighed and rubbed at her left temple. "I take it they're the ones you've been visiting the forges with every week?"

"I... um... well, I mean..."

Blonde hair shifted as Yang hauled herself out of Blake's bed, groaning a little as she did. "Ruby..."

"I... their weapons are cool, and they're just so nice when you get to know them!" Weiss watched as Ruby shook her head, "They're all really, really nice and good people and I liked hanging out with them more than with everyone else so I..."

"So you went off to train with them after we said no to team training." Yang glanced over her shoulder, "And you covered for her."

Weiss lifted an eyebrow while Ruby squeaked. "Blake!?"

 _That's unexpected..._ Weiss had had her suspicions about what Ruby had been up to, but they'd honestly been more along the lines of her finding someone as weapons obsessed as she was. Maybe an employee of the school more than a student. She hadn't honestly considered that she'd been with team RAVN on those nights until Ruby had effortlessly ejected the dust rounds from Ilia's weapon.

Combine that and the over-the-top reaction, even by Ruby's standards, to Yang's proposal at lunch the day before, and it had abruptly become rather obvious. But finding out that Blake had covered for her? Unexpected, to put it mildly.

There were times where Blake... concerned her, it seemed to the only phrase that applied. She was pleasant company, if a bit bookish, though not as good at academics as she would have thought. And if her fighting style had a hint of Ilia's barbarism to it, she was at least far more elegant in her motions, and capable of concealing the less honorable moves she occasionally utilized.

But apart from her occasional snark, her love of romantic fiction, and the fact that she and Ilia seemed to have some kind of history... she really didn't know all that much about Blake, even after living with her for more than a month. That wouldn't have bothered her except for the fact that no one else seemed to know her very well either, not even Yang.

 _Ilia might... but I have no idea how to even start that conversation._

"It wasn't my place to tell." Blake responded, carefully hauling herself out of bed as well before walking towards her dresser. "Ruby looked happy."

"Yeah, but you didn't have to lie about it." Yang rubbed at her forehead. "Rubes... just because I might not like your friends doesn't mean _you_ can't stay friends with them. I wouldn't have stopped you."

"...you wouldn't have liked it either." Ruby replied, looking down at her feet.

Weiss grimaced and quietly pushed herself to her feet, _This is a talk for sisters, not a conversation for teammates._

"I'm going to get a drink of water as well." She offered, already moving for the door.

"Showering." Blake added, heading for the bathroom.

Behind her, the two sisters stayed quiet, saying nothing until after she'd closed the door behind her.

* * *

It was nearly midnight, and Pyrrha was worried about her partner.

"You don't think she's still with the professor, do you?" She asked, glancing over at Ren.

Her team leader frowned from where he was sitting on the floor, a deck of cards blurring in his hands as he shuffled them. A game board was setup between he and Nora, and they had already played twice. "I don't believe so. Yang was released after we were, and I heard her return more than two hours ago. She hasn't responded to your message?"

"No." Pyrrha replied, looking down at her unhelpfully silent scroll. "I... think we should find her."

Nora glanced at Ren as she reset the little plastic models. "You think so? She normally likes to be alone when she's upset, like when she has those nightmares."

"I know, but... this was different. This was worse than just a bad dream." She shook her head. "She looked so distraught in his office."

Ren carefully set the cards down, then rested his chin in both hands as he considered it. "She likes to visit the cliffs and view the city at night when we train... I think you should check there."

Pyrrha blinked, a cold feeling rising in her stomach. "I... should?"

"You're her partner." He replied carefully, "I think she needs your support more than ours, but if she isn't at the cliffs then call us immediately and we'll help start searching for her."

"Oh." She relaxed a little, "Of course. Yes, I can do that."

They nodded and gave her smiles, and made sure she saw that they both had their scrolls right next to them. She'd smiled back and carefully slipped out into the hall, the lighting dimmed at the late hour. None of the other dorms were open, and the kitchen was empty, leaving her to quietly head for the stairs without encountering anyone.

It was cooler outside than she had thought it would be, and she shivered a little as she started down the paths. They were as silent and empty as the dorms, leaving her with only her thoughts as she wandered towards the side of the cliffs with the best view of Vale.

 _What was I thinking...? I just... threw myself into a brawl! I gave Russel a black-eye and almost broke Sky's nose..._

Her agent would have had a heart attack. Her parents would have exploded. The sponsors would have abandoned her in droves. The media would have mauled her as fans burned her in effigy.

What worried her more wasn't that she felt bad... what worried her was that she _didn't_ feel bad. Not even a little. The thoughts... almost made her feel kind of giddy.

 _All for a partner I've had for less than two months..._

It was... strange. She thought of Ilia as a friend, but she'd had so few friends that she couldn't have said if the girl considered her one in return. She badly _wanted_ Ilia to be her friend, to have someone to stand with her, someone she could confide in... but they knew so little about each other. Part of that was her fault, she'd gotten so used to plastering on a fake smile and not revealing her thoughts that she wasn't sure how to make that next step.

 _But Ilia hasn't said much either._

She was a faunus, her favorite color was black, she'd learned to fight on the streets, and she'd lost people she had cared about. She was fiercely proud of her heritage, had a temper, but was also sensitive, and enjoyed peace and quiet more than crowds. She got along well with her team, didn't like Weiss or Blake very much, and didn't really care about what other people thought of her. Mostly. She also had to work very hard to keep up in her studies, and had hinted she'd dropped out of her early schooling.

Oh, and she liked to covertly steal glimpses of Pyrrha and Nora, though she almost always looked guilty and stopped when she realized she was ogling. And she tended to turn slightly pink when Ruby hugged her.

It seemed like a long list to her, but... she could make a similar list about Yang, and she knew that she was very much _not_ friends with her. Though.. that might change in the future, if things kept calming down.

 _Jaune made me realize I was too passive in our team training... Maybe I'm being too passive with my team too? Was his lesson about more than just fighting?_

Maybe she had to give a little first. It... couldn't hurt, and Ilia would definitely keep it to herself if she asked. She definitely seemed to keep her promises.

"...what do you want Blake?"

Pyrrha froze at the sound of Ilia's voice, then felt her eyes widen when Blake Belladona replied. "I can't make sure my friend is all right?"

"Friend?" Ilia scoffed, "We're not friends anymore Blake, we haven't been since you put that stupid bow on."

 _...her bow?_ She shook her head and cautiously crept forwards, poking her head around a stone column to see the two girls near the airship docks. Ilia was sitting in the grass, her back to the school, while Blake stood with her arms crossed a few feet away.

"...Ilia, please. We've known each other since we were twelve. Just talk to me."

 _Wait, what?_

"Oh now you want to talk." Ilia shook her head. "Where were you last month? Or were you too busy freaking out, wondering if Jaune would recognize you from Vacuo?"

Pyrrha was feeling increasingly lost, but equally unable to move away despite knowing she shouldn't be eavesdropping.

"Where were you today?" Her partner continued, her skin flashing red. "Yang fucking Xiao-Long tried to help, Schnee was about to try and shock us all into stopping... and you were just sitting there like a-"

"I froze all right!" Blake snapped, her hands clenching into fists. "I... I heard those stupid words and I just I froze!"

Ilia turned, staring at the standing girl, the color fading from her. "...what?"

"I wanted to pull you off of him, I wanted to run away, I wanted to punch is stupid teeth in, I..." She shook her head. "I... locked up. I'm... I'm sorry. I should have done something."

"...huh." Came the reply as Ilia turned away again. "Wonders never cease."

"I'm trying to help, trying to say things that aren't easy for me!" Pyrrha felt herself wince. "Do you really have to be such a bitch about it? I'm sorry I froze, I'm sorry I dragged you into this!"

 _She... dragged her into this? Into the fight? No, she didn't say anything... into school?_

"...are you sorry you're wearing that bow?"

 _That bow again..._

Blake went silent, and when she spoke again her voice was too quiet for Pyrrha to hear. Whatever she said made Ilia shake her head once. She murmured something that made Blake take a step back, as if in surprise. Ilia just laughed, a little bitterly, and continued on in the same soft tones. Pyrrha only caught the last words.

"...I don't belong here Blake. This was a mistake. I'm going to tell Ozpin I'm quitting tomorrow."

Blake stared down at her, "I thought I was the one who ran away from my problems."

"Yeah... well, I guess I learned from the best."

The member of team RWBY tightened her fists again, and Pyrrha only barely ducked back as she spun around and stalked away.

She waited until the footsteps had faded... then waited some more to see if Ilia would get up and follow. When she didn't, she cautiously looked around to see her partner still sitting on the grass, staring at the lights of Vale stretching out into the distance. Biting her lip, she made her decision, swallowed against a suddenly dry mouth, and started walking forwards.

Ilia sighed as she approached, not turning around. "Blake, I'm pretty sure I've been bitchy enough to tell you I don't want you around. You're not changing my mind."

Pyrrha licked her lips, then asked, "...can I?"

Her partner started violently, and not at all gracefully. It looked like she tried to stand up, turn around, and reach for a weapon all at the same time... and mostly just flopped onto her side in a single bizarre contortion. In any other circumstance she would have burst out laughing at such a sight, but this evening... it seemed inappropriate to even smile.

Illia's skin rippled to something like black, making her an odd sight in the darkness "Pyrrha!? What... how?"

"I'm sorry." She bit her lip again, folding her hands in front of her. "You weren't responding to your scroll, and I was worried about you... so I came looking."

Her partners eyes blinked a few times. "...you came looking for me? Wait, were you listening?"

"I... I didn't hear all of it." Pyrrha rushed to assure her, "Interrupting seemed rude and I didn't know if I could leave so I just... I'm sorry."

Ilia slowly faded back into proper view, her eyes wide before she looked away. She pushed herself slowly back upright, but there was a definite tension in her, like she was torn between staying put and running as far away as she could.

Not quite knowing how to proceed, Pyrrha slowly lowered herself, stretching a leg out until she was seated beside her on the cool grass.

After a few moments, Ilia sighed. "What did you hear?"

"...you yelling at her for not helping this morning. Something about her bow, and about Professor Arc." She recited quietly. "She tried to apologize, then you both started speaking quietly. I didn't understand anything until you said you were quitting."

There was an exhalation as Ilia closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I don't belong here Pyrrha. I'm going to go home, back to Menagerie."

She... thought about that for a few minutes, the evening wind blowing in her hair. There was a tired kind of conviction in Ilia's voice that made her heart sink, a simple desire to go home that...

"I wish I wanted that." She whispered.

Ilia had been picking at the grass between her legs, and turned to frown at her. "You... wish you wanted to quit?"

"I wish I wanted to go home." Pyrrha corrected her quietly.

The other girl's eyes narrowed. "What? I'm... Nora, Ren, we're all orphans. You're the one with parents, a family. Gods knows how much money you have. You probably live in freaking mansion, with servants and fancy cars and gold necklaces, and you're... _you're_ seriously going to say that you-"

"I hate my parents."

Silence fell once again.

Pyrrha felt... oddly better, finally saying those words out loud, not just in her heart. "I hate them. I... blame them, for what I am. For not giving me a normal life. I... wasn't supposed to come to Beacon. I'd already been accepted at Haven, arrangements made so I could keep competing even with classes. That I could still attend media events, charity balls... fulfill obligations. But the day I turned seventeen... I bought a ticket to Vale, packed one bag, and left."

Ilia... just stared at her.

"I imagine they've tried hard to hide that." She almost giggled before wiping at her eyes, "I didn't even leave a note. They tried to contact me right away, tried to send messages... I threw my scroll into the ocean from the airship. I'm sure Professor Ozpin contacted them when I applied... they probably tried to bribe him into refusing me, or told him I was their child and they did not approve."

"Pyrrha-"

"I can imagine mother screaming about dishonor and broken promises, my father staring at our finances and wondering how they will pay off everything now... they spent all my winnings, you know. More than spent them really." Her smiled turned bitter as she remembered being screamed at, numbers being shouted, cold truth being used to trap her in the role they'd set for her.

 _I didn't like you before then... I knew you were the ones who made me obsessed, who pushed me to train endlessly. But that... that was when I knew I hated you._

That was when she knew that her parents didn't see Pyrrha Nikos, their little girl. They just saw the Invincible Girl... their cash cow, their access to a lifestyle they'd become addicted to.

"I... tried to quit last year, I was so sick of the endless training, the pressure... they howled about lien, told me how little we had, how much they had spent on our mansion, on cars they never drove, gold jewelry they never wore." She shook her head, "I would have had to win six more grand tourneys _and_ the Vytal Festival to pay off their debt... even if they bought nothing else."

"Pyrrha, I...why are you telling me this?"

Pyrrha smiled at her, "Because I think you're my friend. The first one I... can honestly remember having... and you asked."

Ilia blinked. "I did?"

"You did." She nodded, turning her smile to the city. "It was a few weeks ago. You asked me why I came here, why I left Mistral... I told you I'd tell you another time. This... seemed like another time."

The girl beside her stared some more, then seemed to groan and rub at her face as her freckles rippled blue, then green, then back to blue. "...you're going to ask me to stay, aren't you?"

"...please?" She asked, holding a hand out, palm up. "Give Beacon another chance... think how upset Ruby would be if you left."

Ilia looked at her hand, then flicked her eyes up to her face before sighing. "...that's a low blow Pyrrha."

Pyrrha tried to giggle, but it didn't really come out right. "I know... I'm sorry, but I... I don't want you to leave. I'd... tell Nora you were crying, and you know she'd run away from school to drag you back."

"...low... blow." Ilia rubbed at her face. "...I must be insane."

Her fingers wrapped around Phyrra's.

* * *

Jaune held tightly onto the strap of the Bullhead as it soared above the ground, trying not to think too much about where he was. If he did that, his stomach would go, and he'd lose pretty much all of the credibility he'd built up with the students.

He was about as exhausted as the students after yesterday, though he doubted that they'd appreciate that very much.

Yesterday's late night meeting in his office had been long and stressful, especially given Ilia's flat stare and the obvious distress on Nora and Pyrrha's faces. Ren had somehow kept himself as calm as ever, while the members of team CRDL had wavered between defensive outrage and nervous fear... while Yang had mostly just settled for the latter. While the combined students had initially tried the usual hold the line against the teacher ploy, revealing that they'd spoken to a second year team who'd heard everything had broken that more or less instantly.

Cardin had started off as the problem child, being utterly unrepentant and disguising his racism behind shots at Ilia's less than sophisticated fighting style... then Oobleck had brought out the big guns.

" _I knew your grandfather, when I was a student here and he a teacher."_ The Doctor had informed him, almost gently. " _I do not know what lessons your father gave you, but I can assure you that Lord Winchester would have been apoplectic with rage if he had seen you act in such a fashion."_

Jaune didn't have any idea what that was about, but the would-be bully had shut up instantly and spoken in monosyllables for the rest of the meeting.

Of course Ilia had brought her own set of problems. She hadn't seemed to know what to think or how to react, leaving her seeming almost bipolar. On one hand there was a definite fear of expulsion when Ozpin's name had been brought up... but there had also been a kind of resignation about her. As if she wouldn't fight very hard if it came to that point.

 _And now I get to counsel her twice a week, and Yang once a week. At least Bart took Cardin for me._ He'd honestly thought he'd get all three, it was basically his job after all, but apparently Bart had volunteered. Said he owed his old teacher to try and straighten out his grandson. _Hopefully this all works out..._

It probably wouldn't, things could always get worse, but he could hope...

Shaking his head at his own morose thoughts, he muttered into the clip-on microphone that the pilot had given him. "You really sure about this?"

There was a quiet sigh in his ear before Glynda replied from her place on the other vehicle. " _No, Jaune, I'm not. I would have rather delayed the trip, but Ozpin reminded me that we will not have another available slot this year. It was now or never, and they need the practical experience."_

He grimaced, glancing over his shoulder. Teams RAVN, CRDL, and MINT all sat silently in their seats, holding tightly onto their harnesses as the aircraft took them on their first field trip. "We can't spare two Bullheads for a day?"

" _No, believe it or not."_ He imagined her shaking her head, " _Any other year we may have delayed, but this year, with the festival... Our air fleet may be the largest in the kingdom, but a good deal of our operating budget comes from loaning these aircraft to the Valean military and huntsman. Between their own preparations for the Vytal Festival, and our need to continue sending our upper years on training missions..."_

"Plus maintenance, pilot downtime, our availability... I get it." Jaune sighed. "Just wish it could have waited until after things had simmered down a bit."

" _We in agreement there."_ Glynda reminded him. " _We are approaching the mission site, remind them of the mission parameters. I will see you on the ground."_

"See you there." Reaching up, he clicked the little device off, then carefully turned around. His stomach rolled when the plane hit a bump, but he choked down the urge to heave, focusing on his words. For some reason conversation always seemed to help.

"All right everyone, we're approaching Forever Fall." He had to half-shout to be heard over the engines, twelve faces turning to face him. "Be ready for your first field assignment as students. We're starting you off very gently, this should be a piece of cake. You've all got four containers to fill with sap that's used in several medicines, and instructions on how to do it."

Several nods, several kids patting their packs to make sure their bottles were still in place. "None of you are to go far from the Bullheads, or to turn your scrolls off under any circumstances. Forever Fall is supposed to be beautiful, but remember that it is also filled with Grimm. Keep at least one person per team on lookout while you fill your jars!"

Meral, leader of team MINT, a dark haired girl with green streaks in her bangs, held up a hand. "Are we all working together or separating in teams?"

Jaune spread his hands, "That's up to all of you."

There were fewer nods and more uncertain looks, particularly from MINT, as they glanced between the other two teams. In the time since the cafeteria fight, he'd heard a couple of rumors about it... but someone, he'd have put his money on Weiss, had evidently been telling everyone what Cardin had said to set off Ilia.

That, and Cardin's obvious punishment alongside Ilia, had been enough to rob him of his momentary victim status, and team CRDL had evidently fallen back into disgrace. Of course that didn't mean that everyone else was rushing to embrace RAVN either, not with how eagerly they'd seemed to fight their fellow students.

 _Combine that with Ruby's team seemingly siding with RAVN... and you've got a giant mess._

About the only positive, from his point of view, was that the teams seemed to have all withdrawn within themselves while they figured things out. While it wasn't good in a lot of ways, for today... _Five teams not interacting, not arguing, just getting their work done so we can all leave quickly sounds pretty good._

The engines throttled up a bit as the aircraft descended, then quieted down as the pilots brought them to gentle landings in a clearing. He was the first out, his stomach appreciating the solid earth more than a little, and he quickly moved forwards to give everyone else space. Students piled out of both Bullheads in good order, congregating around Glynda as she held a hand up.

"Remember your instructions." She called, "I will be remaining here with the aircraft, Professor Arc will be moving between your teams to check on you all. Anyone attacked by Grimm is to set off the alert at once so all teams can react appropriately! You have four hours, get to it!"

Twenty heads nodded or otherwise indicated agreement, then the teams started to break apart. He wandered over towards Glynda, watching as the students left. To his lack of surprise, CRDL stomped off to the north alone almost at once, not pausing to look at anyone else. Not long after, MINT and FRST grouped up together and then headed east.

RAVN and RWBY weren't quite as obviously together as the other pair of teams, but they both moved west and stayed moderately close together.

Glynda watched them depart before sighing, "You have you work cut out for you Jaune."

"Yeah," Jaune sighed, "I was thinking the mixed teams thing would be a one-off for my class, I'm starting to reconsider."

"If you require any assistance please reach out to me or the others." She replied. "Though hopefully your session and Bartholomew's will help calm things down. But please remember that detentions are intended to both punish and to correct behavior, if you do not help them learn there is little point to it."

He rubbed at his hair, "I know, I know. That's why Bart and I scheduled the main sessions on Friday evenings."

 _Which Neo was not thrilled about..._

Friday nights were usually the ones where the school was the quietest and least populated, a good portion of the students going either into Vale or the CCT mall. It gave her the most freedom to wander and search, and he'd been able to wander as well, if only in the more public spaces.

 _Now I'm going to be stuck in my office until eight or nine, and we'll have to be careful about how she leaves._

"You sure you're going to be good on your own?"

Glynda shrugged elegantly, waving a hand at the Bullhead she'd arrived on. "I have some grading to occupy my time. Contact me if there are any issues."

"I will." He smiled, nodding as she returned the gesture. Then he settled a hand onto his weapon's hilt and started off into the trees.

* * *

Of all the things Ruby had thought Forever Fall would be... boring wasn't among them.

 _I guess that's what we get for Ren being awesome._

Her team had struggled getting the trees to release their sap, then stumbled across Ren almost chain-filling the jugs from a single tree. She'd sheepishly wandered over and asked him how he'd done it, and a few minutes of instruction later they'd had all of their jugs filled up and arranged in neat little lines while they sat around.

Nora and Yang had evidently hit things off once again, the pair currently watching a video on her sister's scroll and giggling at whatever it was. _But they were never really mad at each other. Nora was just protecting her friends... and Yang thought she was doing that too._

Blake and Ren were similarly together, though far quieter. She was reading a book she'd taken from her pack, and he seemed to be meditating. Even though they were right next to each other, she wasn't sure they even noticed the other's presence. _What did dad call it... being alone together? Maybe that's what he meant._

That had left her with Weiss, Pyrrha, and Ilia, the four of them just kind of wandering around. Officially they were keeping an eye out for Grimm... mostly they were just talking.

"My sessions with Professor Arc are now twice a week." Ilia sighed once Ruby had badgered her enough to get her to talk about her meeting with the headmaster in the morning. "And mandatory, Tuesdays and Fridays until he says I don't need them. Ozpin said he understood my reaction, but that I have to control my temper."

Weiss hummed, "As I told Yang, it could be far worse. What about your detention with Professor Port tomorrow?"

"I'm trying not to think about it." Ilia replied flatly, her freckles turning bright red before she closed her eyes and seemingly forced them back. "I'll be fine if he keeps his mouth shut."

"I'm sure you'll do splendidly." Pyrrha smiled, patting the other girl on the shoulder.

Ruby fought down the urge to giggle as Ilia seemed to flush and look away from her partner. She had no idea what had happened to make Pyrrha so attentive today, but Ilia didn't seem to know how to react. It was kind of cute, and it also seemed to be doing a lot to distract the other girl whenever she started to get angry or upset over what had happened yesterday.

 _That's probably why she's doing it! Helping her partner be happy instead of broody._ Which was great! As much as Ruby liked Ilia, the other girl really liked to brood, and it could get kind of worrying... and a little annoying.

"Oh." Weiss blinked a few times, cocking her head at Pyrrha and then at Ilia. "Oh. You two are...?"

The other girls blinked at her, then Pyrrha's face abruptly when bright red while Ilia's skin rippled pink. They didn't so much fly apart as simply teleport so they were a couple of feet away from each other, the champion speaking, "No, no, nothing like that! Just... trying to be friendly."

"She's being a good partner." Ilia spoke at the same time, "We're not together."

Ruby blinked, "Um, you are together. You're partners, and-"

Weiss slapped her hand over her eyes and groaned, "Together as in dating, Ruby."

"Ohhhh... wait, what!? You two are dating!?" Everyone else on both teams stopped what they were doing at Ruby's screech, turning to stare at the four of them as a bird let out a startled caw and took flight. Pyrrha's cheeks only seemed to brighten further while Ilia slumped and glared at Ruby. "Oh... heh... um, sorry. Slipped out."

"No, Ruby." Ilia sighed, "We're not-"

"Wooooo Ilia!" Nora shouted, "I knew it! Get that black lace!"

Pyrrha actually swayed a little, and Weiss had to take a step forwards to make sure she didn't fall over, while Ilia promptly turned pink again before burying her face in her hands. Yang let out a cackle and high-fived Nora, the two of them going back to their own thing and looking pleased with themselves.

 _I think I'm glad I don't know what that's about._

"Can we talk about something else?" Pyrrha asked, " _Anything_ else?"

"Well," Weiss tried, "We could-"

"Oh! Oh!" Ruby jumped in, "Weiss, can we use Myrtenaster as a base to improve Ilia's whip? I really think we can fit at least two more dust cartridges in there but I need to get a better look at how yours functions."

Her partner sighed but drew her weapon, handing it over. "Remember my rule?"

"If I damage it, break it, or waste your dust you'll use Crescent Rose to give me a haircut." She replied absently, ignoring Pyrrha's startled giggle as she carefully took the thin blade. "I'm not an amateur Weiss, you don't always have to make me say it."

"I put a lot of effort into it." Weiss protested. "And _you_ don't get to say anything with how you won't let anyone else touch Crescent Rose."

"That's a totally different situation!"

Her partner's blue eyes narrowed, "Ruby, you almost attacked Meral when she moved it off of one table and on to another in the Forges."

"She could have misaligned the gears!" She waved her hands. "It was in a delicate state!"

"You hadn't even _started_ working on it!"

Ruby huffed, "Yes I had, and it's a rule. You don't touch a lady's weapon without permission." Ilia choked on air and Pyrrha went red again, while Weiss groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I, wait, I didn't mean it like that! You guys are as bad as Blake!"

Pyrrha's eyes went wide, "What?"

"Those books she reads?" Ilia replied, "Romance novels... smutty romance."

The green eyes went even wider. "No!"

"Very explicit." Ilia smirked as Blake glanced their way, as if she knew she was being talked about.

Weiss cocked her head, looking a little too interested for Ruby's peace of mind. "You seem to know Blake well, were you friends before school? She never seems to talk about herself much."

"We were, I met her right after I left Mantle." Ilia answered, but her words slowed down as she spoke, just like Blake's tended to do whenever she talked about anything from her past. "...that was five years ago."

"Um..." Ruby tried, "I don't think we should talk about her likes this."

"I wasn't trying to pry." Weiss held her hands up slightly, "Well... I guess I was, but can you blame me? She's so quiet, and she's annoyingly good at evading questions."

"She's always been that way." Ilia sighed. "But.. you're probably right Ruby. I'm... not really happy with her, but it's not my place to tell her secrets."

Pyrrha bit her lip and look away, making Ruby blink. _Wait... Pyrrha knows something about it?_

Before she could ask what that was about, her scroll began to buzz angrily, and she saw Ren start a little as his started to go off as well. Tossing Weiss Myrtenaster back, she pulled her scroll out and felt everything else get pushed back as suddenly unimportant, "There's Grimm moving in, we're to link up with Miss Goodwitch and help deal with them!"

Those friends who had been sitting down rose, weapons being drawn and unfurled, while Pyrrha asked, "Where?"

Gunfire started up of to the North, and an Ursa roared somewhere in the distance.

Ilia's lips pressed into a thin line. "...CRDL."

* * *

 _ **Initial aftermath of the fight, the first part of Forever Fall, and drip-feeding the preparation for Blake's little episode. We also get more details on Pyrrha, I initially had that earlier in the story but it seemed better to hold it until around now. Rwby and Raven bond a little bit in the aftermath of the fight, but excepting a few people who weren't really mad at each other to begin with it's more toleration than actual friendship (a kind of awkward circumstance that will continue).**_

 _ **And as someone asked, no, Neo is not an end-game villain playing a long con of her own.**_

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 ** _Thanks, Kat_**


	23. Semester I: Forever Fall, Part II

**Forever Fall, Part II**

* * *

"I am _not_ in the mood for this!" Cardin Winchester snarled, slamming his mace into the ground. His semblance rippled out in a sequence of blasts through the earth, tossing a pair of Ursa aside and making the beasts roar in pain if not actually killing the damn things.

"Cardin!" Russel shouted, ducking past Cardin to attack another of the bears that had come up on his right, blocking a swipe that would have him right in the head "Focus man!"

He shook himself and fought down the urge to curse, heaving his weapon up and sweeping it around. His partner ducked at the last moment, letting him shatter the Ursa's skull and buying them a tiny bit of breathing room.

 _Of course these bastards show up right when Sky and Dove wander over to the river!_

They could hear them fighting as well, but so far they hadn't been able to link up... thanks to the massive form of an Ursa Major.

It roared, as if enraged that they'd killed a couple of the smaller ones, and once again came stampeding towards them. It was easily three or four times as big as the others, plated armor encasing its entire head and fore-shoulders while spikes covered most of its back. The thing had already shrugged off a few hits from his weapon with nothing but chipped bone to show for it, and Russel's daggers hadn't even been able to pierce its hide.

When the thing had smacked him across an entire clearing and into a tree he'd swallowed his pride, silently admitted this was way beyond them, and triggered the alarm on his scroll, calling for help from the Professors.

"Back!" He shouted, as it trampled over one of the ones he'd tripped, the massive head lunging in a snapping series of bites.

He and Russel threw themselves out of the way, neither particularly wanting to be eaten, though Cardin only realized they'd screwed up once he was back on his feet. The Major roared again, stepping forwards... right in between the two boys who'd dodged in opposite directions.

"Get around it, go south!" Cardin bellowed, trying to suit action to word only for the huge Grimm to start an almost diagonal charge in his direction... forcing him farther away from his partner. "Go man, go! Get Goodwitch!"

Leaping backwards bought him a couple of seconds, his mace whirling over his head before he brought it down with both hands against its mask. The Ursa staggered from the blow, and cracks shattered through its armor... then a paw backhanded him through the air to tumble along the ground before coming to a groaning stop, Remnant spinning around him.

"Cardin!" Sky's panicked shout got his eyes focused in time to see a normal Ursa do a little bound off of its forelegs, the closest the Grimm could come to a leaping pounce. He frantically rolled aside to avoid getting crushed, his back hitting a tree while the paws crashed down where he'd just been.

Dove came flying in out of nowhere, his gunblade sparking as he put rounds into its head, driving it back while Sky came up on his other side, halberd thrusting to push another away. "Where's Russel!?"

"Told him to go south!" He growled, heaving himself up. "There's too many, we-look out!"

Dove reacted in time to the Major's next charge, but Sky had been too focused on his target. Cursing, Cardin grabbed him by the armor and tried to haul him aside, and was partially successful; Sky avoided getting trampled.

He wasn't so lucky.

The elder Grimm's armored head hit him like a battering ram, knocking his mace out of his hands and slamming him against the tree once more. Its jaw started to open and he acted on panicked reflex, slamming his hands into its eyes as hard as he could while not at all screaming in panic at the thought of being swallowed like an appetizer.

It finally let out a bellow of pain rather than anger, rearing backwards in agony, shaking its head wildly and flailing its own arms in an effort to stop him from gouging at its weak point. With its eyes closed it didn't realize it missed him entirely, swiping far too high... but as he picked his mace once more and got ready to move, Cardin realized that it _hadn't_ missed the tree his back had been to.

"Cardin!"

Dove's shout made him realize what the cracking sounds meant, and shoved all of his focus into protecting himself just as it hit. The heavy slab of wood flattened him to the ground, pinning him at the small of his back, shattering his aura and leaving him gasping into the dirt and grass.

"Oh shit... oh shit..!" Sky vaulted the downed tree, planting his long weapon. "Cardin!"

"...I'm alive." He groaned, or at least tried to. It came out as a kind of mumbled sound more than actual words.

 _Fucking... ow._

Craning his head around let him see Dove and Sky standing over him, the pair quickly putting down a fairly small Ursa but visibly shrinking slightly as the pack leader continued to shake its head, trying to recover, while a dozen or more Grimm began to approach. Whatever minds the things had seemed to tell them that they had their prey where they wanted it; the beasts took their time as they started to encircle them, growling and pawing at the ground as they savored what would come next.

 _...not how I thought I'd end up._

"Where the hell are the teachers?" Sky snarled, moving out of sight, back to the other side of the tree to try and hold that side.

Dove brought his sword up, settling to aim on the closest Ursa. "They'll be here! I... Professor Arc!"

Cardin looked right as the young teacher dashed into the clearing at a full sprint, his ridiculous desert cloak flapping behind him. He'd didn't much care for the soft-hearted man... but considering his situation he wasn't about to bitch.

Getting saved kind of sucked.

Dying would suck a whole lot more.

And, as he watched Arc joined the fight, he'd admit that the guy could handle himself.

Arc hamstrung an Ursa that never saw him coming, twirling like a girl as he moved past its head. The ridiculous move came with the bear's throat getting torn open... so he supposed he couldn't judge. A second Ursa, closer to them, managed to turn just in time to get a blade through its eye, while a third and fourth flailed and hit nothing but one another as he slipped past them. The guy was way more nimble than any man his size had a right to be, and he skidded to a stop next to Dove without taking so much as a scratch.

"Shit!" The teacher swore as he saw him down on the ground, pinned in place. "This is bad. Where's your fourth!?"

"Cardin sent him to get help!" Dove replied. "We have to get it off!"

"We can't." Arc snapped back, "It's too big... shit, hold your ground until Glynda gets here!"

Sky cursed somewhere behind him, "You're not staying!?"

"I can't!" Cardin just gaped at him for a second, then the older man kicked off from his back foot and charged forwards, right at the Ursa Major.

"What the hell...?" Dove muttered before a smaller Ursa let out a bellow and charged in, distracting him entirely.

 _I will not be helpless!_ Cardin growled and tried to move again, and didn't even feel the stupid tree budge. Snarling, he tried to gather up his aura, any strength at all, if he could just use his semblance...

It wouldn't come. What little aura he had left was entirely in his back, keeping him from being crushed. He just didn't have the energy left for anything else. Gasping, he slammed his fist into the ground, stuck watching as everyone else fought. Dove was holding off two of them in front of him, and Sky's shouts said he was fighting somewhere by his legs, but the real battle seemed to be the Professor against the elder Grimm.

 _...right, he couldn't stay cuz the jerk can't stand still when he fights._

Arc was all motion, all the time. His slashes weren't gouging into the largest Grimm like they had the smaller ones, but they were still cutting it, letting black, oozing blood flow as he avoided attacks with the same ease he'd shown in Combat Class. He wasn't killing it, or at least wasn't killing it _quickly_ , but he was distracting the hell out of it and keeping it away from the three of them.

Of course, this wasn't the sparring ring where Arc and his little girl of a partner had run rings around him. The other Ursa seemed to annoy the professor far more than his actual opponent; catching him with passing blows and leaving him increasingly farther from all of them. He kept trying to fight his way to better spots, obviously trying to keep as many of them focused on him as he could... but even to Cardin it was clear he wasn't comfortable trying to do a stand-up fight.

 _It's just instinctive._

The man seemed to be literally incapable of taking an opponent head on, flinching back and away, parrying rather than blocking, and lashing out with quick counters instead of heavy swings. Even the smaller Ursa he killed weren't hammered down through raw strength, instead he cut their throats or stabbed into their eyes in quick, neat little motions before dodging away when the Major tried to crush him again.

Closer and more importantly to his personal safety... Dove began to have problems. Arc was keeping the big one occupied, killing and distracting a few others while keeping Cardin alive in the process, but there were too many others for him to occupy them all.

"Professor!" Dove shouted, his weapon clinking empty as he retreated, wildly swinging to keep two Ursa back. One of them lunged in, earning a blade to its mouth, but its twitching left Dove open for the other as it snarled and came on.

Pyrrha Nikos hit it like a meteorite, the Grimm actually being thrown backwards as she rammed her javelin into it chest. Her blade slide clear in a splash of black, and then she was bounding away, actually flipping over another Ursa before sprinting to join the Professor in taking on the elder Grimm.

Gunfire began to explode all around them along with shouting as other students arrived, more Ursa collapsing into black mist or being driven back with bullet wounds. "Nora, get him out from under there!"

"Got it!"

He flattened himself a second or three before the tree above him abruptly exploded into splinters, Valkyrie laughing in her creepy, maniacal way somewhere nearby. Dove grabbed at his arm, hauling him up in time to see team RWBY arrive as well, farther out to the left, the four girls blasting and hacking their way into the mob of Ursa.

Xiao-Long was in the lead, her hair already burning, while her sister and silent partner killed anything that tried to come at her from the sides. Behind them all was Schnee, dust magic blasting and herding the things in front of the blonde wrecking ball, giving her more toys to break.

On his right, Valkyrie and Sky came around him, dealing with another on their own before wading in to the fray proper.

"You'll need this." Cardin blinked, turning to see Ren holding his mace out for him.

He grunted something vaguely thankful as Amitola walked up on her leader's left, her whip snapping out once, and then twice to blind one of the larger Ursa by simply puncturing its eyes. Part of him wanted to sneer at the faunus's cowardly move, but as it began to wildly flail and maul at the other Grimm around it... and he remembered what he'd done when half into the Major's maw, he kept his mouth shut.

"More of them." Amitola growled, her freckles flaring a brilliant scarlet as black shapes started to come in from the north... a lot of them. "Must be a migration coming through the area."

Ren exhaled, "There's a village to the south, and the Bullheads. We have to deal with them. Are you able to fight?"

Cardin flexed his arms a little, flaring his aura. It was weak and sputtering, but not utterly drained. "I've had a really shitty day... killing more Grimm sounds like a way to make it better."

Shifting his weapon into both hands, he started forwards into a lumbering charge, the others following behind.

* * *

Jaune groaned as he collapsed into the Bullhead, trying to wipe Grimm-muck off of his face. After a minute or two he came to the tired realization that his hands were so coated that all he was doing was spreading it around.

This was easily the most exhausted he'd been in a very long time... and it was probably the most Grimm he'd fought in a single day since the Academy had fallen. When you had Neo for your partner, and when the two of you were alone in the wilds, the fine art of teleporting away when facing more than a handful of enemies became part of your normal routine.

 _At least I'm not alone..._

Students were draped everywhere in seats, most of them looking like they were barely conscious. Nearly all of the teenagers were as badly coated in the remains of Grimm as he was, and a few had splashes of red, or the white of bandages to show off their own injuries.

 _Two hours... three Ursa Major... no deaths._

Personally he mostly thanked Glynda for the last. She'd arrived shortly after Teams RWBY and RAVN had shown up and taken command like an experienced field general. She'd yanked those students with low aura out of the fight and told them to eat, drink, and recover, then reformed the remainder into a proper line of battle.

And she'd done it while batting around several Ursa like unruly kittens, never once interrupting herself as she'd fought. It had been a ludicrous display of both her semblance's power and her personal gravitas, and the students had taken her orders without a single comment or argument. Glynda had seemed to take the entire battle as a personal insult to her credibility as a teacher, enraged that her simple training mission had become a life or death struggle, and she'd probably killed as many Ursa as the rest of them put together.

 _And admit it, watching her make that third Major fall over so she could throw others onto its spikes was just poetic._

He smiled a little as Ruby Rose simply fell over in her seat, her head ending up on Ilia's shoulder, the faunus girl looking like she was barely keeping her eyes open. Her partially broken weapon sat in her lap as she absently fiddled with it, though she wasn't exactly alone there. More than a couple of students would need to repair their gear, and almost all of them had run out of dust and ammunition.

There was a slight jostle as the aircraft's engines throttled up, lifting them from the ground, and his own neighbor slowly tipped over until her head was on his shoulder.

Pyrrha Nikos let out a quiet sound, and he thought some drool might have dripped onto him, but she otherwise didn't stir.

 _Poor girl..._

Glynda had decided to put what she thought where her best fighters out on the sides, making sure no Grimm got around them to the students taking turns resting. That had meant he and Pyrrha, the two of them not standing and fighting in place like the others... instead they'd been running all over, dealing with problems as they came. His side had seemed quieter, and he'd caught an extended break where little had happened near where he and MINT had been, but Pyrrha been involved throughout without any real rest.

 _At least everyone seemed impressed at the start,_ he noted as he yawned. _Just be glad your shortcomings didn't end up hurting anyone._

He'd almost had a heart attack when he'd seen Cardin pinned under the damned tree. None of them present could have lifted it, and they didn't have even mildly explosive weapons or dust, so they'd been stuck holding their ground.

And if there was one thing he knew he was assuredly awful at, it was holding his ground. Almost everything Neo had taught him, and everything he'd learned through experience, relied on him having the ability to move around a lot. It was something he'd have to work on...

 _Verde you asshole... dammit, but I guess you were right._

Jaune knew he could fight dirty with the best of them when he had to, and he didn't really have problems killing Grimm... but when it came down to the wire he was just a taller, stronger, slower, less acrobatic version of Neo. That had been entirely fine when it was just the two of them, when dealing with a couple of bandits, other criminals, or when small groups of Grimm had been their day to day.

 _But if this is the kind of crap I can expect for the next seven months, I need to expand my skills a bit._

He yawned again, shaking off the thoughts of training and finding sparring partners for later. The Bullhead's engines continued to grow in pitch before steadying as the aircraft shifted from its vertical take-off to straight flight, taking them back to Beacon.

In the other seats, Blake and a scratched up Yang were slumped against each other, while Sky, Dove, and Russel sat in various stages of exhausted numbness. To his right, Weiss holding a tired conversation with Cardin that seemed to mostly consist of yawns and vague gestures. The large teen was among those walking wounded with actual injuries, having had the audacity to actually sneak back into the fighting after Glynda had tossed him out of it, and his left arm was covered in bandages.

That had seemed to earn him some respect from everyone else, if only for being a tough, stubborn bastard who had to be a little bit crazy to risk Glynda's ire like that.

 _If I'd had a tree fall on me I'd have wanted to do nothing but lay there._ He sighed, letting his head fall back, barely noticing the fact that he was airborne. _Still... that Weiss is talking to him at all is good... maybe this worked out after all._

Yawning, he felt himself shift over a little until his head was resting on Pyrrha's, and everything went pleasantly dark.

* * *

Yang Xiao-Long groaned as she walked towards the main tower, the warmth of the late-morning sunlight and the quiet chirping of a nearby bird not helping her wake up at all.

In the wake of the insane Grimm horde that had been their 'easy first mission', Professor Ozpin had shown he wasn't entirely evil by giving all of the first years the rest of the week off to recover. They'd all let out a ragged cheer at that, then shuffled off to to fall into comas. The exceptions had been Cardin and a few others who'd actually gotten hurt, who had been dragged off to the infirmary instead. Most had simply gotten patched up and returned, but from what she'd heard at breakfast he and Meral had been kept overnight.

After eating she'd been more than ready to spend the rest of the day with her face in a pillow until her scroll had gone off, indicating that Professor Arc had decide to move their Friday session to today since he knew she was entirely free from class.

 _Jerk just wants his Friday night open..._

To be fair, she knew that she'd love him for that when Friday came around, but at the moment? She really wanted to punch his handsome face in and then go back to bed.

Footsteps ahead of her let her see Cardin and Meral coming out of the tower, both now free of the bandages they'd had on yesterday. Not that either looked great, if anything they still looked pale and worn.

"Yo." She greeted them with a vague wave, "Feeling better?"

"Much better." Meral replied, despite the fact that she looked like a gentle breeze would knock her over. "So much better. I feel amazing."

Yang blinked. "Uh..."

Cardin was more direct, simply walking in to her personal space and grabbing her uniform, his expression almost bleak. "Don't ever get injured."

"Ok..." She cautiously pulled his hand, _is his hand shaking what the hell,_ off of her. "Yeah. Got it."

"Don't." He seemed to shudder. "Don't."

Meral just shook her head when Yang looked to her for help, her own eyes haunted. "You don't understand."

 _No... I really don't._

"I... won't get injured, promise." She edged around them, not wanting whatever virus they'd picked up at the doctor's station. "I gotta go see Jaune for counseling. See you guys later?"

They didn't respond, instead moving closer together and walking towards the dorms as quickly as their tired legs would let them.

 _Well... that was weird, maybe they're just still out of it from yesterday? Or just high on painkillers._

Shaking her head, she headed into the building proper, trying to remember they way to his office. After a false start into a janitor's closet, she found a stairwell up to the second floor, and walked the apparently circular hallway reading off the offices as she passed them.

"Port... Oobleck... Arc."

A knock got her a muffled 'come on in', and she pushed her way into his office. He'd re-arranged since Monday, but then again he'd probably had to move things around to fit everyone for that massed discussion of detentions. Things were a little weird, the couches and chairs at odd angles that she couldn't figure out the reason for, but at least one of the comfier looking ones was more or less facing his desk.

 _And I'm not sandwiched between Ilia and Cardin on the couch this time._

Jaune himself was in his kitchenette, apparently making coffee, while Miss Neopolitan was sprawled on a couch and reading something on her scroll. For once neither of them was armed, their weapons on the rack by his desk along with the two others she'd seen on Monday.

"Yo." She greeted the new pair, hoping they were a little more normal as she closed the door behind her.

Neo gave her a vague wave, her mismatched eyes remaining on her device, while Jaune called, "Good morning Miss Xiao-Long, I'll be with you in a moment."

"If I have to call you Jaune, you have to call me Yang." If she'd been more conscious she'd have added a suggestive lilt to her voice, but she was just too tired to flirt. "Only fair."

There was a snort, "I'm pretty sure that's not how it works."

"Whatever you say sir Professor Jaune Arc sir..." She yawned, partially breaking up her words. "...high lord of glorious counseling and humiliating group tactics."

She heard him heave out a sigh while his partner actually flicked her an amused little smirk. "I see Ruby and Weiss prepared you to annoy me. How nice of them."

"Eh, they didn't say much, but you're not that hard to figure out." She yawned again, covering her mouth politely this time, and finally reached her target chair before flopping into it. "Plus my uncle told me people from Vacuo hate uptight formal stuff."

Neo nodded several times, drawing Yang's attention. "Oh, right. You're from there too aren't you?"

Another nod.

Yang thought about being subtle... then decided she was too out of it to phrase it anyway but bluntly. "So... you two are... just partners or... you know?"

The pale girl lifted a brown eyebrow, then glanced up as Jaune come over balancing several cups of coffee. He set two on his desk, and moved to give Neo the third. Her eyes flicked back to Yang, then she seemed to smirk before grabbing his collar and hauling him down.

Yang's eyes widened as she... well... it wasn't a kiss so much as a full-on assault of the man's mouth, complete with her shifting her grip to his throat to keep him from getting away.

…. _Oooook..._ A tiny voice in her head squeaked. _Question answered, message received. Got it._

Neopolitan let him go after nearly a minute of very deep tonguing, her smirk both pointed and possessive before she took the coffee and returned to her reading. For his part, Jaune blinked a few times, his cheeks red, and then he leaned in and furiously whispered something to her.

She shrugged carelessly and didn't otherwise respond.

Yang watched as he straightened, muttered something about women while rubbing at his face, and then turned back around to his desk. "...right, um, here, you look like you could use some coffee."

"...uh, yeah, thanks." She cleared her throat and took it. Yang wasn't normally one for coffee, but at least it distracted everyone from what had just happened. "...what kind is it?"

Jaune seemed to smirk as he walked over to his own chair, sitting behind the wooden desk. "Ozpin's personal blend, it'll wake you up, trust me."

She glanced at it, and found rather plain looking coffee staring back at her. Brown, not too black... she shrugged and took a sip.

Yang Xiao-Long's world exploded into wondrous color. Too many flavors rolled over her tongue, too many smells made her noose tingle. She could hear her parents, both of them, laughing as their family embraced. Somewhere nearby Ruby was humming the lullabies that Yang had sang to her so many times, giggling as she reached the funnier sections.

Zwei was barking as his little claws scrabbled on the floor, Qrow yelling something about the dog stealing his flask, the whole thing making her parents laugh harder. Yang smiled in simple delight, taking another sip from her...

"...huh?" She blinked, jerking in surprise as she looked at an empty mug, finding herself in Jaune's office instead of at home on Patch. Neopolitan was gone, while the professor was reading something on his desk, and the clock on the wall said that twenty minutes had passed in the last couple of seconds.

"I... what..." Yang tried, looking at her empty mug. "What.. just... _what?"_

"Mistralian Nirvana." Jaune replied absently. "Most expensive coffee on the planet, for obvious reasons. Awake?"

Awake? She was more than _awake,_ she felt like she could punch her way through a dozen walls and then fight Qrow after! A _drunk_ Qrow! She felt amazing! She wanted to run out and act like Ruby, doing good deeds and incredible things just because she could!

"Just so you know, your caffeine crash tomorrow is going to be awful." He warned her, moving his own empty mug aside. "Might want to try some strong tea in the morning."

"I... yeah, ok." She gave her empty mug a final, regretful glance, shaking her head a little and struggling to focus past the awesome. "Um, how long was I... I didn't say anything, did I?"

Jaune smiled reassuringly, "No, you just drank your coffee slowly."

Yang felt her shoulders slump a little in relief before another thought hit her, "Is it... you know, drugged or something?"

"You know," He offered with a contemplative look on his face, "I really have no idea, but it really wouldn't surprise me."

Her lips curled, "Why Professor, what will everyone say when they find you're drugging innocent little girls in your office?"

His eyes rolled in a way that made her laugh, "Always trying to get a rise out of me... and honestly I'm more worried about Ozpin finding out I have any of this. So, mind keeping it quiet? I'd rather not have him breaking down more door, or your sister asking to try some."

She tried to imagine Ruby with as much caffeine and sugar as she could feel in her system and felt her soul shudder a little. "Yeah, I got your back Prof. So... never done counseling before. You going to have me lay on the couch, prescribe some more feel good drugs? Maybe take advantage of me while I'm high?"

"You're already making me regret giving you any," He answered, "And no, mostly we just talk about what's on your mind."

"Well... right now I mostly have that coffee on my mind." She gave him a lazy grin, and held out her empty mug. "I think another cup might jog some things loose though."

Jaune half-rose, reaching across the desk to take it. "Sorry, there's a one drink limit Miss Xiao-Long. Maybe next time."

"Aww..." She pouted, not really disappointed. Something that felt that good had to obviously be equally bad for you, something her dad had warned her about.

 _Though he mostly meant it in terms of accidentally seducing my team and ending up pregnant, thus making him kill every boy I knew 'just to be sure'._

"Why don't we start with the incident on Monday." He said as he set her empty cup beside his, "I'm pretty sure we both know you didn't use your semblance."

 _...and the most blatant hint ever that you're giving me a chance to confess goes to you Prof._

"Nah. I mostly just wanted to keep that damage limited." She shrugged, tossing her hair back and crossing one leg over the other as she relaxed. Drugged or not, that coffee had definitely helped take her from barely-alive to totally-wide-awake, "If I'd been serious about fighting them I'd have just jumped in."

"I assumed as much." Jaune nodded, likewise leaning back in his seat. "Let's just get some general stuff out of the way and then we can probably call off the other sessions."

That sounded amazing, free Friday again!, but she couldn't pass up the chance. "Oh, you're saying you don't want me in your rooms every week? Way to make a girl feel unwanted."

He rolled his eyes again, impressing her a little with how expressive he managed to make it. "I'm almost sure you'll live."

"Ah, that why you want me gone?" She asked, prodding for more information. "Think your partner will kill me for being a flirt?"

"Kill you? No. Embarrass the hell out of me to prove her ownership? Yes." He said, "And don't try and divert the subject, I'm not so much older than you that I've forgotten that trick. My sisters and I tried it all the time."

Yang laughed again, "Aw, you caught me. How about we trade questions then?"

"That's _really_ not how this works."

She stabbed a finger at him again, "Ilia says you tell her stories about things you've done, I'm just asking for reciprocity. You said you have sisters? How many?"

A blonde eyebrow rose. "Wow, reciprocity, long word there. I've got seven."

If she'd been drinking anything she would have choked, as it was, she still nearly did. "Seven!?"

"Yeah." He rubbed at his hair, an almost self-conscious smile on his face. "That's usually the response we get. I'm the fourth oldest child, and so far only guy. They swear there won't be any more kids, but Coral and I have long-standing bet with our oldest sister against that being true."

... _I wouldn't have taken that bet._ "...Seven?"

He laughed quietly, "What about you? Just you and Ruby?"

Yang blinked and then shook herself, "Huh? Oh, right, yeah, just me and Rubes, no other kids. Dad... never really got back into dating, not after what happened to mom."

Jaune grimaced. "...that sounds ominous in all kinds of ways."

"Died on a mission." She answered the unspoken question, "It was a long time ago now, but he's never really forgotten her."

The teacher went quiet at that, glancing at a small picture frame on his desk. His expression made her bite her lip... her dad had been the only one she'd seen with that kind of bleak look before. "Yeah, I can imagine that."

 _...way to kill the mood._

"Is that...?" She waved a hand at the frame. He glanced at her, then nodded before turning it around so she could see it.

Four teenagers were arranged around a cargo container of some kind, three of them standing in front of it while a fourth sat up above them. Two of them she didn't recognize, the first was a really jacked, really tall, very tan, and very handsome guy in a red shirt and shorts, an ammo belt around his waist and heavy shotgun resting on a shoulder. Next to him was a cute, smiling dark skinned girl in heavy desert robes, most of her skin covered up, and she held some kind of mace in both hands.

The other two... she almost didn't recognize them either.

Neopolitan was up top, and was wearing almost scandalously little. She had bindings around her chest, fighting gloves, short-shorts, but her almost knee-high boots covered up more skin than the rest put together. Her parasol was open, shielding her from the sun, and her smile was bright and alive.

Below her was Jaune, a hand on his neck as if he'd been rubbing it in embarrassment, but his body language was relaxed and at ease. He actually wore armor above an orange t-shirt and tanned shorts, and his own grin was almost infectiously happy.

The tiny label on the frame read: Team _JNPR of the Vacuo Academy, Mission One of Many._

"They had us all take pictures before our first student mission." He said quietly, "Kind of a pep thing, so we'd all have the memory of where we started when we graduated, grew up."

 _...what happened to you Prof?_

He was the same person as the guy in the picture, but he also wasn't. They shared the same bright blue eyes and easy smile, but the Jaune on the paper looked utterly relaxed and carefree.. the Jaune in front of her was even twitchier than her Uncle, looking more like a paranoid cat than a person sometimes. His shoulders were always a bit tense, his eyes a bit unfocused like he was trying to see everything around him, and she'd seen him drop a hand to his weapon when someone came up from behind him or a loud noise sounded nearby.

"What were they like?"

Jaune blinked, "You know, this is supposed to be about you."

"Reciprocity." She gave him her best sunny grin, hiding her thoughts behind it. "Come on, you know you're going to bug me about Pyrrha and RAVN. Unless... it's not all bad memories, is it?"

"No... no they're not." He sighed, settling back in his chair once more. "You'd have loved Rau, to the utter terror of everyone else. He was... loud, boisterous, always loved to be the one to corrupt us into doing something fun but definitely stupid."

Yang laughed quietly, "Sounds like me all right."

Jaune gave her a small grin, "He didn't always pick the best fights, but he always threw himself into them. He hated racism and intolerance, and the Grimm, and thought the best weekend was one where you helped out a few homeless faunus, killed some Grimm, and then drank and boasted about your fights in a bar after. Then there was Primula..."

She watched as he glanced to his right, looking at the weapons sitting quietly. "She was the first friend I made at school. Think of her of as... a cross between Ruby and Weiss. Incredibly smart and organized, always had a plan ready to make sure we got our homework and training in, but she could be incredibly shy and never knew how to take a compliment. Like she couldn't believe anyone would bother despite all the work she did."

"They sound like good people." She offered.

"They are." He replied simply, turning back to her with a smile, even as she fought the urge to bite her lip.

 _They 'are', not they 'were'... you're not anything like over it, are you Prof? Here I thought you were supposed to be the one counseling me, I feel like you need this way more than I do._

"What about yours?" Jaune asked, "Team RWBY seems like you all are already inseparable."

"Yeah... we're awesome like that. Ruby's really stepped up, even with her being younger and all. Guess I was just that amazing as a sister." She boasted, trying to recapture the lighter mood, like she would have when Ruby got sad when she was little, or when dad looked a little too out of it. "It's not all perfect, I mean, Weiss is a bit of a Weiss-Queen, but she's not so bad once you get to know her."

His mouth opened, then closed, and he seemed to groan. "I could have lived a happy, fulfilling life without ever hearing that phrase. What about your partner?"

"Aw, don't be a sour-puss, puns are awesome." She grinned, "And Blake is cool. Not really talkative, and I'll admit I don't know much about her, but she's the quite dependable type you know? Always has my back even if she rolls her eyes and makes snarky comments about what we're doing."

That made a blonde eyebrow rise. "...doing what, exactly?"

 _Urk! You had to pull a Ruby!?_ "Nothing at all! Just, you know, school stuff!" She lied with a nervous laugh, changing the topic as quickly as she could, "So, uh, Ilia says you tell her stories about your old missions. Any good ones?"

"I think you have a few stories that you should be telling." He countered, but the small grin on his face robbed his words of any heat. "I'll let it go, mostly because I'm glad to hear that you've been talking with Ilia. The amount of stress between your teams was... or isn't, I guess, the best thing to have in a group of students."

Yang sighed, shifting her legs and then recrossing them in the other direction, "Yeah, we know Prof. We're not stupid. Not everyone gets along right away, and some of them are a lot to take in at once. Kind of like Weiss."

"Or Pyrrha?"

She snorted, "Subtle. Yeah, like Pyrrha. This the part where you try and figure out why I don't like her? Want to see if I'm jealous of her fame, fortune and glory? Or if I'm just crushing hard on her and confused about it?"

That made Jaune snort, "I have a hard time picturing you being confused about your feelings, and no, I don't think you're jealous of her. Some of the other students definitely are, but not you."

Her ears perked up, metaphorically speaking. "You sound awful sure about that."

"I read your files from Signal." A hand waved at some of the papers he'd been reading. "I was given them in advance of our session here. Your teachers spoke highly of you, especially a Mister Branwen, and someone I'm presuming is your father or uncle."

Yang winced a little, "...tell me there wasn't anything embarrassing in there."

He chuckled softly, "No, nothing bad. Lots of above average grades, top combat scores, notes that you're viewed as the best huntress of your generation from Vale. But... there also a couple of comments about how you tend to take on everyone else's problems, try and always be the one taking the hits, emotionally and physically. Lot of kids with your talent and power would let it get to their heads, but you apparently just used it to be their guardian, their protector."

She felt her cheeks flush a little, dammit Dad... you really had to write that in the official stuff? "It wasn't... I just did what I've always done."

"Which is protect your sister, and everyone else you considered a friend." Jaune prodded. "And then Pyrrha came along, and through her spars told you she could do whatever she wanted to your friends or sister and there wouldn't be anything you could do to stop her. That's not something you've had to face before, is it?"

Yang felt her mouth drop open, "Wait, you think that Pyrrha is _bullying_ me?"

He quickly held up a hand, "No, of course not. The girl probably wouldn't even know _how_ much less be able to go through with it. I'm saying that you were _acting_ like she was, and you started responding in kind. Not to deliberately hurt her, I don't think you're a petty or cruel person... I think you just wanted to protect everyone else from her attention, and didn't think things through. You took what she did in Combat Class personally instead of just as spars."

Her lips moved silently, then she swallowed and looked away as she thought about it. He...might not have been entirely wrong, even if she didn't think he was entirely right either, and she didn't like that idea. She hadn't liked that idea since Saturday, when she'd seen the normally confident championship fighter collapse into a fragile, morose ball... just over failing a simple assignment. Yang had started to wonder if she hadn't made a mistake in her assumptions about the redhead... and second-guessing herself had never been something she was comfortable with.

"You don't have to bring it up." She sighed, trying to change the topic again. "It's... well, not fine but we're trying to start fresh. And the rest of RAVN is pretty chill, and Nora is just hilarious when you get her going."

Jaune laughed again, and nodded, rolling with the change. "She certainly has an active imagination, doesn't she? I can't imagine what life in that dorm room is like sometimes."

"Loud." Yang grinned a little, "They're across the hall from us, and if there isn't at least one explosion a night we know she's out causing mischief."

There was a snort as he shook his head, the conversation shifting a little to her friendships with everyone. They talked a bit about her friends on the other teams, how well she knew the old Signal gang, and how they were settling in. What she thought of Ren and Ilia, along with a bit more on Weiss. She took the opportunity to throw in some more awesome puns, Weiss' name was just too good a thing to waste, that had the man groaning and rubbing at his face while she laughed.

Things were relaxed again when she got up to leave, a little startled to realize they'd been talking for almost two hours.

"So, Prof." She asked as she stretched, "Am I good to go, or am I getting consigned to the padded room with the neat coat?"

He snorted, "I think you'd bash the walls down within ten minutes out of abject boredom."

"Eh, probably closer to five." Yang grinned. "We canceling the rest of these like you said, or you going to lure me back to your rooms with drugs and coffee? All my issues might take a couple of heavy sessions to really work them out."

Jaune stared at her, then groaned shook his head. "Yang... your terrible sense of humor aside, your only issues seem to be over-protectiveness and a tendency to act without thinking things through. Pretty sure school and age will straighten out the latter..." his voice turned somber, like a doctor delivering a terminal diagnoses. "But I have to say I think the former is a lost cause. I'm sorry."

She mimed gasping in horror, clutching her hands to chest, even as she fought down the urge to grin. He'd finally called her Yang, and hadn't even noticed. "You... you mean my jokes aren't punny?"

A hand rose to cover his eyes, but there was a small smile on his face. "Yang... get out."

* * *

 ** _And Forever Fall turned into a full on brawl, and everyone had all kinds of fun. Yang gets her first counseling session and joins the list of people noticing things about Jaune. There wasn't as much conversation on her views on Pyrrha as there might have been, mostly because, as Yang noted, they're already trying to reset that relationship._**

 ** _Few things to talk about regards to the the story. First is that the update schedule is likely going to move away from daily updates fairly soon, probably going to twice or three times a week. I'm looking at Wednesday, Friday, and possibly Sundays as the probable targets. Second, the next chapter will be shifting the focus back towards canon a bit as we approach the docks. So expect a bit of Blake, bit of Ilia, and Jaune/Neo prepping to mess with Roman's heist on his request._**

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	24. Semester I: Progressions in Time

**Progressions in Time**

* * *

Ilia fell to her knee with a groan, fighting the urge to clutch at her side as her lungs burned. "...I still... don't think this... is real counseling."

"A Doctor Bartlesby disagrees." Jaune replied with an easy grin, breathing a little heavily but hardly panting. "According to his books on hunter psychology, he was a big believer in people working out their emotions through exercise."

"Exercise means running... or lifting." She panted, still trying to catch her breath. "Not... an hour plus... of hand to hand."

"We're hunters Ilia, we have to up our game a bit." He crossed his arms, the jerk not looking nearly as tired as she was despite the fact that she'd been wailing on him for most of the last hour

 _Just how large is your aura reserve!?_

According to him, the physical activity would help both distract and calm her, give her an outlet for the emotions that would come up as she talked. Since he hadn't wanted to turn it into a full fight they'd been sparring unarmed in one of the training arenas, the place empty and unused on Friday nights. He had at least closed and locked the doors to make sure anything she felt like saying remained in confidence, which had calmed her down a bit after he'd initially told her what they'd be doing.

"So," Jaune asked, "How are things between teams RWBY and RAVN? Heard you and Ruby are hitting it off."

"She's helping upgrade my weapon." She answered once she'd gotten her lungs working again, "Schnee is letting her take notes on her rapier for the project."

He nodded agreeably, "That's kind of the both them, but I take it you and Weiss are still not on actual speaking terms?"

"Minimally." Ilia replied flatly.

In truth, the two and a half weeks since the debacle of a mission in Forever Fall had seen a kind of reset between the two teams. Nearly all of it had been driven by Ruby's constant desire to see all of her friends get along, and to be everyone's best friend.

Nora and Ren had never really had any issues with the all-girl team, beyond defending Pyrrha and Ilia, and had acclimated fairly quickly. Especially Nora who had seemed to find a kindred spirit in Yang, to the mild horror of everyone else.

Of course... that had pretty much been the majority of the progress made. Yang and Pyrrha were now on speaking terms, but both remained almost painfully polite with one another and Pyrrha was obviously afraid of saying the wrong thing and driving the teams apart again. Similarly, she and Weiss could now hold a professional conversation without sniping at each other, but they'd come to the mutual agreement to use Ruby as a go-between wherever possible to avoid 'incidents'.

 _She might not be responsible for what happened to my parents... but she's still an uptight insufferable little brat who thinks I'm a street thug just because I know what real fighting is like._

Then there was her relationship the other pair. Yang was fine in an over-protective sister kind of way, but Blake... Blake was still wearing that damned bow.

"You know Weiss's heart is in the right place." Jaune, as usual, tried to get her to focus on people's good sides. "Even if she is a little sharp around the edges."

Ilia sighed as she stood up, trying to loosen her arms a little. "We're talking civilly Jaune, most people would consider that a minor miracle and be happy."

"I'm not most people." He countered with a lazy smile. "How are you and Blake doing?"

She felt her back tighten and her skin ripple to red and yellow... _dammit, I'm too tired to even control it. Way to scream that you've got issues..._ "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Of course." His hands rose into a lazy boxing stance, "Another round then."

Ilia narrowed her eyes, then without bothering to indicate her agreement, charged right at him.

Officially, her goal was simple; she was to try and move him from his spot in the center of the ring. A nice lazy exercise, something for her to blow off steam while they talked.

Unofficially, this was the _fourth_ time he'd asked about Blake today, and she was getting sick of it.

She faked a punch at his head with her right before ducking and trying to stun him with a blow to his liver. He didn't buy the fake, instead blocking her real attack with a forearm, then snapped his open palm up to collide with her chin. She barely managed to avoid biting her tongue and felt her teeth snap together painfully, and was unprepared for the rabbit-punch he put into her left boob.

Yelping in pain, she let herself stumble and fall into a crouch as if disabled, then used her hands a pivot to whip both of her legs into his. He managed to turn to take the impact on the backs of his knees rather than letting her drive them in sideways, and he hit the ground with an explosive grunt of air, rolling twice away from her before she could try and disable him.

A stupid person might have tried to grapple with him, get him while he was down... but she knew better. Size mattered in a fight, and it mattered the most when you were grappling or wrestling with someone. The Professor had her by several inches and probably a few dozen pounds and had already thrown her into the bleachers once. So instead she scrambled up to her feet, ignoring the throb in her chest in favor of falling into a loose stance as he slowly rose.

"Nice kick." Jaune smiled, shaking his left leg a little and holding up a hand to indicate the burst of violence was done with. "Thought you might go for an ankle sweep, didn't think it would be that thigh."

"It didn't go well for me last time I tried for your ankles." She shook her head, falling back down to a knee and massaging her aching breast. "Ow."

His smile turned a shade regretful, but he didn't exactly apologize. Though in all honesty the silence made her happier, he wouldn't have really meant an apology and they both knew it. It was... strangely cathartic, even with the pain, to fight someone more like her than her classmates.

Ruby thought her ponytail was cool, and that she and Pyrrha almost matched.

Jaune thought it was a nifty handhold with which to introduce her face to the ground. It was a good reminder of what she could expect if she ran into her old comrades, if they 'objected' to her change of career.

"So," He asked again, "What's up with you and Blake?"

 _Five times... he's really not going to less this go._ Ilia let out an exasperated huff of breath. "...Professor, I don't want to talk about it."

"I know." Jaune replied, his voice quieting. "But I think you need to. I understand your problems with Weiss, given her heritage and your own. Hell, before I got to know her I'd have been entirely on your side of the argument and you know it. But Blake? You two seemed close the day before initiation."

"People change." _Or reveal themselves._

"Look... I don't want to be a racist, but I really don't get it. Faunus usually stick together, even in Vacuo." He crossed his arms as her eyes widened as far as they could go, skin rippling to green. "And really? You were sharing a suitcase with her, Neo thought you two were-"

"Wait!" Both her hands rose, "Wait! You _know_ she's a faunus?"

Jaune gave her a puzzled look. "...should I not? I'm honestly not sure why she hides whatever it is behind that bow."

 _That makes two of us!_ "How? Is it in her transcripts or something?"

He shrugged, "It probably is, but I've never bothered to look them up. We're not really supposed to without a good reason, and it's not like I'm counseling her. Neo and I noticed her bow twitching a few times early on in the school year. If that wasn't obvious enough, the fact that she never changes her hair style or removes the bow helped."

Spoken that plainly, she had to wonder if anyone else had noticed... well, anyone besides Pyrrha. Her partner had clearly put the pieces together over the last couple of weeks, aided by the conversation she'd half-heard, but she'd been her usual unfailingly polite self in stridently avoiding the subject.

 _At least she didn't hear all of it..._

Admitting to Blake that the only reason she'd come with had been because of her crush had been hard. Blake's stunned non-reaction had been more or less what she'd expected. It had still hurt, even with their month of antagonistic relations, but... she'd always known that Blake had never looked at her like that. She'd been too enthralled with Adam to even notice those few efforts she'd made to get her attention.

 _Focus!_ She shook herself as Jaune continued, "...that's it, isn't it? That she hides what she is, that's what divided the pair of you."

Ilia huffed and looked away, forcing her skin color back to normal, confirming that without saying anything.

"I'm hoping that you've talked with her about it?"

"Twice." She muttered. "She says she'll take it off when she trusts her team not to freak out about it or judge her."

Jaune made her feel instantly better by lifting a hand and pinching the bridge of his nose, "She would have had a perfect opportunity after last week's mission... she's never planning on taking it off."

"I don't think she is." She agreed, her hands clenching as she lost control again, feeling the red wash over her. "And it's... gah, it's so infuriating! She says she will, she said we'd talk about it, but when it comes time she always runs away, or deflects, or hides with her team so I can't confront her!"

"...and you don't want to just reveal her, yank it off or mention it?"

Ilia opened her mouth, closed it, then then exhaled through her nose. "I'm... that would break her, and she'd run. I... I'm pissed at her but I can't go that far, not with everything we've... I just can't."

The professor frowned, clearly thinking about that. Then he glanced down, noticed her shaking hands, and shook his head before bringing his own up and starting forwards.

It wasn't her best performance of the session, not by a long shot. Her emotions had started to go and she mostly tried to use him as a punching bag. That made about as much of a dent as she'd have expected if she'd been thinking clearly, Jaune simply keeping his arms up and absorbing the punishment without any real sign of discomfort, just letting her tire herself out.

After a couple of minutes she was barely upright, and could only pant and watch as a lazy leg sweep came for her ankles... the conversation resuming with her still on her back on the floor, Jaune having taken up a seated position on the ground beside her.

"Her family took me in when I let Mantle." She said quietly, staring at the ceiling. "They gave me a home. Helped give me basic training... helped put the first version of my weapon together from scavenged parts. Every time I see her, I remember her mom, her father, how kind they were but... how proud they were of her. Of themselves, of our people. They'd would be so ashamed for her hiding if they knew. They're the _leaders_ of our people! Gods, her father is the ruler of Menagerie!"

He stayed quiet, letting her vent once more, and she obliged him. "They fought so we could have better lives, the same rights as you humans, the same respect! And their daughter... their own daughter acts like she's ashamed of what she is! Everything we've done, everything we fought for, and she just... she's trying to act like none of it happened, like that was someone else. Like she can just tie a pretty bow around it and throw it away."

Jaune shifted in her peripheral vision, rubbing at his jaw. "Is she ashamed... or is she just afraid? When you say that you've fought... I'm guessing you mean that in the obvious way."

Ilia closed her eyes. "This... this is just between us, right? Confidential?"

"Of course. I promise."

"...we fought." She breathed softly. "We saw you in Vacuo, you know. At the village, with your team. We were trainees, brought along on an easy recruitment run, to see how it was done."

Jaune was silent for a moment, then he let out a tired curse. "Dammit... the little girl with the cat ears and yellow eyes, the one I got thrown into. Gods how did I miss that?"

 _It was three years ago, and from what you've told me you've had a very busy life since then..._

"You're both ex-White Fang." He continued, "That explains why she's so afraid of taking her bow off. Everyone might play it off as an unfortunate family name if they even know of her parents, but if she's revealed as a faunus..."

"They would know she's the daughter of the White Fang's founder." Ilia agreed, swallowing a little. "And part of me agrees with her, that it could go badly when Schnee finds out, when her partner does, but then I see that stupid bow and I just can't stand it. She shouldn't have put it on in the first place! Talking with her gets nowhere so..."

"So you both just sit there, brood, and glare at each other." Jaune finished for her. "And your teammates glance around and don't know what to do, so everyone sits there awkwardly with tension in the air."

"Pretty much."

The professor tapped a slow rhythm on his right knee, then lifted his hand to run through this hair. "Here I was listening to Neo. She thought you two just had a bad breakup... please don't tell me that's a factor too."

"No," She shook her head, knowing she was already piling her problems onto him, and had been for a while now. "She's into guys. We were friends, that was all." _As much as I wanted more._ "I just... what do you think I should do?"

"I..." Jaune said slowly, "Really have no idea at the moment."

Ilia let out a bitter little laugh before she could stop it, "...sorry, I just... guess I hoped you might have some wise advice or something. Maybe a relevant story."

"Shockingly, none of my stories really involve reformed teenage terrorists." He gave her what he probably meant as a reassuring smile to go with the light joke, "But if you want wisdom... I have no idea what you should do, but I think it's obvious to both of us that you can't keep doing what you're doing."

"...yeah."

"So," The professor went on, "Let's work it out. You tried to talk to her, and she blew you off. You've tried to ignore it, but you still care too much to not be emotional about her and what she's hiding. You've decided you won't force the issue by yanking her bow off. That's most of the obvious solutions to me, so that means you should start thinking outside the box."

Ilia bit her lip, blinking as she thought about it. "...telling anyone else seems bad, they might confront her openly. Do the other teachers know?"

"I would assume that Ozpin and Bart do, probably Glynda." He mused, "Tsune definitely, as the resident doctor and as a faunus herself."

 _So all or most of them. As far as the other students, just Pyrrha, and she's too polite to ever say anything... but if she could figure it out, and if the Professors all know, it's a matter of time before someone says something._

The consequences seemed obvious. Little Mount Schnee would erupt, and Blake would do what she always did when scared; she would run.

 _Yang and Ruby would try and stop her, but Blake knows how to get out of an area when she's being chased, and they wouldn't want to use force to stop her. Maybe if Pyrrha and I try and be nearby when it comes up, but how would we know when to be ready to catch her?_

And catching her would just be the warm up to a long and furious conversation that Ilia had absolutely no idea how to prepare for. Especially since there were still days when she was seriously unsure about being at this school at all, and knew that if Pyrrha hadn't broken down and practically begged her that she would have run away as well. Maybe Yang would take up that role, but... maybe she wouldn't either. It was just too hard to guess how any of them would react.

The exception there was probably Pyrrha. She'd spent a lot of time with the taller girl since that night, and she'd... started to figure her out more. Ilia was very sure that Pyrrha wouldn't care if Ilia was unveiled as a former terrorist, but... that wasn't as reassuring as she'd have liked it to be.

 _What if... no, Pyrrha's problems can wait. Blake is the one who might go off any day. Outside the box, think outside the box. Like fighting Jaune, have to fight dirty and... oh._

"Um..." She licked her lips, "I think I have an idea."

* * *

Jaune watched Ilia leave, an honest though exhausted spring in her step as she plotted things out. For his part, he was far less sanguine about the entire affair, rubbing tiredly at his sweating face with a towel once she had gone.

 _I still have no idea if I'm actually helping her, or any of them..._

So far his methodology of putting them in awkward situations and making them do most of the actual work seemed to be holding up, but he had no idea how long he could keep it going.

Everyone making it through the debacle at Forever Fall together had simultaneously been a blessing and a curse. The shared actual life or death experience had definitely brought the first years closer together, hastening the social 'reset' that Yang had mentioned in their one and only counseling session. Things were still a bit on edge, Ilia and Cardin serving as the main examples, but the open hostility and divisions between the teams had been largely reduced to a kind of polite wariness.

But... their apparent victory over a small horde of Grimm had also made a lot of them far more arrogant in their 'skills', something that was driving Glynda insane and making him increasingly nervous as the other teachers all looked to him to 'solve' the problem. That was, after all, one of the reasons why they had hired him. He'd turned his second and third classes into a recap of Forever Fall and assigned them all homework on the same, mostly to buy time to think of a better idea for his next.

So far... he hadn't come up with anything.

 _Then there's the counseling... at least getting Ilia as my only real patient was a stroke of luck._

The girl was obviously screwed up and had some issues, but she was anything but shy about them. Getting her to open up was a simple as poking her obvious problems with Weiss and Blake until she erupted, listening to her vent, calming her down, and then letting her come to some kind of conclusion by repeating facts back to her until she thought about them for a while.

Ozpin had been quite pleased with how he was 'helping' her, and how his faith in Jaune's latent potential had been rewarded. That had been an exceedingly awkward conversation, coming right after his second and far less successful attempt at counseling.

He'd tried to do the same things he had with Ilia with Yang... but she'd been a lot better at diverting the prolonged button pushing and trying to turn the conversation back around to him. Aside from a tiny bit about Pyrrha he didn't think he'd really gotten anywhere with her, and wasn't even sure what he could do about it. Yang was so obviously over-protective of Ruby and damn near everyone else that it couldn't be healthy, but...

 _I have no idea what to say or do about it._

Then there were Pyrrha and Weiss, both of whom he was pretty sure needed someone to talk to... and he'd tried to drop a couple of hints in that direction, but neither of them had stopped by. Cardin was at least getting taken care of by Bart, so that was one less headache for him, but Blake... if everything Ilia had just told him was true, Blake was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.

Ilia's plan seemed like a pretty solid one, he'd admit. It would definitely get the other girl's notice and put her back against a wall. She'd be stuck in a place where she'd have to explain herself and face down a few fears, maybe it would be enough to give her courage to move on.

But... the idea had cut very close to home, and he'd had a hard time forcing the smile onto his face when Ilia had beamed at her own cleverness. It had immediately made him feel for what Blake's position could become, what his own could turn out to be if things went off-script.

 _No, focus Jaune. This isn't about you, it's about helping the kids. Letting them get to the point where they can relax, be normal teens together. Ilia's improving, you know it, you see it. She was going to eventually explode at Blake one way or another... so at least maybe you mitigated it a little, gave her frustrations an outlet._

That sounded damned thin, even to him, but... she had been partially right. Getting an ex-White Fang member to even speak with Weiss Schnee was probably a pretty big stepping stone, and if his and Neo's relic hunt had taught him anything it was that things didn't happen at once. You needed to set them up in sequence, plot them out, and then make extra progress wherever you could as you went along.

Ilia seemed to like to take her time when it came to things like this, liked to puzzle out all of her options, maybe discuss safe bits of it with her partner or team. He'd have at least a week, maybe two before the inevitable occurred. That meant he'd get them all for one or two more classes that he could use to try and ease tensions between the teams further, maybe flip his later class plans with the earlier ones... maybe he could at least give everyone even more relaxed around one another.

 _And Neo wants help exploring the ruins tonight,_ his treacherous brain reminded him. _And Glynda asked you to grade those tactical manuals for her. And you have Monday's class to prepare for._.. _your schedule is so packed your combining counseling sessions with sparring ones just to stay sharp. And you've got to get ready to stop Roman's heist Saturday after next._

Grumbling to himself, he checked his scroll to see if he had time for a shower before Neo hunted him down and dragged him off to dark tunnels until some ungodly hour in the morning.

* * *

"Well, that was fun." Jaune moaned as they shuffled their exhausted bodies back towards the front of the ruins. "I had no idea this place was so massive."

Neo gave an empathetic nod of agreement, reminding him just why she'd come close to begging for his help after just one night of searching the place alone.

There hadn't been much actual information on the ruins in the Emerald Forest, or the obvious city hat had once been half-buried into the cliff beneath Beacon. Even Oobleck hadn't known much when he'd asked 'for curiosity's sake', simply stating that the prime location had naturally drawn early humans looking for defense against the Grimm. At some point the actual city of Vale had been settled nearer to the coast, and the people had migrated to the better location.

Worse, whatever archaeological work had been done had evidently happened right before the Great War, and they'd stopped work as the conflict began... never to bother returning as the war and then reconstruction took priority. They had a couple of very rough maps that didn't go deep into the tunnels, or touch on the northern valley, and they'd actually gotten more information from Peter. One of his more realistic stories had involved him going into the ruins to chase down an Alpha Beowolf that had been smart enough to run, and Jaune had memorized what details he could before the tale turned towards the usual insanity.

"I think you were right." He said as they found the main hall again, moving over old rubble towards a lightening sky. "I think it's going to be in here somewhere, maybe somewhere connected to the school directly."

His partner nodded again, her hands tiredly forming words, telling him that she agreed, but that doing this on foot wasn't going to be an option. It would take too long, and with how meticulous they'd have to be... it was _way_ too likely they'd miss it.

"Yeah." Jaune rubbed at his chin, feeling the patchy stubble there. _Dammit, need to shave..._ "We might be better off trying to find what parts of Beacon go deep enough to connect into it."

Neo replied with a single gesture, making him nod again.

"Either tower really. Their foundations probably go pretty deep." At least, he thought they would. He hoped anyway. "Dammit. We might have to take Roman up on the Council break-in idea."

She shrugged a little, covering a yawn with a hand.

That was the most frustrating thing about this entire heist. If they had the blueprints for the school and CCT tower it would be so much easier, but they didn't exactly leave those sitting around. Public maps were largely restricted to what building served which purpose, with the only public records being the design of the CCT Mall Complex... minus its tower, of course.

The blueprints for _that_ were probably in a vault in Atlas somewhere, and utterly out of reach.

 _But if we can find the design for Beacon tower... even a general one, we might be able to figure out if there's excess tunneling beneath it._ _Maybe even pick out where a stairwell or elevator might be._

Of course, said plans would likely only be in one of two locations; the City Council's secured vaults, or Beacon's. If the school had any such thing it was probably in the same area the Relic was housed, so unless Ozpin kept a set around in his office their best bet was to burgle the Council building.

 _Which we'll definitely need Roman's help for._

Neo yawned and stretched out beside him, then took his hand. He grimaced and braced himself before the world folded nauseatingly around him, reality snapping back to leave the pair of them standing in their bedroom, beside their utterly inviting looking bed.

 _But no... first we have even more work to do._

"All hail Saturday, the one true god." Jaune said, shuffling towards the bathroom. Neo rolled her eyes in amusement, heading for the kitchen, fixing herself a light breakfast... or technically dinner, he supposed. He joined her once he'd taken care of a few things, lathering up some toast and devouring it with entirely too much relish.

Then they grabbed their maps and notes from their various hiding places, set them out, and continued working. As usual Neo hogged the pencils, not trusting his penmanship, and started expanding on their map of the ruins.

"Main hall was clear, no real signs of Grimm or people." He said as she drew lines, little notes adding descriptions as she went. "That secondary hall ended... fifteen meters in, right?"

Twenty she wrote instead, then added two smaller rooms off of it and a question mark past the collapsed section.

"Right, those storage rooms. Bunch of urns and rotted boxes." Jaune remembered, "Then we had that really long hallway opposite, running northwest. Armory... here, then some kind of cathedral or something with those giant open windows."

Neo nodded, the paused when she finished, tapping the armory before rubbing two fingers together.

"You think someone would pay for those? They weren't in good shape."

She shrugged and signed the word for museum.

"Eh... I guess it's an idea, if we really need some lien." Jaune admitted before covering a yawn, "Ah... sorry, where were we? Oh, right, there wasn't anything in that cathedral."

Another nod, and then they settled in to put in as much detail as they could. The armory got extra notes to indicate that they'd found sabers, spears, shields, and armor, yet oddly no real bows or other ranged weapons. Even exhausted and a little out of it, he had cared more about that than she did; Neo's patience to puzzle out the history of their targets had been as minimal as ever. Then again, he wasn't sure how much he blamed her, the pair of them had so many myths, legends, and histories in their heads he had no idea how they remembered half of them.

They'd spent more time in the cathedral, it had seemed like a relic-hiding type of place, but had come up with nothing after about four hours. Whoever had once lived there had cleaned it out entirely, unlike the armory.

 _Ancient humans really did not have the best priorities... but I've known that since we found that giant pyramid in the middle of the damned desert._

That waste of time had left them in too foul a mood to actually investigate thoroughly, so they'd downed some coffee to stay awake before mapping out hallways and noting room locations to just create at least some kind of map. Sticking to the northwest, they'd gone up and down where the stairs permitted, separating twice to cover more ground. Whoever had once lived there had used the natural plateau like a skyscraper, levels upon levels upon levels...

"I really hope we can find the blueprints... or maybe a map of this place, otherwise this is going to take forever." He muttered as they finished.

Neo made an exasperated gesture of total agreement, waving a disgusted hand at their far more limited sketches. At the rate they were going it was going to take them two or three years to find the stupid Relic, not the less than one they optimistically had hoped for.

"It won't come to that." Jaune promised, "We'll find it."

She nodded agreeably, but her right eyes flickered from brown to cream and then back again, making him sit up a little bit.

"Neo?"

More blinking, then a scowl as she realized that her eyes had given her away again. There was a quiet scoff before both hands came up to rapidly fling words at him, telling him that she was starting to have second thoughts about him being the student counselor. Between his sessions, his classes, and their quest he was overworking himself after just a few weeks. If it kept up he was going to fall apart and blow their cover, or screw up and get fired.

"Now you agree with me." He said, then yelped when she promptly punched him in the bicep. "Ow, really? Neo... unless you want me to cut back on helping you, on our actual goal here... what choice do I have?"

Her scowl deepened, and she went on as if he hadn't spoken, her hands telling him that she knew he had a saving people thing, but that this was _not_ the time to indulge it. The last thing they needed was for him to prove Roman right about making friends on a job by getting too attached to the brats and abandoning their quest.

Jaune narrowed his eyes, "Hey, I'm committed to this as you are. We _need_ to find that Relic, we have to actually make sure it's used instead of just sitting around in a vault somewhere gathering dust. We're doing this to _save_ the kids you're calling brats, to pay back those assholes, to do what should have been done a long time ago."

Neo frowned. She thought those were nice words, but she thought he might want to tone it down, or maybe find a way to go back to being strictly a professor.

Jaune held his hands apart, "It's too late for that and you know it, Ozpin and Glynda think I'm doing an awesome job... hell, I think Ozpin probably thinks I'm a better counselor than a professor. They won't just let me quit. And hey, if all of this goes accordingly to plan, or even something close to plan, it's not like we'll openly be going up against them. They won't even know we're on our own side."

Her mouth pursed to one side than the other, and her eyes flickered between three shades of color as she considered that. After about a minute she agreed that it might not be a bad idea... it had already been three years, if it took another three to get all of the relics they needed then keeping touch with the students could be a net positive.

"I'm not going to manipulate them!" He snapped. "We're not going to use people like Haley and Ozpin!"

Neo scoffed silently, reaching over the table to give him an annoyed little pat on the cheek. She hadn't told him to, she was just saying she was thinking of the positives of him doing what he was already doing. That he couldn't deny that some of the students seemed to be latching on to him more as an older friend than as a teacher, and that could work out for them long-term.

"I... right." He rubbed at the back of his neck, "Sorry, I'm too tired for this kind of conversation."

She pursed her lips, then sighed and got up, moving around the table. A light smack got him to lean back and get his arms out of her way so she could curl up in his lap. One hand rose, laboriously signing abbreviated words at him.

If he really couldn't get out of it... she'd only drag him out to help search on Saturdays, but he definitely had to keep looking around during the weekdays when he could explore the public areas. And he owed her so much ice cream for this.

"I always owe you ice cream." Jaune commented, resting his head on hers. Her hair smelled like dust and sweat, not even a hint of the candy scented shampoo she seemed to love, but he couldn't bring himself to care. "...what do you think I should do about the students? Next class should be good... but I don't about what to do next."

Neo shrugged, not quite burying her face in his shoulder as she yawned. The message was clear; as far as she was concerned, that was his problem.

"I thought we were in this together." He pulled her a little closer, kicking his feet up onto the table and getting comfortable. "I just... how do I get through to them?"

A tired fist pumped once into the air.

"Make them fight? That's mostly what Glynda's doing... I need something more group oriented."

Neo shook her head slightly, then tapped him on the chest, then pointed at her own chin before making another fist.

 _Teach them like I taught you. Beat the crap out of them until they learn._

Jaune tried to think about that, he really did, but he felt his partner's body slowly go limp as she gave up the fight against sleep. A minute or two later he joined her... and it was glorious.

* * *

Weiss followed her partner as they left the cafeteria, heading into Beacon's gardens. "You're sure about the message?"

Ruby nodded cheerfully, "Yup! Ilia said RAVN got it too, today's lesson is practical and in the northern gardens."

She hummed quietly in response, trying not to bite her lip or otherwise show her unease. The last two Group Tactics courses had been a mix of lecture and group discussion, with the professor having them go over what had happened at Forever Fall and helping them learn the kind of paperwork usually required after a mission. It had been simple, safe, and had imparted knowledge she knew they would need in the future.

But the memory of his first practical class was very much fresh in her mind. In all of their minds.

Yang subtly moved up on her right, the blonde looking a bit nervous. "He say what we'll be doing?"

"Nope." Ruby shook her head, "Just to be there, and that we didn't need our weapons or combat gear."

"Which still tells us something." Blake spoke up from behind them, "The gardens are far from the cliffs, and no weapons, so it's not likely we're going into the forest again. It won't be a repeat of the last practical lesson."

"That's a relief." Yang muttered, rolling her shoulders a bit. "I mean, we'd do better than the last time, but... bad memories, you know?"

Weiss knew, she knew all too well. That hour in the trees, having to deal with Ilia and Yang howling at each other while Pyrrha stared at her own feet had probably counted as the single most awful hour of her life in Beacon so far. Knowing that Professor Arc had _meant_ for it to be awful to teach them a lesson, to make them realize how childish they were being, hadn't mitigated that very much.

 _Though it did seem to work out in the end._

She'd been just as happy as Ruby, though far more refined about expressing said emotion naturally, to learn that Yang would tone things down around Pyrrha. The champion was an ideal role model for both herself and her partner to learn from and work with, and she was so unfailingly polite that Weiss couldn't help but enjoy her company.

The same could not be said of her partner, but such was life. With the good came the bad, and for all of her faults, Amitola at least had a functioning sense of practicality. She knew, just as well as Weiss did, that you did not always have the luxury of liking a coworker, but that you still had to find a way to work together regardless.

Weiss did not like Ilia. Ilia did not like Weiss. They had agreed upon those facts, and agreed again that they would tolerate one another for the sake of team relations despite said facts.

"Uh oh." Ruby's voice made Weiss focus, the younger girl nodding ahead of them. "Miss Neo is here."

"Oh boy." Yang muttered as the rest of them saw the colorful woman in a small clearing ahead, sitting next to a standing Professor Arc. She had her parasol open to shield her from the morning sun, and seemed to be watching them as they approached. Behind the pair of them were numerous metal boxes, all closed and gleaming a little in the light while a hologram projector sat shut down nearby.

"And..." Weiss asked quietly, "You're sure they're dating? They just seem so different."

Yang nodded, "Oh yeah, she practicality assaulted him when I asked... and he really didn't seem to object."

"Opposites attract?" Blake suggested.

"Ugh." Ruby groaned, "Would you guys stop talking about that kind of thing? I really think we should make that a team rule."

"I was merely curious." Weiss defended herself, "Unlike your sister who is still interested despite knowing he is taken."

Said sister gave her an annoyed look, "Says the girl who totally checks him out whenever she can."

"I do no such thing." She lied, turning her nose up. Not that she had ever been truly interested in him, even before they'd found out that he was in a relationship. But... she wasn't dead either, and he was rather handsome. No one could blame her for looking from time to time.

For her part, Ruby shook her head and skipped out ahead of them, raising her voice, "Hey Jaune! Hey Miss Neo!"

"Hey Ruby." Their teacher greeted with evident good cheer, smiling kindly as they approached. "Go ahead and pull up a patch of grass, looks like everyone else is just behind you."

Yang and Ruby promptly collapsed in nearest patch of shade, while Blake rolled her eyes and not-quite sprawled in the sunny patch next to them. Weiss pursed her lips, glad to not be wearing her combat uniform as she settled in just on the line where the tree's cover met the warm light, where she could lean one way or the other as she wished for comfort.

As the professor had indicated, the rest of their year began to trickle in shortly after them. MINT gravitated towards Yang, or perhaps just the welcome shade from the tree, and quickly piled in around her and Ruby. RAVN settled in next to Blake and herself, Pyrrha noticeably between them and Ilia, while CRDL and FRST shifted over towards a farther tree.

"All right, welcome to our second practical lesson." Professor Arc spoke once everyone had settled in, "I'm hoping this one will both teach you a few things, as well as being a bit more fun than our last one. It's going to be a series of two on two fights, you and your partner against another set determined by our randomizer over here."

Weiss blinked a few times, then cautiously raised a hand, "Um, Professor? Were we supposed to bring our weapons?"

"Nope." He beamed at her before kicking one of the boxes next to him. "Because that's the fun part. We grabbed these from the school's storage room... you're all getting random weapons as well."

Ruby let out a whimper next to her, while several other students promptly burst out into confused conversation.

"Hey, hey, calm down!" Their teacher promptly held both arms out, "This isn't going to be overly serious, not like Combat Class. You'll fight for a minute, two tops. The goal is to show how well you and your partner can adapt to unfamiliar circumstances. As some of you found out at Forever Fall, you won't always have the same weapon on you, it won't always be intact and ready to go."

 _That's... a fairly reasonable point,_ she admitted.

"After each fight we'll all talk about how each team did, and what they could have done better." He went on, "Anyone want to volunteer to be first up?"

Weiss glanced at Ruby and saw her looking rather pale, likely at the idea of fighting without Crescent Rose. _I'm not sure everyone will think this is fun professor._

"Come on Russ." She jerked her head around as Cardin actually stood up, hauling his surprised partner up with him. Not that she could blame him, almost everyone was looking at the arrogant bully in something like shock.

 _Does he not remember the last time he volunteered for one of Professor Arc's lessons?_

"Cardin." The Professor nodded, "Thanks. Let's find you opponents and get you all your weapons."

He pulled out his scroll and fiddled with it for a moment, the projector next to him humming to life. It promptly displayed Cardin and Russel's faces on one side, then began to scroll like a slot machine on the other. After several seconds it slowed to a stop on Ren and Nora.

"Aw yeah!" The girl cheered as if they'd just won the lottery, bouncing up to her feet while her leader followed far more sedately. "What do we get!?"

"Let's find out." Arc answered, tapping on his scroll again. Four extra boxes appeared beneath the projected faces and began to whirl, popping up with little pictures of weapons after several spins. "Cardin, you get a rapier. Russel, a great axe. Nora gets a pistol, and Ren gets a spiked shield."

Miss Neo rose from where she'd been sitting, lazily kicking open a few of the crates and waving the students over. The four followed her, retrieving their new gear before returning to the more open area.

The Professor nodded as they checked their weapons, making sure they had their scrolls on and reminding them of his class's aura limit rules. "I'm going to start a thirty second timer, you get that much time to plan. Soon as the buzzer goes off, you fight until I call it. Ready? Start."

Both partnerships promptly put their heads together and started to whisper, nodding and shaking their heads as they conversed.

"This is going to be weird." Yang muttered, her chin resting in her hands.

"It's going to be horrible." Ruby replied morosely.

"We'll simply take advantage of your semblance." Weiss assured her, "He didn't say anything about not using those."

That made her partner perk up slightly, just in time for an annoying claxon to ring. All four fighters promptly burst into motion... and she felt her eyes widen as Cardin and Russel threw their weapons to each other as they came charging in.

That immediately seemed to take Ren and Nora by surprise, the former having hefted his shield up while the orange haired girl moved behind him, her gun up to fire behind his cover. She only put one shot into Cardin, steadying her aim via Ren's shoulder, only for the larger boy's aura to easily hold before he brought the heavy axe down into the ground with a roar of effort.

His semblance sent concussions through the ground, sending dirt, grass, and other bits of earth all over everyone. Weiss flinched as more than a little landed in her hair, trying to focus on the fight as the members of team RAVN were sent stumbling away from the blasts. Russel promptly tried to get around Ren to get at Nora, only to see the former get his shield up and plant his feet, staying between them.

Cardin came rushing in from the side, only to stumble as the Professor shouted, "Stop!"

Weiss started along with almost everyone else, then blinked when Professor Arc actually clapped his hands together several ties. "Very good, very good! I'm honestly impressed with all four of you. That was far better than I thought. You can go ahead and return those, walk around a bit and cool off while we talk."

The four teens, obviously a bit in shock at how quickly he'd told them to stop, glanced at each other in confusion before shuffling away to do so.

"Now," He clapped again, "Why am I so pleased with them? Let's start with CRDL, what did they do right?"

Weiss pursed her lips, thinking it over, then felt Blake raise a lazy arm beside her. "They switched weapons immediately."

"That's definitely one thing." Professor Arc nodded, "Cardin and Russel both noticed that each of them was more suited for the other's weapon and swapped, that was exactly what they should have done. What else? Meral?"

The leader of MINT spoke up from the back, "They... tried to separate Ren and Nora, and to go after Nora specifically since her pistol wouldn't be good up close."

Another nod as the four combatants returned, "Both were the right decision. Now, RAVN was a little iffier, but their weapons were even more out of their comfort zone so I'm giving them a bit of a pass. Ren, Nora? What did you do right and wrong?"

Ren pursed his lips, then said, "I should have taken the pistol, I'm far better with small arms than Nora, and more able to get away if they got close."

"But you did protect me." Nora chimed in, "Which was good, right?"

"It was very good, exactly how you should have fought given what you had. And you're partially right Ren, but you might have taken the shield _and_ the gun." Jaune nodded to Nora, "She's not really suited to either, and probably would have been better off going it unarmed. Especially if you could find a way to disarm Cardin and steal his axe. You both will get a solid B. Cardin, Russel? Top marks."

The two boys looked a little taken aback by that, Russel grinning wildly as it sank in, while Cardin shook his head and followed his partner back to the rest of their team.

"All right, let's get the next pair up."

Weiss wasn't sure she would call the class that followed 'fun' exactly, but it turned out to be both far more relaxed and humiliation-free than she'd expected. And it was strangely interesting, especially when she realized that he'd picked out copies of all of their weapons for his random wheel. He took far less of a central role than she was used to from a teacher, allowing... no, _encouraging_ them to teach themselves and each other.

When Dove had ended up with a scythe, and clearly had no idea how to even hold it, the professor had brought Ruby up and had her spend five minutes going through a few basic moves. When Yang had drawn a dust whip, Ilia had been called over to show everyone how it could be an effective weapon. Cardin and Fiye had gotten a two-person demo about a half-hour in, walking everyone through how to wield heavy weapons the size of their mace and great ax respectively.

Her and Ruby's first time up had gone... acceptably, if not exceptionally well, the pair of them going nearer to the end and being up against Meral and Isa. Weiss had received two daggers much like Russel's, while Ruby had struggled with a javelin and shield combination meant to mimic Pyrrha's armament. She'd ditched the heavy shield almost at once, going after an Isa armed with gauntlets while Weiss had tried to hold off a Meral who'd simply tossed a halberd aside and come in with her fists and a semblance that concentrated her aura into almost gleaming sections of armor.

"Using Ruby's reach and speed to try and take out Isa quickly while you held off Meral wasn't a bad plan, but it _was_ risky." The Professor had admonished, "As Meral proved when she moved your fight behind Ruby and then jumped her. If not for Ruby's semblance that would have been the end of it right there."

Weiss had bitten her lip, and found Ruby just as determined to do better on their second try.

By luck, Ruby had ended up with the same weapons, while she had drawn a short-hafted glaive. That had earned everyone another little demonstration, courtesy of a shy Tealle from MINT, before they'd enjoyed a minute of frantic effort against Dove and Sky. They had gone in with the same plan as before, but had executed it perfectly. Weiss all but gluing herself to her partner's back once they had separated the boys; keeping Dove at bay while Ruby worked over Sky.

He'd given the top marks as the last fight before class ended, then moving on to give them their homework. "Using your experience today, I want all of you to start considering a back-up weapon! We'll be having a double-class next week, a discussion where you'll all tell us your choice and why you picked it, then another practical where you and your partner will work with each other with both your main and your chosen backups!"

"Professor," Weiss had raised her hand, "Will we be expected to purchase the backup, or will we be given one form the school's stores?"

"So long as you're in school you'll be free to use one of these." Professor Arc had indicated the cases around him, "If you want something more exotic or advanced, I'm afraid you'll be on your own. I'll get a list of available weapons posted on my office door by tomorrow, feel free to stop by and check it out."

It had been a relaxed group that headed to lunch once the bells had begun to toll.

"That was surprisingly pleasant." Weiss said as they walked beside RAVN. "Wasn't it?"

"He's such a good teacher!" Ruby gushed, all but skipping, her early fears of what the class would be like forgotten. "Pyrrha! Can I try using Milo tomorrow night? Can I?"

"Of course." The Champion replied with an easy smile.

"Thank you! Oooo, did you want to try Crescent Rose!?"

Pyrrha laughed gently, "I think Crescent Rose is a little too large for a back-up weapon for me Ruby. I... Yang, I was actually wondering if I could try Ember Celica? I thought the gauntlets very interesting, and I could have them on even with Milo and Akouo."

"I... yeah, sure." Yang slowly started to grin, "But only if Nora lets me try out her hammer!"

The girl in question threw a fist in the air, "We will be the most awesome sisterly queens of explosions and hammers ever!"

 _And suddenly I don't feel as good about this._

Yang turned to glance at her partner, "What about you Blake? Got an idea already?"

"Not really." Came her reply, "Gambol Shroud is already two parts, so I've never really thought about it. Maybe a dagger or holdout pistol."

Weiss nodded, "I was thinking something similar. Something light, simple to conceal, but not useless either. " She took a shallow breath, "What about you, Ilia?"

The faunus girl lifted an eyebrow at her question, then shrugged and stretched her arms. "I'm not sure. I like to be light on my feet, so nothing heavy. Maybe a short sword."

 _Remember what the professor said that first day... this is a place of learning and teaching, for everyone._ "...have you thought about a rapier? I think you could do well with one."

Ilia actually stopped moving, jerking her chin a little as she stared at Weiss. She was hardly the only one, all of their friends turned to stare at Weiss like they'd never seen her before.

"What!?" She defended herself, feeling her cheeks heat up slightly. "She used it very well in both of her fights and she has the build for it! I just though it would compliment her!"

"I..." Ilia shook her head. "I'll think about it."

Weiss lifted her chin, "Thank you, now would you all stop staring at me!? If we don't get to lunch soon those oafs in CRDL will take the best seats!"

* * *

Jaune glanced up as he and Neo packed up the equipment, which translated to him packing while Neo 'supervised' from a nice shady spot beside a tree, watching a raven flit around more than him. The footsteps he'd heard resolved themselves into Professor Ozpin smiling at them from over a cup of coffee.

"Mister Arc. I apologize for not making myself known, but I found observing your class to be relaxing."

"Ah." Jaune rubbed at his hair a little sheepishly. _Nothing like knowing your boss had been watching the whole time..._ "You could have just come over."

Ozpin simply shook his had, "I find that the students tend to react differently, and not always for the better, when they know I am observing a class. And yours went exceedingly well I believe, so I had no desire to affect it."

He felt his cheeks heat up a little in embarrassment. "You really think so?"

"Quite so." The Headmaster nodded, "Though I did have a question. Your partner wheels were obviously given to you by Glynda, but where did you locate your randomizer for your weapons? The assignments seemed oddly tailored to encourage conversation between various teams... Miss Amitola receiving Miss Schnee's rapier twice, Miss Nikos similarly taking Miss Xiao-Long's gauntlets in both of her fights, or Miss Valkyrie welding a scythe in her second match just as a few examples."

Jaune felt his lips twitch. "What weapon randomizer?"

Ozpin's lips parted as his smile widened. "Ah. Carry on Mister Arc. Well done."

* * *

 ** _Bit of a longer chapter here, since I took an extra day to work on it and flesh it out a little. Ilia finally breaks down and rants to Jaune about Blake, Jaune mulls on his teaching and counseling style, then he and Neo get some of their real work done. Then we wrap up the chapter by Jaune letting the kids teach themselves some more, and earns a few more kudos from Oz in the process._**

 _ **As you can all probably guess, the next chapter will be the run up to the docks, with chapter 16 representing the end of semester/volume 1... assuming that doesn't become another two-parter, which it might. In either case the butterflies will start to be released more heavily as we get into volume 2, so expect the unexpected moving forwards.**_

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	25. Semester I: Action, Reaction

**Action, Reaction**

* * *

Pyrrha hummed as she looked over Ilia's homework, the pair of them having fled their dorms for the quieter peace of the library in order to work ahead on history together. Not that Nora had driven them away with her usual antics, though she may have been up to something for all they knew.

Today's flight from their dorms was due to the fact that every other Friday was a half-day for their year... and most members of the various other teams had elected to make said Fridays into a kind of internal party day.

The past couple of weeks seemed like they had gone very well. Things had greatly calmed down between the various teams, thanks in large part to Professor Arc's classes, and Pyrrha had started to feel the same kind of relaxed ease she'd found in the first week of the year. Yang had started to invite Nora along with MINT for her weekend club runs, something that Ren was reluctantly dragged into as well. Ruby and Weiss preferred to either study or spar, and had found willing partners herself and Ilia.

Even Blake, quiet and evasive of Ilia as she remained, had started to spend time with herself and Ren, usually so that they could work on homework together. Gods, even CRDL had started to tone down their attitudes somewhat, at least among the other first years. They and FRST had seemed have formed some kind of mingling group together, and if they didn't often seek out the company of the other teams, they didn't openly antagonize them anymore either.

And the four boys had jumped in to MINT's Friday party plans with both feet.

It was slow progress... but it was progress. Pyrrha just wished that said progress didn't include Friday afternoons with raucous video game tournaments, arm wrestling competitions, and plots to smuggle alcohol into the dorms.

"It was the Fourth Battle of the River Green where Vale turned back the Mistralian advance for good, not the Fifth Battle of the Emerald Forest." She noted as she finished, "But apart from that everything looks correct."

"Thanks Pyrrha." Ilia said as she took the paper back, quickly erasing her incorrect answer and writing in the proper one.

"You're welcome." She replied cheerfully. "You're doing quite well."

Her partner sighed softly. "I think you're just being nice with that. It took me twice as long to get this done as it took you."

"But you did get it done on your own." Pyrrha nudged her with an elbow and smiled, "With only one wrong line from what I saw. How long it takes matters less than getting to the right answer."

Ilia gave her a mildly reproving look, but her lips were tugging at the corners. "Pyrrha... can you _not_ be nice about something? Just once say something that's not supportive and kind?"

"I..." She felt her cheeks heat up. "Um... well, Cardin-"

"No!" Ilia's ponytail whipped as she shook her head, "Has to be about me, or someone you actually like. Can't cheat."

"But I don't like Cardin! He was an arrogant bully, even if he's improved somewhat lately." She protested. "Doesn't that count?"

Ilia crossed her arms and settled back in her chair, "No. I want you to say something mean about someone you don't already dislike. Like me. Or Ruby."

 _Her or Ruby?_

Pyrrha wracked her brain, trying to come up with something that she didn't like about her two best friends. But... what could there possibly be? Ilia had stayed when she'd been about to leave for her sake, because _she_ had begged her not to go. That was beyond anything Pyrrha could have ever hoped for from a friend. And Ruby seemed to be equally selfless, they were both always happy to spend time with her for no other reason than because they were friends.

Neither of them had ever said anything mean about her that she knew of, and now that she was being put on the spot, she couldn't think of anything bad to say about them either. Well... Ruby may have had too much of a sweet tooth, and Ilia could do with being a little more polite to strangers, but that didn't seem like what her partner wanted.

"You are hopeless." Ilia groaned, slumping forwards and resting her head in her arms. "Hopeless!"

"I'm sorry?" She wasn't really sure if she should be apologizing for being 'too nice', but Ilia evidently thought of it as a bad thing.

Her partner turned her head so she was looking up at her, one cheek on her forearms as her eyes narrowed. "Pyrrha, no one is as nice as you are. No one. What's your secret?"

She swallowed and lowered her voice. "I... already told you."

Ilia rolled her eyes, "No, not like _that_. I mean what's the mean, evil thing you do in secret? You can't possibly be just this... this... perfect."

Pyrrha had to blink a few times. "...perfect?"

There was a disgusted sound as Ilia dragged herself upright again and waved an annoyed hand at her. "Look at you! You're tall, gorgeous, smart, the best fighter of our age on the planet, and you're so nice you can't even think of a mild insult for your friends. No one is that well rounded, so what is it?"

"I..." Her cheeks darkened, "I'm not... _all_ of those things!"

"Do you steal Blake's books? Maybe hide Mistralian hentai comics under your bed?" Ilia ignored her, and ignored the way her face started to blaze with heat as she gaped at her friend. "Sneak out on the weekends to get drunk in Vale? Go to fight clubs? Did you do drugs at all those parties you had to go to, or drag a fan or two into a closet with you?"

"I... I... _no!_ I didn't sleep with my fans!"She all but shouted the last bit, drawing everyone's attention. If her cheeks weren't already the color of her hair they would have darkened even further as several other students snickered while she ducked her head and let out a whimper. "...I hate you."

"Aha! Knew I could get you to say it."

Pyrrha's head jerked up to see Ilia looking entirely too proud of herself as she started to pack up her papers and text book. "You... you..."

Ilia gave her a grin, her freckles warming to pink for a few moments. "What? You're cute when you're embarrassed, and I wanted to see if you could actually say something mean. That... was really, really tame, but at least you managed it. Now come on, party should be over... or at least moving down to Vale."

She... had no idea how to respond. To any of that. Ilia had to gently grab her elbow and haul her out of her chair to get her moving, and it wasn't until after they'd exited the library that Pyrrha felt as if she was a functional human being again.

"Did you really have to say all of those things?" She asked as they walked, "I'm hardly perfect, and I definitely don't do... _any_ of those!"

"I know." Ilia patted her arm gently, shifting her backpack around with the other. "I was just trying to get a rise out of you. You don't make it easy you know."

Pyrrha sighed, looking away. A few students were out and about, and she saw Doctor Oobleck talking with a civilian woman in a lovely dress on a bench, but it remained a quiet, peaceful day. "...but why? Do you really enjoy embarrassing me so?"

 _If you say yes... I don't know._

She knew that she was a little socially stunted thanks to her... overly focused upbringing, but she was starting to wonder if Ilia was more serious about her little looks and comments than she'd seemed. Not that she was the only one that Ilia gave oblique looks too, but... then again she was hardly alone in doing so, and she was at least far more discrete about it than most of the boys. And some of the other girls, for that matter. Yang was anything but shy about her interest in Professor Arc, and Shae tended to stare unerringly at any boy who was at least reasonably attractive.

 _Then again, I may just be projecting... it isn't as though I've ever had anyone interested in me for being me, rather than the Invincible Girl._

Worse, she had no idea if she even liked girls. She... thought she might, somewhat. but it had never really been a subject she'd seriously put consideration into. If Ilia asked her on a date, and she... realized that she didn't, what would she say? What _could_ she say? And then there was Blake, and whatever was or had been between her and Ilia.

"Eh." Ilia wagged a hand back and forth a little, "I'll admit it's fun, but some of it is from Jaune. He says letting people vent from time to time is a good thing."

"Oh." Pyrrha considered that, feeling her entire body relax as she realized she'd dodged a rather large bullet, at least for now, "And... you think I need to?"

She was quiet as the turned a corner, moving into the trees that surrounded the dorms. "I think that it makes me feel better, after he prods me into just... yelling and ranting about things. I know you don't like to talk about your parents but... maybe you should try?"

Pyrrha chewed on her lip, looking down at her shoes as they walked. "...you think so?"

"Yeah... look, if you want I can go with you to see him tomorrow." Ilia suggested, "He's usually available Saturday morning, and-" She broke off as her scroll chirped. "Sorry."

She shook her head, waving for her to check it while she thought about the kind offer. Pyrrha would have been lying if she hadn't said she hadn't thought about it before, going to the professor that was. He seemed to be really helping Ilia, and he was so kind in class. His lessons may have been harsh at times, like their first one, but she knew he'd done it because he cared for them.

And he had looked as nearly distraught as she after failing most of them, clearly not enjoying his role as the harsh teacher.

 _If Ilia comes with... maybe it won't be so-_

Beside her, Ilia began to tremble violently, her scroll almost flying from her fingers as her skin rippled to green and her eyes widened. "Ilia?"

Her partner seemed to try to say something, but could only keep gaping at the device in her hands.

Pyrrha quickly stepped closer, gently wrapping her fingers around a wrist to try and help her calm down, glancing at the scroll as she did. The screen showed the messenger program, with an image of two red headed girls in uniform walking away from whoever had taken the picture. It took her a moment to realize that it was the pair of them, and that it had been taken within the least couple of minutes.

The caption read, _She's cute! Your partner?_

"Um," She coughed quietly, "Ilia, who sent that?"

Ilia licked her lips... and still couldn't seem to find her voice.

"Ilia?" Pyrrha gave her a gentle shake, trying to see the name on the scroll but finding only the sender's number. "Ilia, you're starting to worry me, you need to calm down."

Green skin worked as Ilia swallowed, letting Pyrrha carefully pry the scroll out of her hands before she broke or dropped it. "...do you... remember my plan? About Blake?"

"Of course." She said with a slight nod. "I was there when you sent the message two weeks ago, but that didn't seem like the kind of response you were... looking... for." It abruptly clicked. "Oh. Oh dear."

Ilia's voice remained rough, "This... this wasn't the plan. This really wasn't the plan."

Pyrrha nodded, entirely understanding. "What do we do?"

"Well," A voice spoke up politely from behind them, "I always thought introductions were the proper place to start."

* * *

Neo stood atop an apartment building overlooking Vale's dockyard, the hum of the air conditioners behind her a steady, almost calming drone compared to the sounds of seagulls and other stupid birds. The Friday afternoon sunlight was pleasantly warm without really being hot, leaving her feeling rather comfortable as she checked the sight-lines towards the number four dock.

A massive freighter flying the Atlesian flag was being slowly pushed in by tugboats, workers buzzing around and getting ready to start off-loading crates. If Roman's information was right, they'd be at it into the evening, and then all day tomorrow, setting up his heist late Saturday night. She needed a spot where she could see most of the area, where she'd be able to jump down to back-up Jaune if he couldn't handle the terrorists... or if things went so badly that he or Roman needed an emergency escape.

She personally hoped it was the former. She was sick of having to hold back against the brats even on those times where Jaune let her spar with them. A real fight, with criminal jerks Jaune wouldn't complain about her hurting, was just what she needed to unwind.

Shaking her head a little, she moved closer to the edge, holding up a thumb as she compared the distances between the different buildings. This was one acceptable, more than the last one she'd checked. It had a good view of the area in question, with the only blind-spot being the warehouses on the southern end of the lot. If Roman's info was right, and they'd be coming via Bullheads, that wouldn't be much of a problem.

 _And if a few of them try and flee that way... well, more fun for me._

She was not thrilled with her reserve role in the plot, not even a little. Jaune had quickly picked up on that, and she'd gotten a wealth of foot rubs, sundaes, and back massages over the last week to make up for it in advance.

It still didn't change the fact that tomorrow night she'd be stuck _waiting_ on top of a building for Roman to need an emergency extraction, or for Jaune to need extra help dealing with the terrorists... but it had made the past few days rather relaxing.

Letting out an inaudible sigh, she made sure she had the building's roof memorized before walking over to the side facing a dark alley. A shattering flex of her semblance later had her on the ground, her nose wrinkling from the smell of the nearby dumpster. Resisting the urge to simply teleport back to Beacon, she quickly picked her way out into the street and joined the general foot traffic. As much as she deserved more pampering from Jaune for everything she was doing... there was still more work that she had to get done.

A half block's walk brought her to an outdoor cafe, one she had been to before. The idiot waitress, some teen girl with more breasts than brains, needed almost a full minute to realize that Neo couldn't speak, and scurried away before returning with the manager. He, at least, recognized her and quickly took her specialized order when she used proper sign language to give it to him.

"Sorry about that ma'am." He offered, placing her massive sundae and a cup of coffee in front of her when it was ready. "I'll make sure the staff knows to get me right away next time."

Neo pursed her lips, then took a tiny bit of ice cream into her mouth. The pleasant flavor of alcohol mixed in with the vanilla and strawberry made her relax enough to dismiss him with a little wave instead of the full glare she'd been considering.

He took the hint and departed without a word, leaving her to her treat.

She took her time enjoying it, keeping her eyes open and on the crowd. The cafe was right on the corner of a T-intersection, and the seat she'd chosen let her see down all three streets to at least some degree. If the White Fang had any brains at all they'd have a least one or two people around to notice that their target had arrived, and would be checking out what kind of security would be present, as well as being on the lookout for poachers.

After a fruitless half-hour of slowly imbibing, she paid for her food with Jaune's lien, rose, and then went wandering to see if she could spot them directly.

Three hours later her partially relaxed attitude had worn off, and she was dropping into the same seat while the manager brought her another sundae... this one with twice the rum drizzled over it. If this was how the day was going to go, she wanted to at least have a pleasant buzz going for the rest of it.

 _Seriously, not a single one?_

There had been a few faunus in the crowd, but none that had matched what she thought of as White Fang material. All of them had been as decidedly middle-class or above as the humans around them, shopping and chatting about the Vytal Festival _._ None had been casting furtive looks at the docks, or been sitting in places to see them, or anything really _._

 _I didn't see any this morning either. Or yesterday._

She hadn't really been willing to take Roman's word that the White Fang was incompetent, idiots didn't assassinate SDC board members after all, but she honestly was starting to wonder. Not that she'd expected to see someone up on the roofs assessing the place with her, or evilly twirling a mustache like those cartoons they'd used to show in the orphanage, but she'd thought she'd spot _someone_ doing _something_. Or maybe even just hear a juicy rumor from the crowd or dock staff or sailors or... just something!

Instead it was looking like she'd wasted yesterday keeping an eye out for them, and now wasted most of today doing the same. Even if they had already surveyed their target, they should have had at least one or two expendable idiots around just to keep an eye on it. And Neo knew that she was damned good at spotting surveillance types, if they'd been around she'd have seen them with how much time she'd spent trying to find them over the last couple of days.

Oh well. Now she could at least say she tried, and spend the day relaxing. Today had been a half day for the first years, so she when she got back she could have Jaune to herself without any-

"Hey Miss Neo!"

...brats.

Neo glowered as team RWBY pulled up next to the cafe, their young leader waving cheerfully. She'd give the girl some credit, a scythe as a weapon was fairly inspired, especially with the giant cannon built into it... but she was just so _nice._ So irritatingly, obnoxiously _nice_ that she couldn't stand it.

 _Go spend twelve years in Vacuo's orphanages and see how nice the world is then._

"No Jaune?" The blonde asked, glancing around.

She twitched an eyebrow and pointedly waved a hand at the obvious lack of her partner.

"Right, sorry, just asking." Xiao-Long at least seemed able to translate her expressions into words, though her continued lusting after Neo's property still left her on the shitlist. "Didn't think we'd run into anyone here, Weiss wanted to spy on any other students coming in for the Festival instead of enjoying the dorm party."

"I said no such thing!" The heiress snapped. "As the leading members of our year I simply thought we should set an example by properly-"

Rose sighed, lightly hopping over the railing and into the cafe while the other two started up a full argument. "Mind if I sit? They've been at it since Yang found out we weren't staying at the party."

Neo considered that, then shrugged and waved at a chair. The little girl quickly took it, the disguised faunus slipping in to take the other at her small table.

"Thank you." Belladonna offered politely.

She shrugged in reply, spooning some of her sundae into her mouth, making sure to get plenty of the pooled rum as she did. If she was going to deal with these four long-term, she really didn't want to be sober while she did it.

Someone's stomach abruptly growled, and Neo glanced up to see Rose not quite staring at her treat with something like lust in her silver eyes before grabbing a menu. "Which one is that?"

"Um, Ruby?" Belladonna tried, her nose twitching once. "I don't think you want that one."

"But it looks so good!"

Neo nodded enthusiastically, enjoying the mixed flavors as she continued to work on demolishing hers with one hand while another pointed it out on the girl's menu.

"Aww... it's in the adult section." Rose pouted with a frown, "Why is ice cream in there? Oh wait, rum... ugh. Wait? You can put drinks on ice cream!? Uncle Qrow never mentioned that!"

"Probably for a good reason Ruby." Belladonna offered.

"But..." Her voice trailed off when Neo smiled and pulled a second spoon out of the little napkin it had been wrapped in, pointedly offering it to the girl. Rose stared at it like she was offering her a shot of a drug that she knew she shouldn't take... but badly wanted to anyway. "I shouldn't, I'm only fifteen and..."

Neo fought the urge to roll her eyes. She knew her mark, and a little nudge moved the bowl around, letting the little huntress see the chocolate drizzled all over the vanilla and strawberry just as Rose's stomach rumbled again.

"Ruby-"

The spoon was yanked from her fingers a moment later, silver eyes widening as she tasted it. "Wow... that's good, kind of tangy!"

Belladonna glared at her, her bow twitching furiously on one side... and seriously, how did none of them ever notice that? "You're giving alcohol to a minor."

"I'm a huntress!" Rose growled around a second spoonful, like the world's most petulant puppy.

Neo pointed at her in agreement. Once you were at a school like Beacon or Shade you were more or less considered an adult, legally speaking. That had less to do with things like alcohol and driving and more to do with liability and consequences given the power difference between hunters and civilians... but it worked out for her amusement, so she wasn't complaining. If Rose turned out to be a mean drunk, that would be entirely too entertaining, and a good end to a boring pair of days.

"...stop that faunus!"

Belladonna suddenly jerked her head around at the shout from outside, and Neo perked up as well, standing to get a better view. A monkey faunus was hanging from a lamp post out in the docks, laughing at several uniformed men who had evidently tried to chase him down but were now stuck trying to figure out how to get up after him.

He didn't look like the White Fang type either... but maybe he was the refuge in audacity type?

Eh, chasing him down would be more fun that trying to get Rose drunk while her annoying teammate hovered around.

Tossing some more of the lien she'd taken from Jaune onto the table, she headed for the exit, only partly surprised to see Belladonna simply vault the cafe railing and head towards the docks. Rose paused to shovel one last bit of ice cream into her mouth, then hurried after her teammate. They reached the stairs leading down to the docks just in time for the faunus to come flying up them, two cops in hot pursuit.

Neo was forced to reconsider her choice almost immediately.

The guy was barely a guy, he couldn't have been older than the brats around her. And from the way he slowed on seeing them, even giving Belladonna a wink before picking up speed again... his hormones and lower head were running things far more than his actual skull.

Not White Fang type. Not even slightly. A waste of her remaining sundae even.

 _I'll chase you down just for-_

"Quick!" Schnee yelled as the two cops raced past, "After him!"

... _nevermind._

If chasing him down meant dealing with the four of them even longer, she wasn't interested. Neo watched them go, then hefted her parasol up onto a shoulder and started walking back towards the Bullhead docks.

Someone owed her massively for how disappointing today had been.

* * *

"You tried to get Ruby drunk?" Jaune asked, looking up as Neo collapsed theatrically onto their couch. "Seriously?"

Neo's hands waved, asking what part of how bored she'd been he didn't understand.

"She's fifteen."

His partner didn't see why that was a thing, she'd started drinking long before that age.

Jaune could only sigh, "That doesn't mean you have to corrupt her. She's a good person, with a good heart."

From her expression he'd just started speaking in tongues.

"Look, little pranks are fine, and if you want to keep replacing Ozpin's coffee I personally find that hilarious, but trying to get Ruby to start drinking booze is a bit much." He tried, "Ease of on that, please. For me. I'll take you to The Club next weekend and we can both get smashed on Junior's shakes."

She considered that, tapping at her chin with a pale finger. After a little while of that she evidently found his offer acceptable, nodding and kicking a boot off, then the other before wiggling her feet in his direction.

He lifted an eyebrow. "I have grading to do."

Neo's eyes both shifted pink and narrowed to angry slits.

Jaune sighed again, "Bring a chair over here then, I'll massage them while I work."

An hour later saw Neo's head lolling on her shoulder as she apparently slept, his left hand cramping slightly from where he'd been massaging her feet and calves for most of that time. But on the bright side he had at least finished marking his class's last assignment, and he'd already gotten through Glynda's... so that meant he'd have nothing to do besides prep for their mission with Roman tomorrow.

Tossing his pencil aside, he leaned back in his chair and ran through the plan again in his head.

Neo would head out first, going 'clubbing' as she often did Saturday night. He'd delay in his rooms for a bit under the excuse of preparing for his Monday class, then take a later Bullhead to join her in town. He'd take a shortcut past the docks in an effort to meet up and oh-so-accidentally stumble across the crime in progress. According to Roman, there would be several Bullheads present, but only around twenty terrorists.

That was rather tall odds for a straight fight for him, but that's what Roman would be around for. The thief would remain dedicated to his 'mission', telling the White Fang to keep loading the dust while he drove off the interloping Huntsman. They'd fight for a bit, Roman would lose, and then Jaune would knock out as many of the distracted faunus he could while Roman kicked up a fuss during his escape.

 _Nice, simple, with Neo standing by as backup._

He flicked a finger along the bottom of a foot, making her let out a breathless giggle and kick it out of his grasp, cracking a brown eye open.

"Knew you were just pretending." Jaune smiled, "My foot rubs aren't _that_ amazing."

Neo gave her an artful little shrug, lifting a leg and nudging his chest with her toes. Shaking his head, he brought his right hand up and started working her calf, snorting as her eyes rolled back exaggeratedly. "You're acting like I'm doing something else."

She seemed to consider that, then rolled her hand in a 'maybe-later' fashion while nudging his free hand with her other foot. Knowing she'd get annoyed if he didn't, he started rubbing at her other calf as well, at least for minute or so they had before his scroll went off with a blaring ring. Both of them twitched violently, which was more painful for him than her as two feet planted themselves uncomfortably in his stomach.

Jaune coughed and tried to catch his breath, swatting the audio only button while Neo pouted. "Professor... excuse me, Arc speaking."

" _Jaune, Bartholomew."_ Bart's voice carried across easily, " _I apologize for the late hour, but could you please join me at the dorms? A situation may develop that I would appreciate your support with."_

He sighed, "I'll be there in a few minutes."

" _My thanks."_ The call went dead as Neo reluctantly dragged her feet out of his lap, getting up as well. He almost asked if she felt like coming with, but she merely gave an angry toss of her hair before heading for the bedroom. She, it seemed, was done for the day.

Shaking his head, he grabbed Crocea Mors and his cloak, getting them both situated on his person before heading for the door.

To his surprise, he ran into the other teacher not at the dorms, but rather at the base of the main tower just as he walked outside. "Bart?"

"Ah, Jaune, good." The older man rose from where he'd been sitting on a bench. "I thought it best to give the children and their guest some privacy for now, but with team RWBY due to return from Vale soon it seemed best to acquire backup familiar with the situation."

Jaune blinked a couple of times, "...you lost me."

Oobleck blinked several times, then made an understanding sound. "Ah, you aren't... right. Miss Amitola indicated that you approved of her plan to confront Miss Belladonna?"

 _Ah._ "Yes, I thought it simple enough, and better than one or the other simple losing their temper in the cafeteria sometime in the next month or two."

"A decision I suppose I cannot fault you for." Bart shook his head, waving for Jaune to follow as they got moving. "However, there appears to have been unintended consequences. The message she sent did not result in what Miss Amitola hoped for, instead... well, she and team RAVN are currently entertaining Mrs. Belladonna while they await the other team's return."

Jaune opened his mouth, then felt his teeth click together as he shut it. "Oh. Well... crap. That's..."

Oobleck sighed. "Complicated? Quite. As you no doubt guessed, myself and the other staff were quite aware of young Blake's family and former career, however we had assumed that her parents knew of her current location. Evidently we were mistaken. Miss Amitola's message, well intentioned as it may have been... concerned them."

"Oh shit..." Jaune groaned, rubbing at this face even as he felt fate laughing at him. Evidently he and Blake had had more in common than he'd ever thought. "They didn't know she was here?"

"They had not spoken in more than a year prior to this point, due to philosophical differences over the White Fang's direction." Oobleck shook his head slightly, "So far as they knew, she was still a member of the organization, and to find out that she and her friend had deserted to attend a school for hunters... was a pleasant shock, but a shock all the same."

He grimaced, "And Ilia didn't know about the divide between them? She said that Blake's parents practically raised her."

"They likely did quite a bit for the young woman, but the Belladonna's are...well, in public, on Menagerie, they no doubt support Sienna Khan and the modern White Fang, but I assure you that privately they do not condone her methodology." Oobleck said, "They likely did not bring up any such doubts in front of Miss Amitola, and their confrontations with their daughter were almost assuredly very private in nature."

Jaune ran a hand through his hair, blowing out a breath. It made a sad kind of sense. Ilia, not knowing that Blake wasn't on speaking terms with her parents, would have reasonably assumed that they knew the pair were in Beacon. And, since she and Blake had hardly spoken except to argue since the semester had begun, the other girl would have never had a chance to correct her about it. Ilia, desperate for a way to confront Blake that doesn't result in simply outing her, hits on the idea of asking her parents for advice.

He, not knowing that either, gives Ilia the go-ahead to message them concerning her hiding of her heritage and the strife it's causing between the two friends. Ilia may not have used the nicest of words, but she'd assured him she just wanted to ask for advice, for the right way to talk her into taking the bow off. So she'd sent off a message probably including some slight venting, and begged for advice and a message from them to Blake to try and help.

Said parents get the message and are understandably confused as hell, and likely extremely concerned, over what the heck happened to make her quit the White Fang and join Beacon.

"Just her mother?"

Oobleck nodded, "Yes. Ghira's role as chieftain does not allow him to travel, as it is only the fact that a passenger liner was at the island allowed Kira to arrive here as quickly as she did."

A blonde eyebrow rose, "You're on first name terms... oh right, you're epic Wyrm hunt on Menagerie."

To his surprise, Bart actually looked a little embarrassed. "Please, Jaune. I spent two weeks getting sand in my boots and then dropped a rock atop its head while it sunned itself. Hardly the fight of legend that Peter likes to tease me about. But yes, I remained on good terms with them both, and they allowed me a degree of archaeological exploration while I was there."

Jaune let out a quiet laugh, "All right. So... what's the plan?'

"Neither Miss Belladonna or Miss Schnee is likely to react well to the news." Bart answered as they neared the dorms, the ten o'clock Bullheads returning from the city, "We will remain only long enough to ensure them both that we are aware of the situation concerning the young ladies pasts, and that they have given us no cause for concern. After that, it will likely become a private matter between the Belladonna's and we will leave them be."

"Right..." Jaune felt his voice trail off as he watched a Bullhead land, and saw three colorful figures get off. "...I think we've got a another problem."

Bart blinked at him, turned, and then did a head count of his own. "...ah."

* * *

"Weiss-"

"No." Weiss snapped at Ruby, her heels clicking as she headed for the teachers she could see talking near their dorms. "A member of the White Fang, a terrorist, right in our dorm room!"

"You don't know it's like that!" Yang countered, moving to block her, blazing red eyes glaring down at her. "You really think she couldn't have done something if she'd wanted to?"

Some small part of Weiss had already considered that, but the rest of her was too furious over everything that Blake had screamed at her in the streets to pay attention to it. "Did you not listen to anything I said!?"

"Did you not listen to anything she did!?" The blonde loomed over her, something Weiss discovered that she was rather good at. Her fists clenched, and even in her current mood Weiss fund herself taking a step back. "...Weiss, just give her a chance to explain herself. One chance. If we don't like it... I guess we'll go to the teachers."

Weiss started to reply, then saw Ruby move to stand next to her sister, her expression somber. Her own fingers curled, but... she let out a huff of air. "...fine, _one_ chance to explain why we shouldn't turn her in to the police."

Neither of her teammates looked thrilled with her choice in wording, and only Ruby sharply elbowing Yang seemed to stop her from exploding and starting another argument.

 _One in which I would be right once again!_

"We can figure this out." Their leader, as usual, tried to be the confident one in the middle-ground. "We just need to find her and talk to her. We've only got the weekend before classes start, so we'll have to start early tomorrow morning. I think we should get to bed so we'll be ready to go first thing."

Yang continued to glare at Weiss, a gesture she returned, then only slowly relaxed. "...yeah, sure Rubes."

 _At most two days to find a former teammate revealed to be a terrorist, and prove that I'm right._ She could work with that... she wasn't happy about it, but she could handle a slight delay. And honestly, they were acting as if Blake would seriously be out in Vale all weekend. She didn't have all that much lien on her, certainly not enough for even a cheap hotel, she'd be back in school later tonight. All they had to do was stay awake and wait for her to come crawling back, or maybe set up some kind of alarm on their door if Ruby insisted that they sleep.

 _By morning we'll be in Ozpin's office getting this resolved._

"Fine." She conceded, "What do we tell the teachers until then?"

"That you're being a Weiss-Queen and Blake needed time to cool off." Yang offered, the pun delivered with a harsh, cutting emphasis instead of her usual playful tones. "Come on, sooner we're in bed, sooner we're awake and looking tomorrow."

Ruby shook her head and waved for them to follow, Weiss and Yang keeping a respectable distance between them as they left the landing pads. To their surprise, both professors were still standing near the doors, evidently waiting for them all to arrive.

"Doctor Oobleck, Jaune." Ruby tried for nonchalance, and failed miserably since she wouldn't meet their eyes.

"Ruby." Professor Arc greeted, "Yang, Weiss. Where's Blake?"

Yang crossed her arms, "Still in Vale, she and Weiss had a fight and she needs some time to cool off."

Weiss blinked when the young professor actually pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a ragged breath through it, "Of course she is..."

Oobleck frowned at them all, his hands clasped behind his back. "May I inquire as to the nature of the conflict?"

Yang licked her lips, and Weiss sighed before speaking up, "A difference of philosophy regarding criminals, the discussion grew heated. We were hardly prepared to stay the night in Vale however, so I expect her to return on the last Bullhead at eleven."

"...ah." To her surprise once more, Oobleck shook his head and let his shoulders slump. "I believe I should be the one to handle this conversation Jaune, given my personal connection."

"It's fine." Professor Arc shook his head, "I'll stay with you."

Oobleck gave him a small smile, then turned back to them. "Well, ladies. Allow us to escort you to your room, you have a guest waiting."

 _...what?_

"A guest?" Ruby repeated blankly, looking at the two of them, only to receive shrugs in return. To their combined frustration and confusion, neither professor would say anything further, instead simply waving them inside and ignoring their questions entirely.

 _A guest? Who would visit us?_ She hardly had anyone who would. Winter, perhaps, but she would have told Weiss she was coming and would certainly not have done it in the middle of the night. Yang and Ruby's father or uncle? The pair were supposed to be teachers as well from what she knew, maybe they'd elected to visit once their own classes and work were complete?

But again... at ten thirty at night on a Friday?

Weiss got her answer when they reached their floor of the dorms, and found the awkward forms of team RAVN sitting and standing around the small kitchen. With them was an older woman, somewhere in her middle age. She wore a dark black and white dress whose simplicity understated the rich fabric it was made of, and was in the middle of preparing herself a cup of tea with an unusual focus in her yellow eyes.

...and she was a fuanus, with gold piercings in a pair of cat ears poking through her black hair.

Weiss felt her lips part and her mouth go dry as things clicked in her mind.

"Kali." Doctor Oobleck greeted as he walked through the door, actually bowing to the woman. "Allow me to introduce Professor Jaune Arc, of Group Tactics and Excursions. Behind him is Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao-Long, and Weiss Schnee, of team RWBY. Jaune, ladies, Kali Belladonna."

Thankfully, Professor Arc took the lead, since Weiss was having a hard time processing just what was happening.

"A pleasure ma'am." He stepped ahead, giving the woman one of his usual smiles. "Ilia thinks the world of you."

 _Ilia?_

The woman, Kali... Blake's mother, actually let out polite laugh, and when she spoke her voice was a softer, more confident echo of her daughter's. "I'm sure she does. Any friend of Bartholomew's is a friend of mine, may I call you Jaune?"

"I really prefer it actually." The teacher smiled, "I spent a lot of time in Vacuo, not real fond of the formal stuff."

"Oh, I understand completely, please call me Kali. And these must be my daughter's friends." Weiss swallowed at the last word as the woman turned to regard them. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"I... same. Ma'am." Ruby stuttered, clearly as aware as Weiss was that they were very down one Blake right now. "We... uh, didn't know you were coming."

"It was a bit of a rapid decision between her father and I." Belladonna seemed to sigh, looking over them once more. "He would have preferred to come as well, but being the Chieftain of Menagerie rather inhibits him. I'm sure he's pacing in his office waiting for me to call."

Weiss felt her shoulders tighten and her body shrink with almost every word. _Blake is... the daughter of Menagerie's leader? That's..._

That was something else entirely. She wasn't a random terrorist, she was... was the government of that island involved in the White Fang? Weiss had no idea. Her father had never given those faunus any thought, and her private tutors hadn't touched on the government or politics of the place either. Did they have a Council? Or was Chieftain more of a... was Blake _royalty?_ Their _heir?_

"I don't suppose you three could bring her out to me?" She continued, "It was quite the journey to Vale's coast, and then a rather long flight. If I could speak with her for a few minutes before I retire?"

"Um..." Yang coughed into her hand, "I... um, Blake's..."

Weiss lifted her chin, "We just found out about her ancestry today. It was... a shock for everyone. We also-"

" _Weiss._ " Ruby hissed.

"-learned of her former career." Weiss lifted her voice, speaking over her. "Which was a far more rude shock, especially to me."

She expected denials or counter-accusations, much as Blake had started to throw around. Instead Mrs Belladonna... closed her eyes while her own shoulders slumped, as if great weights had suddenly landed there. "If I were in your position, I suppose that I couldn't blame you, Miss Schnee. I take it my daughter attempted to defend herself and her comrades... and then departed when confronted in return?"

Yang's red eyes glared daggers at Weiss, "Something like that."

"My Blake always preferred to think things through alone, even when others wished she wouldn't." Mrs Belladonna gave RAVN's table a pointed look, and Weiss glanced over to see Ilia's freckles turn pink as she looked at the floor. "She... always had a hard time trusting anyone, even people close to her. Did she return with you, or is she still in Vale?"

"Vale." Ruby reported quietly. "Last Bullhead will be here soon, and she didn't have much lien. We... think she'll be back on it."

"No." Ilia's voice made them all look her way as the other faunus present lifted her head. "She won't. If you challenged her, she'll want to prove you wrong if she can... and she'll want to do it alone. That's just how she is."

Weiss scoffed. "You heard us, she has no lien, she-"

"She'll stay in homeless shelters." Ilia cut her off impatiently, "Or abandoned buildings, or maybe even break in somewhere. What set off the fight?"

Yang continued to glare at her, only turning away to recount first the sighting of the blonde faunus stowaway, then the robbed dust shop, and then the argument that had followed. Everyone listened intently, not speaking until the story was done. When it was over, everyone glanced between Ilia and Kali, waiting for their wisdom.

"Ilia?" The older woman prodded gently, "As much as it pains me to say, you may have a better idea of what she is thinking right now."

 _...what? Oh gods, she's White Fang too isn't she!? Her fighting style, her emotions, it all makes-_

"She'll want to prove that the White Fang isn't evil." Amitola said finally. "That they're dedicated to faunus improvement, not killing or stealing dust. She'll... probably want to focus on that, try and catch whoever is behind the robberies."

Doctor Oobleck made an almost pained sound, "Such a thing would... not go well for her."

Weiss blinked. "...Professor?"

"The White Fang are hardly behind the dust robberies, or at least, not behind the majority of them." Their history teacher shook his head, "The man responsible is believed to be Roman Torchwick, the same man you challenged some months ago Miss Rose. He is a former huntsman, and as skilled in battle as he is at criminality. Is Blake's scroll online?"

Yang shook her head, "She turned it off right after she ran away, calls go to voicemail and she's not responding to messages."

Blake's mother seemed to slump further. "Blake..."

In spite of her own anger, Weiss felt her heart squirm uncomfortably in her chest at the honest pain in her voice.

"Ok." Professor Arc took a step forwards. "Look, it's late, and she'll have already found a place to lay low for the evening. We should all get some rest and start a search for her tomorrow. Bart and Mrs... sorry, Bart and Kali can stay in school in case she comes back and try to get a hold of her on her scroll, she'll have to turn it one sooner or later and a message from her mother might get her attention."

Doctor Oobleck nodded, and he turned to the rest of them. "Teams RWBY and RAVN, I'm assuming you'll both volunteer, can come with me and Neo into the city to look. If we don't find her tomorrow, we'll see about recruiting more people for Sunday."

"That sounds like a plan," Mrs Belladonna replied, "But I would prefer to search for my daughter as well."

Professor Arc turned to her, running a hand through his blonde hair. "...all right, but if she is looking for Torchwick, I think you should stick with your daughter's team. I don't want anyone running off alone."

She nodded politely as she rose, holding her tea. "Thank you, all of you. I'm glad that my daughter has such good friends, even in times like this. I will see you in the morning."

Weiss bit her lip as Doctor Oobleck escorted her out, the normally hyperactive man slowing to wake alongside her. For his part, Professor Arc walked over and murmured a few words to team RAVN, words that had them all nodding and Ren responding with something. The Professor seemed to relax at that, then waved them off.

"Come on Weiss." Yang's hand fell on her shoulder, "I think we need-"

Jaune's voice cut her off. "Team RWBY, you're staying here. Sit."

They did so, taking RAVN's chairs rather nervously while the tall man remained standing. He at least moved a bit away so that he wasn't looming, but his expression told them that he wasn't happy even before he started speaking.

"Did you three not learn anything at all in my first class?" He asked, "Assuming you're telling me the truth about that argument... Yang, Ruby, excuse me, but what the _hell_ where you two thinking just watching that fight happen right in the middle of a street?"

Weiss felt the sisters flinch into their chairs, neither looking anywhere near him.

"Especially you Yang. You heard me take Pyrrha to task for that, and here you did exactly what she did." The Professor planted his hands on his hips, making his cloak flare out a bit behind him. "And Ruby, why didn't you stay with Blake? She's fast and quick, but you could have easily followed her with your semblance."

"I... she just... said she wanted to be alone."

Jaune shook his head, "Ruby, there's times when a leader has to ignore what her team says and do whats best for them. You can't tell me she was thinking clearly in that moment, or that she's better off alone in the city right now."

Her partner shrank further, and then those blue eyes turned to Weiss.

"She's-"

"We _knew_ , Weiss. All of the teachers knew." He cut her off effortlessly, ignoring the way her eyes widened. "You really thought we didn't? That a little bow would trick us? Blake and Ilia are here, and we're letting them stay, because they left that life behind. Because they wanted to be something more than their pasts and their names... I'd have thought you would know something about that."

Weiss... broke eye contact, joining the others in examining the floor.

"...right, you three get to bed. Meet everyone at the eight o'clock Bullhead to the city." There was a quiet sigh as he turned around, "We'll find her."

* * *

 _ **Right, so, this chapter was supposed to come out this morning but ended up undergoing an almost total rewrite throughout the day. I'm still not entirely happy with it, but I don't want to rewrite it again so here it is. I dropped a few hints as to Ilia's plan last chapter, not sure anyone got them from the reviews, but maybe some of you did. Might as well confirm now that, yes, pretty much everyone's parents/families are going to play a role at one point or another in this story considering the kind of chaos Beacon gets involved in.**_

 _ **Next chapter should kick off with a yang as the docks proper begin, with the usual several complications to make life interesting. I'm very glad to see that lots of you are enjoying the story and I hope I can continue to entertain moving forwards. In all honestly, my personal life is not the best right now, and your reviews and forum discussions brighten my days considerably.**_

 _ **So thank you all for reading and letting me know what you think.**_

* * *

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	26. Semester I: Black & White

**Black and White**

* * *

Weiss' feet felt like they were solid bruises as she collapsed into the restaurant's booth, and yet the others still wanted to continue the search, even though the sun was setting.

"Told you to wear boots." Ruby pointed out as she sat beside her, Yang and Mrs Belladona taking the other side. "We can stop at a store tomorrow morning."

She tried to summon up a glower... but just ran out of energy. "...it doesn't help that was so hot out all day."

"Summer in Vale, you'll get used to it." Yang shrugged, grabbing her water and throwing some of it back. "It get this bad in Menagerie Mrs. B?"

Blake's mother had taken the nickname in stride, much as she had seemed to simply smile her way through twelve hours worth of searching with no sign of her daughter. "We live on the coastline, so it's surprisingly cool thanks to the ocean winds. But once you go inland... yes, it gets quite warm."

Weiss quickly took her own glass and sipped from the cold liquid, trying not to think too much about the woman across from her. She'd been rather hesitant to engage her in conversation after last night, doubly so after Professor Arc's words.

She'd gone to bed feeling... conflicted, something she personally did not care for in the slightest. Members of the Schnee family were _not_ conflicted people; they were focused, dedicated, and determined.

But... on one hand, she'd had a terrorist sleeping right on the other side of her room. An _armed_ and obviously _dangerous_ terrorist with Huntress training who could have probably killed her in her sleep without Yang or Ruby so much as waking up. And there had been a second one right across the hallway to back her up if it came to that, a girl who could turn her skin as dark as the night while seeing perfectly well in the same blackness.

Logic, and a lifetime filled with horrible stories on the news, father's screaming rants, and censored videos of terrible events told her she should have gone right to Ozpin, or failing that, right to the Vale police. That the Professor was wrong to simply accept them, that they all were.

On the other... it had been two months, and Blake had never shown any animosity towards her until yesterday. Ilia had, but as the Professor had pointed out, she was very clearly trying to change, to become a proper huntress instead of just a common street thug... or common terrorist. And she'd gone from openly hating Weiss without so much as knowing her to something that Weiss would _almost_ have considered a friend.

And of course, she'd spent all day with Blake's mother, and smiles or not, the woman was clearly worried for her daughter in a way that made Weiss feel awkward and uncomfortable. Every time they asked a store owner or passerby if they'd seen her she'd seemed to tense before relaxing, as if she was only keeping her composure for the sake of the teenage girls she was with.

 _It's just all so complicated..._

"So." Yang asked after they had ordered some light food and gotten a pitcher of water to refill their glasses with, "We haven't really talked much... does your husband really run Menagerie, like, all of it?"

"Not quite, he is hardly a king." Mrs. Belladonna replied politely, evidently seizing on the distraction that Yang was offering her. "He actually does very little _ruling,_ we do have a Council just as the other nations do. He's more... think of him as the first among equals. And to hear him complain about it, the one the others make do most of the paperwork."

Ruby giggled quietly, "So you're not royalty or anything?"

The woman actually laughed, "Hardly dear. Ghira was elected much as any other proper leader, and if his term of office is longer than most of the other kingdoms that still doesn't make him a king. He'd be embarrassed if you implied such."

Weiss licked her lips, then cautiously spoke up, "...how does the White Fang work with your government?"

"Weiss..." Ruby groaned.

"No," Mrs. Belladonna held up a hand, "It's all right. If I were her I would have already asked. To answer your question, Sienna Khan is a member of our council, but as an individual rather than as the leader of the White Fang. Officially there is no connection, and Menagerie has its own police force and militia to defend it."

"And... unofficially?" She asked.

"Unofficially..." The woman sighed, "It is a tumultuous, and not always pleasant relationship. When the White Fang was simply an outreach program, a diplomatic initiative, it was entirely part of Menagerie's government, run by my husband. When the status of faunus in Mistral and Atlas continued to decline rather than improve, he was pressured to resign in favor of Sienna."

Weiss nodded, looking down into her water. "That was when y... when they became violent."

To her surprise, she shook her head. "No, that was when we became openly so. Even Ghira supported covert actions from time to time, but they required his personal approval, and mostly focused on freeing political dissidents. After Sienna... militarized them, we had to take steps to remove them from our government's control."

Her eyes narrowed, "Historically speaking, that sounds less than intelligent."

Mrs. Belladonna gave an almost bitter smile, "We're quite aware dear. But... Mistral and Atlas threatened an embargo if we didn't cease our support of the group after they learned of the change in leadership, and Menagerie is rather reliant on imports simply to maintain a modern lifestyle for our people. It was supposed to be just a public relations move... but Sienna took it and ran farther with it than the rest of us intended."

Yang made an understanding sound, "My dad would say you gave her an inch and she took a mile."

"Something like that." Blake's mother nodded, looking down into her glass. "Those were... trying times, for all of us. We did the best we could, chose what we thought were the best options available to us. Hindsight makes it so easy to see how we could have all done better, but at the time..."

"It was complicated." Weiss said quietly.

"It still is." She replied, "In my experience the greatest mistake many humans make, the greatest source of misunderstanding of the faunus people... is that you treat us as if we are one people."

Ruby blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Imagine if someone you did not met treated you as if your Atlesian." Hand spread apart slightly, "They don't ask if you are Atlesian, they simply presume you are a technologically addicted militarist who prefers cold temperature and overly strong coffee. And then they act on that presumption, and treat you as if you fit that mold... regardless of if you do or don't."

Yang scrunched up her nose, "You're... saying there's different groups within the faunus? Cultures?"

"And not merely by our type." Her ears twitched a few times in demonstration. "A Vacuan faunus may have nothing more in common with a Mistralian faunus than the fact that they _are_ faunus. One could say the same of Humans from the same nations. The White Fang itself is no more unified, there is a reason the branches often operate autonomously."

Weiss bit her lip, "...there's divisions in the White Fang."

"Significant ones." Mrs. Belladonna said. "But... I think we've talked enough on this for now, and I think you want Blake's opinions more than you want those of an old woman from Menagerie."

It was a very weak joke, but Weiss felt her lip curl a little on side. "I... believe you may be right. Will you be insulted if I withhold my judgment until then?"

"Of course not." She smiled at her, and then at their waiter as he brought their food out to them. "Now, it's been a while since I was a teenager, but I believe that desiring embarrassing stories about one another is still part of the process?"

Yang grinned as she took her plate, shaking off the dour mood as only she seemed able to. "Oh yeah. It's a sacred right of passage, right Rubes?"

Ruby's silver eyes narrowed. "I have pictures from Uncle Qrow and I _will_ use them Yang."

The sudden look of panic piqued her interest enough to push her turbulent emotions aside for a little, and she leaned towards her partner. "What kind of pictures? I could use some material to stop her from making those awful puns."

"My puns are awesome thank you." Yang countered, "And Ruby wouldn't betray her sister, not unless she wants me to retaliate in kind."

Ruby hummed while Mrs. Belladonna smiled at them all, clearly grateful for the lightened mood. Their team leader slowly pulled her scroll out, making a show of contemplating it while Yang's purple eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.

"I don't know... I'm running low on..." Ruby blinked a few times, then widened. "Jaune found her!"

Weiss's hand jerked as she went for her glass, spilling water everywhere as Yang and Mrs. Belladonna dropped their utensils. "Where?"

Ruby's eyes flicked left to right as she read, "He saw her go into the dockyards, he thinks she's going to stake out the SDC freighter that's there in case it gets burgled. Number four dock! He wants us all to meet him there."

The eldest woman present was already standing, and Weiss frantically grabbed her purse to pull lien out to throw onto the table. "Is he alone?"

"Yeah, Miss Neo went off to check with a friend of theirs, and RAVN was just about to go back to school... everyone's on their way." Ruby bit her lip, looking over them all. "I'm... I'm going to go ahead and back him up. Can you two get Mrs. B there?"

Yang nodded as she slid out from the booth, "We'll get you there, right Weiss?"

Weiss nodded firmly as she got out of Ruby's way, a hand making sure that Myrtenaster was secure on her belt. "I think we all need to have a long talk with her. Go Ruby, we'll catch up."

Her partner nodded, and then disappeared in a flutter of rose petals.

* * *

Jaune let out a quiet curse as Roman once again failed to pick up his scroll. Not that he was really surprised, they had less than twenty minutes until the heist was due to start, and the thief wasn't about to risk himself by taking an unusual call right on top of it.

"Dammit, still nothing." He reported to Neo as he closed his scroll and pocketed it, the wind atop the tall building whipping his cloak and her coat around, the rapidly fading sunlight leaving them both shrouded as the night deepened. "You're sure they're in there?"

His partner's expression was sour as she nodded.

They'd given up on the search nearly an hour before, heading for the docks to play their role in Roman's heist. They even had the ready excuse of searching the area for Blake and stumbling across the thievery in the process.

Neo had been casing the scene, checking for civilians and security guards when she'd caught sight of Blake and another faunus. The two had slipped into the dockyards... right near the SDC freighter that was Roman's target. She'd tried to follow them but they'd evidently vanished somewhere in the maze of warehouses, and given their time constraints, Neo had decided returning and discussing the matter smarter than trying to go it alone.

There wasn't any chance they could spot her from up here, not at night. If she had anything like his and Neo's experience... she'd be in a spot where she could see the various entrances, but would be hard to see in return. And since she was a faunus, the darkness wouldn't bother her like it would them. In light of the latter he hadn't been able to criticize Neo's decision to retreat and regroup.

 _We don't have the time for anything slow, and Neo's almost blind when her semblance is concealing her at night. If we go after her any other way she'd see us coming a mile away and bolt._

Which would leave both of them out of position and probably utterly unprepared for when the White Fang showed up. And considering Blake's probable mood, she'd jump in and make the situation even more screwed up.

"Dammit Blake." Jaune hissed, turning to stare down at the docks again. "This wasn't supposed to involve any of you kids."

What was worse, she was probably operating on nothing more than a guess that a Schnee ship would be a target, and a prayer that it would get hit the same weekend she fought with Weiss... and by sheer luck it was going to work out for her!

"Fate is such a bitch." He muttered to Neo, earning him a disgusted nod of agreement. "What do you think?"

Neo tapped at her wrist as if she had a watch. They didn't have the _time_ for anything clever. Roman would be here, soon. They were going to have to improvise and accept that the brat would get involved. Their best bet was probably to call in the others, have them deal with the Fang while he solo'd Roman... hopefully keeping them from fucking this up even more.

"Kali will be with them." He reminded her, "She's a civilian, never-mind the fact that we'd be purposefully calling students into a full on battle."

Two pale hand rose, palms up as she shrugged. So far as she saw it, they had two options: call them in, or go it alone. The former had more positives than the latter, especially since there was no way they'd find the two faunus before the show started.

Jaune rubbed furiously at his face. "...gods... dammit. All right, I'll send the message. Get me Dragon's Breath, I'll probably need it. Then get into your party clothes, Roman will need a way out more than I'll need help if the students are coming."

Neo darted over to a bag she'd retrieved from Beacon when they'd relocated up here, yanking it open while his fingers flew across his scroll. Responses rolled in from almost everyone at once, indicating they were on the way as quickly as they could run, or evidently turn their taxi-Bullhead around in RAVN's case.

Grabbing Rau's old weapon when it was tossed to him, he checked the chamber and found a fire round loaded. Setting the safety, he gave Neo a quick nod that she returned before rushing for the fire stairs. They rattled and clanged as he made his way down them, but even that noise wasn't enough to cover up the sound of engines rumbling somewhere overhead.

 _...you've got to be kidding me, you're early!?_ He stopped on the second floor, staring up as four aircraft came in low from the ocean. Two quickly came in for hot landings, while the other pair began to circle above them. _Dammit Roman!_

Ignoring the rest of the stairs, he vaulted the rusting rail, flaring his aura into his legs as he landed in a roll. The power of his soul stopped anything from breaking or tearing, but it still hurt like hell and he gasped in pain as he came to his feet. Darting across the empty street, he slipped through a gap Neo had cut in the old fencing, then slowed to a stalk as he moved into the complex.

 _All right... focus. Find Roman, challenge him, salvage this. If Blake sees this, it might be enough to make her sit back and think about things before-_

"Brothers of the White Fang! Why are you aiding this scum!?"

... _or she can do something completely stupid and melodramatic._

"Dammit Blake." Jaune whispered as he picked up the pace a little, moving between two buildings and trying to get to the clearing where the aircraft had landed. He was just approaching the end of the structures when all hell broke loose outside.

One explosion signaled a rush of gunfire, and then several more blasts went off in sequence. Knowing that music, he abandoned stealth and sprinted the rest of the short distance, coming to a halt just in cover as he got a look at what was happening. Blake was dueling Roman about thirty feet away, and while she appeared to be going all out he knew the thief well enough to know that Roman wasn't taking her seriously.

Nearby another teenager, a blonde kid with a staff, was holding off several terrorists with reasonable ease... but more were on the way.

While the White Fang missed him completely, Roman seemed to notice the flash of color that was his arrival. He quickly shifted to put Blake in between him and Jaune, something that confused him for a moment before one of Roman's knees drove into Blake's gut and lifted her from her feet. A flick of Melodic cudgel sent her sprawling back onto the ground with a yelp, and he abruptly got it.

Roman was giving him a perfect chance to be the hero.

 _Well... if he's offering._

"Nighty night pussy-cat." Roman called mockingly, leveling his weapon at Blake's prone form... right before Dragon's Breath bucked against Jaune's shoulder, and an oversized fire dust round came screaming in.

Roman's cane got up in time to take some of the blow, but it still sent him staggering back and away, coughing as the fire and smoke billowed into the air.

"Sorry." Jaune called into the silence, walking forwards with a confidence he didn't quite feel. _Hey, if everyone else is saying overly dramatic lines..._ "Miss Belladonna's partner is the only one I let make bad puns."

"Professor!?" Blake's voice was somewhere between terrified and hopeful.

"Great, another one." Roman growled, fixing his hat and twirling his weapon. The White Fang seemed far more confused than anything else, loosely forming up around Roman to support him, but not attacking as Blake got to her feet, the boy rushing over to join the pair of them. "...what the hell are you animals waiting for!? Get the kids, I'll deal with the old man, and you idiots in the sky had better grab the dust while we're holding them off!"

"Prof-"

Jaune kicked off of his back foot, rushing to the left as Roman did the same, both of them firing dust rounds wildly at one another and yet mysteriously missing ever time., explosions and little fires erupting all over the docks as they moved. "Keep them off me!"

"You heard him!" Her friend shouted, his staff twirling as he went after the White Fang, "Knock them out, then we help him!"

"What the hell kid?" Roman growled as he abruptly darted in, his cane lashing out as Jaune used the shotgun like a club to block the attacks.

"Shit timing and shittier luck." He replied through clenched teeth, "More on the way. She's ready for extract."

Roman's upper lip twitched back in irritation, and his attacks redoubled into something serious. Three rapid slashes forced Jaune to keep his weapon up, and then a backhanded punch knocked it loose from his grip and sent it spinning away. He fell back into a crouch, scrambling, then spun and threw gravel at Roman's eyes while yanking his sword loose with his free hand.

Crocea Mors met Melodic Cudgel in a ringing collision, and their 'fight' began in earnest.

* * *

Ruby skidded along the street, arresting her momentum as she saw explosions and gunfire start flying all over the place up ahead. People were shouting and screaming, lights going on in the buildings all around, and Bullheads were swooping over the docks.

 _Blake! Jaune!_

Crescent Rose all but lept into her hands as she flew into the warehouses near the parked ship, the world blurring as her semblance propelled her towards the fight.

"Shit! Another hunt-" A lady with stubby little horns above a white mask tried to shout a warning, and got the blunt side of her scythe to a temple for her effort. Her head banged off of a wall, and Ruby neatly bounced over her and into the fray proper.

Blake and the stowaway boy from yesterday had already knocked out, or at least knocked down, six or seven of the baddies, but there were still more shooting at them from behind boxes and crates. Jaune was fighting that Torchwick guy in the distance, but they seemed to be evenly matched whereas her friends needed help right now.

Whipping her weapon behind her, she fired once, then a second time to pick up speed. She thought she heard Blake shout her name, but the wind made everything close to inaudible until her boots hit one of the gunmen in the chest.

" _Remember kiddo, semblance like yours, you don't always need your fancy weapon."_ Uncle Qrow had told her while they'd sipped lemonade after a long day practicing. " _You get your little butt moving fast enough, all you gotta do is run into them. Just make sure to flare your aura so you don't get hurt too._ "

He went flying into the guy behind him, both of them tumbling while she simply dropped down to her feet.

 _"You're not a brawler, not like Yang. Speed is what'll keep you alive kid, don't ever stand still."_

An instinctual rush of her semblance shot her three meters to the right, Crescent Rose twirling as she spun. The haft struck another White Fang member, breaking his arm and making him collapse while he yelled. She knew she'd feel awful for that after the fight... but right now they were trying to hurt her friends.

She didn't stop her spin, coming around and planting her feet on top of the still falling terrorist, whipping Crescent Rose in front of her and firing three more times as she kicked off to fling herself back to where Blake and her friend had just dealt with the last two guys trying to hit them with clubs.

And... for some reason they were staring at her in shock instead of still fighting! "Guys!?"

"Ruby..." Blake shook her head, her yellow eyes bouncing between her and the rose petals she'd left over top of the three bad guys she'd handled in about as many seconds. "...right, we've got more in the Bullheads above us, and the Professor is still fighting Torchwick!"

"Right!" She nodded, turning to where Jaune was fighting. "We have to-gah!"

She choked as Blake grabbed her hood and dove away, hauling her along with just as tracer rounds slammed into the concrete where they'd all just been. A Bullhead roared slowly past, more gunfire chasing the three of them as they scrambled between two of the buildings to avoid the shots.

Coughing as she loosened her collar, Ruby scrambled up to a knee and pulled the switch on her baby to fold it down to its compact firing mode. The gunshots didn't do much to the armored plane, but it seemed to spook the pilot into pulling away for a minute.

"How do we fight those things?" The boy shouted.

Ruby checked his weapon. Staff... maybe with a shotgun mode, "We can't. We have to wait for everyone else... I think Nora and Weiss can handle it!"

Blake's head twitched down to her, her exposed cat ears twitching _and oh my gods those are so cute!_ "Everyone...? Nora and...?"

"All of RWBY and RAVN!" She replied, glancing out to check on the planes... and found them both lowering towards the ground, doors open to reveal more faunus in white uniforms. "...um, what are they doing?"

"They're novices. Rookies." Blake replied, her voice hard. "They shouldn't be on a mission like this, they don't know what they're doing."

"Oook..." Ruby exchanged a confused look with the guy, who shrugged in reply. "Well, let's go beat them up and then see if we can't jump into one of those planes."

"Yeah!" He nodded, "Now that's a... wait, what?"

* * *

Pyrrha held tight to the straps hanging from the Bullhead's ceiling, the Beacon aircraft roaring across the city as the pilot pushed the engines to their maximum throttle. " _We're coming in hot! Got hostiles airborne, going to swing low and drop you off, then deal with them!"_

"Confirmed!" Ren shouted back to the woman.

The vehicle had been on the Vale to Beacon night run when they'd gotten the alert from Jaune. Doctor Oobleck had immediately sent a order to the pilot, telling her to turn around and support the Professor and protect the city, something she'd seemed all too eager to hear. Pyrrha wasn't sure what _that_ was about, but they'd probably left Vale's traffic controllers rather annoyed thanks to the speed with which they'd blasted through.

"I see them!" Nora shouted, pointing ahead. Ilia leaned as far as she dared into the wind, and spotted them almost at once. Two other Bullheads with their spotlights going, shooting at something on the ground while a third aircraft was slowing rising with a crate dangling beneath it. The fourth was immobile on the ground, and seemed to have smoke billowing out of its interior.

" _Drop in ten seconds!"_ The pilot's voice blared from the loud speakers, making them all brace themselves as the aircraft abruptly throttled back, the plane's frame almost screaming protest. " _Three.. two... do your things kids!"_

Nora threw herself into the open before she'd finished, and Pyrrha quickly made her own leap out after. Thankfully the wind only blew her hair back for a second or so before her feet hit the roof of a warehouse, Ilia and Ren landing behind her as their airborne ally opened fire on one of the terrorist planes.

"We have to help Ruby and Blake, and secure the White Fang they've disabled before they can recover." Ren started forwards at once, his calm voice almost surreal against the sounds of battle. "The three of us will handle that. Pyrrha, I need you to go help Professor Arc."

"Understood." She nodded, drawing Akuo and Milo, staring towards the edge of the building. Her friends moved past her, falling to the ground and rushing off, while she flicked her eyes around until he caught sight of Jaune.

His sword was gleaming in the small fires that had started, and he'd lost his cloak, but he was driving a man in a white suit back as the pair exchanged wild blows.

Pyrrha didn't hesitate, launching herself from the building and sprinting forwards. She saw Blake tying up a struggling form, Ruby chasing down another. Grenades flying up towards a Bullhead as Nora laughed.

Her focus was entirely on the fight ahead.

The professor's opponent saw her coming, snarling and using an arm and his aura to deflect a strike from the teacher while his cane snapped in her direction. She jerked her shield to protect her chest but was surprised when the flare hit the surface in front of her instead, blasting gravel and concrete dust into her eyes and mouth.

Coughing violently, she listened to her instincts when they screamed at her to dodge. Her body hit the ground in a roll just as another dust round snapped through the space she'd just occupied. Two more rolls got her clear of the smoke, and she blinked furiously to clear her eyes.

"Pyrrha, stay back!" Jaune's voice came from a blonde colored blur as he drove back a white and black figure, "Make sure he doesn't retreat!"

"R-right!" She coughed again, stumbling back, triggering Milo's gun form while wiping at her face with her other hand.

 _Dirty trick... I'll have to remember that._

Her vision cleared up fairly quickly, even if her eyes still burned, and she carefully kept pace with the fight, mindful of her footing as she fired precise rounds into Jaune's opponent those few times she had open shots; the professor's mobile style kept getting in the way.

The thief's aura took it with reddish flickers of light, but he couldn't retaliate as the professor seemed to occupy almost all of his attention... and their fight was brutal.

It was nothing like her matches, it was barely anything like what she'd seen him and Miss Neo doing for practice. They were going for each other's eyes, throats, groins, ankles, wrists... elegant technique would appear for a handful of seconds before vanishing into barbaric attempts to simply hammer at the other.

Twice they got locked together in grapples that seemed to have them snarling insults between clenched teeth before breaking apart. The thief seemed to get the better of those times, retreating towards the street several dozen yards before the pair of them caught up and engaged him again.

A tremendous explosion just off shore made everyone flinch and jerk their gazes upwards to see the Bullhead that had been carrying away a crate of dust simply explode under the gunfire from the Beacon aircraft. The school's own gunship was smoking badly from both engines, and labored around back towards shore, but the only White Fang aircraft remaining had evidently had enough.

It turned out to sea and roared off, abandoning the people it had brought to the fight.

"That's it for you Torchwick!" Blake Belladonna appeared as thief tried to use the distraction to get some more distance, blocking him in the shadows of a tower near the exit. Her short weapon slashing and forcing the man back.

"Incompetent animals, I knew I shouldn't have bothered with them." Torchwick growled in reply, slowly lowering his weapon as others arrived, encircling him. Blake made to approach, only for Jaune to hold up a hand, firmly indicating for her to stay back. "Wise choice _Professor_."

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed, and she kept her weapon firmly aimed at him. For being surrounded by eight hunters... ten, now that she could see that Weiss and Yang had arrived with Mrs Belladonna, he was _far_ too confident. "Everyone be careful! He's up to something!"

To her intense discomfort, that actually earned an almost fond smile from the man. "Well, at least one of you has a brain. Careful copper-top, Beacon's going to try and stamp that out right quick. But I think it's past your bed times, and I need a gods-damned drink."

Nora didn't wait for Jaune's go-ahead, simply hefting her weapon up and triggering a grenade. The pink explosive rocketed out... and was kicked aside by a new figure that simply melted out of the building's shadow between them and Roman.

Pyrrha took him... took _her_ , in as she landed. She was short, five feet at most, and was wearing a fully body jump-suit all in black. Atop it was a loose and ragged version of the White Fang uniform, and her face was covered by a full mask except for her raven-black hair. Each hand held a simple bent-bladed sword, an antique style she'd never actually seen outside of museums.

She straightened almost cockily, as unafraid as the man behind her, and took a step to move beside him.

"Who are you?" Jaune demanded, his sword raising into a two handed grip.

"She's a very dear friend." Torchwick replied, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "Until next time Copper, Red, Professor... whoever the rest of you brats are. Charcoal? Do your thing."

Jaune abruptly shot forwards, Pyrrha reflexively following him in. Ruby beat them both, rose petals whipping through the air as her scythe struck... absolutely nothing, the two criminals simply vanishing into the darkness as if they hadn't been there.

For a brief moment she thought she heard the sound of shattering glass, but it was hard to tell under the furious swearing and complaining from everyone as they realized that the mastermind had escaped.

* * *

The aftermath was exactly as fun as Jaune thought it would be.

Cops had swarmed the area like flies, blocking off all of the exits, and few of them looked happy that a bunch of trigger-happy hunters, students, and terrorists had burned down a quarter of the docks... and that there were several crashed Bullheads currently working on burning down a few other sections of the industrial area. They got even less happy when the media started to show up, taking pictures and trying to shout questions that were mostly ignored by everyone present.

The news crews' focus had started off on him, gone to Pyrrha when they'd seen her, come back to him when Neo had shown up, and then jumped over to the Belladonna family when they'd noticed the pair sitting near the wreckage of a Bullhead.

"Mom." Blake gently tried, once again, to escape her mother's grip. "I'm fine, I'm all right."

Kali ignored her, simply hugging her daughter while the rest of team RWBY protectively stood guard around them. Even Weiss, though for some reason she had her shoes tied around her neck and had evidently been running around barefoot.

 _What's that about... whatever, too tired._

Jaune groaned, letting his head fall back against a building. Beside him, Neo yawned and slumped against his side as well. She had 'tragically' arrived just too late to help, exhausted from having run all the way from the clubs that she'd been showing Blake's picture in for leads. The kids had thanked her profusely for helping anyway, which she'd mostly ignored in favor of sitting down as quickly as she could.

Teleportation took a lot out of her, and she'd just had to jump from the building to Roman, pull him side-along to a hideout on the other side of town, then back to the apartment building to swap clothes, and down to the ground all in under fifteen minutes before sprinting in here as if she'd just raced across the entire city. All the while also using her semblance to alter her hair color and creating the vanishing effect as if she'd appeared from, and then they'd melted into, the shadows.

She was running on fumes and not much else... but hopefully the disguise would hold. The real Charcoal, their one time ally from the mines debacle, was still in Vacuo from what he knew, semi-retired and comfortably resting in the city proper under a different name.

 _So long as they don't put a serious effort into tracking her alias down... we should be good._

All objectives had been hit. The White Fang had been stopped and twenty-one of them arrested, Roman had stalled and gotten away, and he'd come out looking like a hero.

But... all he really felt was tired, and vaguely guilty.

Elsewhere, the other students were mostly staying busy, and thankfully leaving him to his thoughts. The blonde faunus boy... Sun, Blake had called him, had shown more sense than the others and vanished once the flashing lights had started to arrive. Team RAVN had stuck around, doing their part to improve Hunter-Police relations by helping the officers properly handcuff and arrest the terrorists, then carry them into cars and vans.

It wasn't much, compared to the amount of property damage, but at least a few of the officers seemed to appreciate it.

For his part, Bart had arrived just after Neo, along with Glynda. The pair had quickly found the police captain in charge of the area and begun working with him to coordinate the entire affair. Bart had been directing the fire-trucks around, while Glynda had started on what was probably going to become a small mountain of paperwork to cover all of this.

They'd been at it for must of an hour, and he'd started to doze off much as Neo had before footsteps heralded Glynda' approach. Her normally severe expression was soft, and she seemed to regard both he and his partner with more approval than usual. "Jaune. I see you made it out all right."

 _Yay. More respect from more lies._

"Alive, tired." Jaune shook his head and yawned, "...Excuse me. Torchwick was a lot quicker than I thought he'd be."

"You were not the only valedictorian on the field tonight." She shook her head, "He was one of the most promising members of his generation, and he had quite significant competition in that regards. There is no shame in not defeating him. Are you sure you're all right? Do you need to see Tsune, I can have her ready when we return."

He waved her off, "No, I'm fine. Just need some sleep."

Glynda smiled slightly, "I've already summoned for another of the school's Bullheads, it should be here shortly."

"Good." Jaune replied vehemently. _I am ready for this day to be over with._

Bart's voice interrupted his pleasant thoughts of a giant, incredibly soft bed, "Not to bring up the Goliath in the room, but there is still the matter of the students and their actions over the past two days. Particularly Miss Belladonna's."

"Yes..." Glynda sighed, turning to regard the girl and her mother. "I was entirely prepared to come down hard on her, and the others for simply throwing themselves into this kind of engagement, but given the circumstances... perhaps we can wait until tomorrow."

Jaune just closed his eyes, and could only hope that he didn't look as guilty as he felt. "Tomorrow sounds fine."

* * *

"There were two full teams of huntsman with air support!" The Faunus all but howled, making Cinder's eye twitch slightly at the pathetic volume to it. "Valean military, it had to be! There wasn't anything we could do, retreating was the only thing that kept us alive!"

"And you simply left your companions behind?" She asked, her voice low, cold. "Left Torchwick to be captured? Do you have any brains beneath those horns, or are you truly nothing more than an animal?"

The grunt quivered in a pleasant mixture of terror and rage.

Cinder was entirely prepared to immolate the fool when a very surprising voice called from the warehouse floor, "See, Cindy, this is the part where I say I told you so."

Ignoring the unsightly gaping maw of the useless pawn, she brushed past him to the railing... and saw Roman sprawled on her couch. His normally pristine clothing was badly scorched, and his hat was missing, but he seemed entirely intact as he poured himself some of her wine.

"That's imposs-"

A flick of her wrist and a minor call to the power within her chest batted him away, though she didn't bother checking if the pawn survived the impact when he collided with something out of sight. "Roman... tales of your death have been greatly exaggerated."

The thief kicked his boots up onto a table, sipping the wine and showing it the proper level of appreciation. "You said it yourself... I'm the best."

Her lips quirked on one side, and she slowly strode over to the elevator, taking it down to the floor. Roman watched her approach, green eyes heavy behind his glass. For all of his usual cockiness, the man was exhausted, beaten, he'd only just escaped. Fascinating. "The dust?"

Roman snorted. "Shot down by Beacon's aircraft over the ocean... they couldn't even escape properly, even when I was holding off a damned Professor and two teams of students all by my lonesome."

 _Students... and a professor._ That was hardly a military force, nothing that four armed bullheads, twenty plus White Fang operatives, and Roman himself should have had any problems with. Unless, of course, Adam had declined to send the personnel she had specifically requested for the mission... in which case she would have to remind him that her _requests_ were not cast aside lightly.

She lifted an eyebrow. "And what were they doing there?"

"Well..." He punctuated his words with a sip from the wine, "Considering that the first two to show up were a little kitten and a monkey, I'd say your little friends have a rat or two amongst them, and that the bastard up in his tower thought it a good training exercise for a few new pet teams."

Cinder felt her hands clench for a moment. Ozpin was not supposed to be aware of things occurring within the city, not yet. Certainly not to the degree where he felt safe testing out his newest generation to find more pawns of his own. "You're quite sure?"

Roman paused, giving her a rare direct look. "Last time I lied to you, you burned three of my best men alive. What do you think?"

... _Adam, we are going to have words, and you are very much going to wish that you had simply obeyed._ "I see. Well, I suppose I cannot fault you for failing against that level of opposition. How did you escape?"

"Associate of mine specializes in extractions." He tipped his glass sightly, "I told you I wasn't about to trust those animals, and you don't want to know how much it cost me to have her on retainer for this job."

"Interesting." She murmured, and it very much was. The Professors of Beacon were hardly pushovers, for this unknown woman to have enabled Roman to escape was... intriguing. "I would dearly like to meet this associate of yours."

Roman shrugged, "I'll pass the message along, but she's probably already out of the kingdom."

Cinder's eyes narrowed, and she leaned in closer to him, letting her body temperature rise... letting him feel her heat. His expression remained commendably stoic, but she heard his breathing hitch for just a moment as she drew near. "...did she now? Just what is her name, Roman?"

He stared at her, his eyes flat... and then he folded, as she knew he would. Roman may have been the king of the rats, but a rat he remained. His ambitions were paltry and material, his desires wrapped up in his own survival instinct. Dangerous, yes... but controllable. "Charcoal. She'll be back in Vacuo sooner or later.. Like I said, I'll pass it along, but she ain't cheap and she prefers... interesting jobs."

 _Charcoal... what delicious irony._ She would pass the name onto Hazel, and he would find this freelancer. Someone capable of getting Roman out of the situation he'd described was someone she could very much use in her plans. Assuming, of course, that Roman wasn't trying to sneak something past her. If he was... well, she'd simply have to give him a more personal lesson of her power than her last display.

"Then there is nothing to worry about." Cinder purred, "Money is no object, and I can assure you that my... _job_ , will be quite interesting."

Roman took a fortifying sip from the wine, "Speaking of which, since this exploded in my face, what's stage two?"

"You resume your robberies... your way." She allowed, leaning back and allowing the poor man to recover some of his confidence... and tacitly admitting that he had been correct in his lack of faith regarding the White Fang. "Though you may need to pick up the pace to ensure our deadlines are met."

The last of the wine in the glass vanished, and the thief rose. "In that case, I'd better get going. Cops are going to go nuts over this, may get a window or two while they're at the docks."

Cinder dismissed him with a wave of her hand, leaving him to work out the details... and found herself strangely missing Emerald.

 _Competent help is so rare these days..._

She sighed and rose to her feet, hearing a pained groan from the upper level. Pausing, she contemplated the sound, the tenor of it... then slowly started towards the elevator, fire playing over her fingertips.

 _...and failure without reason cannot be tolerated._

* * *

 _ **And here we get the docks, and a teeny, tiny bit of the aftermath. Weiss learns a bit but remains conflicted, Jaune is both annoyed and yet guilty over what happened, Ruby showed off a bit, Pyrrha was Pyrrha, and Cinder... well, she's a bit annoyed. The next chapter will cover more of the after-shocks of what's happened over the last two chapters. We'll probably have two, maybe three chapters for the full aftermath and then the end of their semester/break period, then we'll start semester 2.**_

 _ **I did throw up a random poll on my profile concerning Ilia's relationship status in this story, so feel free to vote. It's mostly an interest poll, but I may write a one-shot if the response is large enough.**_

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 ** _Thanks, Kat_**


	27. Semester I: Recovery, Resolution

**Recovery, Resolution**

* * *

Weiss held her chin in one hand, sipping her morning tea while watching the Sunday morning spectacle unfold before her. When they had returned to their dorms the night prior, Professor Goodwitch had indicated that they should all get some rest, and that the teachers would summon them to discuss everything in the morning. Blake had spent some time with her mother before returning, and she had collapsed into sleep almost at once.

Which had meant she hadn't discovered Ruby and Yang's thievery until the morning.

"Nope." Ruby crossed her arms, staring up at Blake as the other girl's ears flattened. "And nope means nope Blake."

"Ruby-"

"Besides," She interrupted her, "It looks better on Yang. Right Weiss?"

Weiss hummed in reply, glancing at the blonde. Yang had, for once, actually done up her hair in a ponytail, though it remained artfully careless and so very _Yang_. Of course, the black ribbon it was tied back with was of far more interest to Blake than her partner's new hairstyle.

"It does make her look more mature." Weiss allowed, smiling a little as Blake's mouth pressed into an unhappy line. "Honestly Belladonna, you know you're wasting your time. They aren't going to return it no matter how much you beg."

Their wayward member kept her expression neutral, but seemed to have a far harder time controlling her now-revealed ears; both flattened in distress at the usage of her last name, "Weiss..."

She held up a hand, copying the same motion she had seen so often from Professor Arc, and then from Blake's own mother. "I am exhausted, I am pushing aura into my feet to stop them from hurting, and I am still thinking about the situation. We can discuss it with the professors."

"I..." Blake inhaled sharply, then let it out in a huff. "Ok. Ruby, may I _please_ have my-"

"Nope!"

Yang snorted, "Should have seen that one coming Blake. Come on, if we're late I'm pretty sure Miss G will blow a gasket."

Weiss rose slowly, carefully slipping her sore feet into her sleeping moccasins. Strictly speaking they were not for outdoor wear, but they were the most comfortable shoes she had brought with from home... and she would not be caught _dead_ wearing Ruby's boots no matter how much her hyperactive partner gushed about their softness.

For her part, Blake only put up a minimum of resistance before letting Yang march her out of the dorm. She was clearly unhappy to be going out in public without the bow she'd worn for most of two months, but was clearly more afraid of angering her teammates after what had happened over the last two days.

 _As well she should be._

At Weiss's request, the walk passed quietly, the dew still clinging to the grass and trees as the sun rose. Rather than head towards the cafeteria along with those very few older students awake at this time on a Sunday, they turned right and made for the central tower. Just inside the giant doors they ran into Doctor Oobleck, who looked much the same as he had the night before. He lifted a thermos of coffee in greeting, then guided them to an elevator in the back of the hall.

Yang seemed to shift a little closer to Blake as they went up, giving her a covert hug with a single arm. Weiss had simply bitten her lip and looked away, trying to order her thoughts appropriately. Needless to say, she hadn't yet manged it when the doors quietly swung open to reveal Headmaster Ozpin's office. The man himself sat behind an odd, clock-work desk, with Professor Goodwitch standing behind him. Doctor Oobleck didn't get out of the elevator, instead simply ushering them inside before departing.

"Good morning team RWBY." Ozpin smiled at them over a cup, nodding to four chairs positioned in front of his desk. "Please be seated, we have several items to discuss."

Weiss kept her chin up as she walked forwards... and felt almost absurdly self-conscious of her short stature without her heels, especially with Yang on her right. She wasted little time in sitting, finding herself in between the two siblings while Blake sat on Yang's other side.

"I believe that I will start with the most obvious facts." The Headmaster began, his voice calm and relaxed. "As Professor Arc indicated he told you all, we here at Beacon were more than aware of Miss Belladonna and Miss Amitola's pasts. I allowed them to attend this school, and I will continue to do so, because I firmly believe that they both intend to use this chance to become something more."

Blake seemed to shift slightly. "...you're letting me stay?"

"There are few enough hunters in the world, fewer still with the intentions of correcting past mistakes." Ozpin said, flicking his eyes over his glasses at them all. "However... while I cannot question your heart, your decision making leaves much to be desired young lady."

Blake promptly shrank again, while Weiss kept her lips pressed together in a thin line.

When none of them said anything, he continued, "You will be joining Miss Amitola in twice a week counseling with Professor Arc, until such time he decides that you no longer need them. You will also be assisting Miss Goodwitch in completing the vast amounts of paperwork caused by your decisions, and you are confined to the school grounds until the next semester begins."

"Yes sir." Blake offered meekly.

"Good." He took a sip of his coffee, then turned to Weiss. "Now... due to the intensely personal nature of what has been revealed, I am going to make a rare offer. Miss Schnee, if you do not think you can continue to remain on the same team as Miss Belladonna, I will adjust the teams to ensure that it would not longer be a problem."

Weiss felt her heart catch in her throat. "...sir?"

Ozpin seemed to sigh, and Goodwitch took a slight step forwards, her voice even. "This is something only done in extreme cases of personality conflict, which we believe applies here. As we wish to do minimal changes and not break up functioning partnerships, we would rotate Miss Xiao-Long and Miss Belladonna to a new team and replace them with another pairing."

Beside her, she saw Ruby glance at her, bite her lip, and then hurriedly look at the floor.

"I..." She needed a moment, "What team?"

Goodwitch regarded her without any real emotion. "Likely MINT or FRST, to avoid any other potential issues."

"I do not like to pressure students," Ozpin spoke up once more, his tones gentle. "But this would be a decision best made immediately, so that you would all have some time to adjust before the coming break."

Could she do it? Did she want Blake gone? She had thought so on Friday, been ready to turn her over the proper authorities and wash her hands of ever having known such a person. But... Blake had risked her life to try and stop the White Fang, had gone after them without any hesitation even when she'd been all but alone. And her mother... could people who were truly evil and wrong still care for one another like that?

And she had never once shown real hostility towards Weiss. Not like Amitola had, on so many occasions. She'd never given Weiss any reason to suspect her, beyond her quiet nature and odd fashion sense with her bows. She'd been... a teammate, one of RWBY, she'd... belonged.

She lifted her chin, "May she and I speak privately, before I decide?"

Ozpin blinked, as if honestly surprised, but he nodded after a moment. "There is a small antechamber through that door. We will wait."

Weiss nodded and rose, hearing Blake slowly do the same behind her. Not looking back, she headed for the door he had indicated, opening it to find a very small hallway with a few chairs and decorative tables, a locked door that presumably led to the Headmaster's living quarters, and the walls covered with tasteful paintings of ancient Valean heroes.

Blake followed her in, closing the door behind her, and it was only when she heard it click shut that she turned around and began speaking.

"...all right, Belladonna." She exhaled, placing her hands on her hips. "I want to know what made you quit the White Fang."

Blake swallowed, her ears twitching once. "...I..."

"Your mother said there are factions within the group. Some more extreme than others." Weiss continued, "And I'm guessing you weren't from one of the more peaceful ones."

The other girl lowered her gaze, not meeting her eyes. "...no, I wasn't. I... when my parents left... I listened to Sienna Khan. Heard her speak, and I... I said the most awful things to them when they quit. I believed in what Sienna said."

Weiss swallowed, "Did... " She blew out a breath, rallied, and forced the question out, "Have you killed people?"

Something in Blake's voice broke. "...yes. Two... two men. Security guards, when we attacked a dust mine. I didn't know they didn't have aura, didn't realize it until they were down and bleeding and..."

She abruptly stopped speaking, her arms tightening around her chest as she fought to control her breathing. "...then... we were supposed to rescue the workers, help them. Instead our leader just... just killed the other humans, and then left the workers behind. He didn't _care_ about what happened to them after. Ilia and I... that wasn't what we signed up for. That wasn't helping faunus. That was just... just _murder._ I talked her into leaving with me, to come here, to... to redeem ourselves."

Weiss swallowed again. "...what was the next mission?"

"Train robbery. Leadership wanted us to steal the dust from an SDC train in Vale." Weiss blinked, recalling the incident that had left her father shouting about Vale's incompetence just before she'd left for Beacon. "Then our leader... decided it would be a better message to just blow it all and kill the train's crew. Maybe even wreck the next one coming down the line. She and I tricked him onto a car behind us, and we disconnected them. Left him behind and rode most of the way to Vale."

 _She's a murderer... she's just as obviously about to throw up..._

"Those men..." She needed this to be very clear. "...they were fighting you, you didn't just kill them from behind?"

Blake shook her head, "It was... a full raid, a battle. The... the Coliot Mines, out by the coast."

Weiss held a hand up, using her other to dig her scroll out. The other girl fell silent, and stayed that way as she accessed the school's intranet and ran a news search. Less than a minute later it found numerous sources detailing a 'Horrific White Fang Attack!' on the facility, with extra notes highlighting the 'doomed but heroic resistance' of the security staff. Then... notes that the faunus workers had been left behind, and had been killed by Grimm drawn by the battle.

Blake and Ilia... were a lot of things, but she couldn't imagine either of them ever willingly leaving people to the Grimm. She couldn't imagine anyone doing so, yet evidently... someone had. Someone had done something that the two girls had viewed as so horrible they couldn't continue what they clearly believed in. Especially Amitola.

Weiss closed her scroll, pocketing it once more. Professors Ozpin and Arc had both said that Blake wanted to become something better, she wanted to atone for what she had done. And Arc... Jaune, had implied that she and Weiss were not so dissimilar in that regard. Much as she was trying to redeem her family name, to escape from what her father had made it... Blake was trying to redeem her own name, to escape from her own past.

It wasn't quite the same... but it wasn't quite different either.

Yes, Blake had killed people, but... so had Winter. So would nearly every huntsman, from what her sister had told her. Criminals, bandits, terrorists... it was part of the life, part of the job. An unpleasant, unhappy part that Weiss did her best not to think about, but part of it nonetheless. She hadn't, at least, assassinated or simply murdered them. If Blake had killed people in the heat of battle, then... as painful as it was to think it, it merely meant she had a head start on the rest of them.

 _If you say yes... it will kill Ruby, she's put so much into our team. And even then... Blake will still be here. Ozpin said as much. I would have to live with seeing her very day regardless, knowing I couldn't forgive someone who just wanted to atone for their mistakes._

When she thought about it like that... what choice did she really have?

"Twelve hours."

Blake blinked a few times. "Um...what?"

"I spent twelve hours searching for you yesterday, watching your mother panic and feeling extremely awkward and self-conscious." Weiss informed her, "As well as being in increasing amounts of pain thanks to my feet, all the while trying to think of what I would do when we found you."

The extra ears atop her head flatted slightly again. "...and you decided?"

"That... I'm going to trust Professor Ozpin, and Professor Arc, and give you a chance." She stepped forwards, holding up a single finger in Blake's face to make it perfectly clear. " _One_ chance Blake Belladonna. And you _will_ promise me, Ruby, and Yang that you will never run off and try this lone wolf thing again. When you have a problem you talk to your teammates about it... if you can't talk to all of us, then at _least_ talk to Yang."

"I..." Blake eyes teared up slightly, and Weiss quickly crossed her arms.

"No, no! No crying! I am _not_ ready to handle that." She pursed her lips, "And no hugging either. I get enough of that awkwardness from Ruby."

Blake let out a ragged laugh, wiping at her face. "...typical Weiss. Are... are we...?"

"We're not friends." Weiss shook her head, "Not right now... but... I think we can be teammates still. If you behave."

"I... think I can work with that."

* * *

"Sorry mum." Jaune groaned into his scroll, "It was a really long night at the club. Couple of underage kids snuck in and started a fight with a smug regular, and it took forever to sort out. I didn't get much sleep."

His mother made an understanding sound, her expression sympathetic, " _That sounds less than fun, I'm sorry dear. The owner isn't working you too hard is he?"_

"No, he's hard but fair. Just had a lot to deal with." He yawned, "...ah, excuse me. How's everyone else?"

" _The same as ever."_ She answered, the screen shifting as she busied herself in the kitchen. " _Your father is out on a mission, Sapphire is enjoying her new job, Sable less so... and Coral has started to sell those books she's been writing... there actually appears to be a market for them."_

Jaune fought down the urge to groan. "Not those smutty things..."

" _Quite. I'm not sure where you went wrong with her."_

"Blaming me now? I thought we agreed she was dad's fault."

" _Yes, well, at least your father comes home once and a while."_ His mother noted archly, " _Unlike my only son whose spent years in another kingdom, then returned to Vale without so much as stopping by."_

He sighed at the familiar argument. They both knew why he hadn't ever come home, or she at least knew one reason, but it was a topic she always tried to bring up on his monthly calls. Jaune knew she did it because she and his sisters very badly missed him, and didn't like the fact that they hadn't seen him in person in more than three years. His father had, twice stopping by Sol's store in Vacuo when on long-distance missions, forcing him to scramble to maintain his cover.

Nicholas Arc had known better than to try to convince his son to come home, after what they'd nearly ruined for him... but avoiding the topic had left both meetings strained and extremely awkward for the both of them. In a way that had actually helped though, it had left the older man too distracted to notice that his son had little idea of what to do in the cafe.

"I already promised I'll come home next summer, when I have enough lien saved up." He deflected, "Junior says that's the slow season anyway, he won't miss me for a week or two."

" _I'm going to hold you to that."_ She threatened as she stared chopping vegetables, using the knife to emphasize her point. " _Now, onto more important matters. Have you found a nice girl yet?"_

Naturally, she said it just as Neo emerged from the bathroom, his partner pausing mid-stretch to arch an eyebrow at the scroll. Knowing the way her mind worked, he narrowed his eyes into his best glare as a smirk slid onto her face.

"We can talk about my love life when dad stops terrifying anyone who approaches Sable." Jaune answered, shifting and sitting up, watching Neo warily as she carelessly pulled her shirt off to reveal a pink and brown lace bra. His left hand moved out of the camera's view, telling her not to even think about it.

Neo's smirk widened into something vicious, and she started to prowl around the bed, making him shift in place to keep her out of view.

" _That will never happen and we both know it."_ His mother paused as she started to scoop her materials into a pot, " _What are you doing?"  
_

"Just trying to get comfortable, I told I didn't sleep-"

" _You're hiding something."_ She cut him off, bright blue eyes narrowing before her mouth widened. " _Oh my gods, you were lying about work to cover up the fact that you brought a girl home!"_

"No, that really happened and I have the bruises to-"

Neo pounced right when his back was to the headboard and his maneuvering options were limited. He tried to jerk away, banged his head against the wall in the process, and then found his lap occupied as she settled into it, her almost entirely bare back to the camera.

Juniper Arc let out a yelp of startled shock as Neo grinned at him, wiggling her hips suggestively before trying to kiss him.

"Neo-" He managed her name before her lips were on his, her tongue playing with his teeth.

" _Jaune, I really don't need to see this!"_

Jaune entirely agreed, and since his mouth was occupied and his efforts to get Neo off of him were going nowhere, jerked his scroll shut without saying goodbye. His partner relented when she heard the click, leaning back and looking entirely too smug.

"Seriously!?" He snapped. "You just had to do that?"

A pale finger tapped her lips before she beamed and nodded.

"Impossible." His head shook, "Gods the next call is going to be so awkward. More than this one even."

Neo shrugged, not seeing the problem.

Of course she didn't. Her experience with family was mostly limited to _his_ long distance relationship with his own. She had no real affection for his parents, or his sisters, and unlike Primula was entirely in favor of cutting contact with them entirely. He'd... thought about it, but never been able to go through with it. Which meant that, as far as Neo was concerned, everything that followed was his own fault.

Most months he didn't have a problem lying to them, or exaggerating a few half-truths like he had today. But... Ilia's plan and the arrival of Blake's mother had made things far more uncomfortable for him. It had brought up feelings and memories he'd done his damnedest to bury.

He _knew_ that his mother and father would screw up way more than they could imagine if they revealed him... and he knew that they would do it anyway in the name of protecting their little boy.

 _Never-mind that I'm almost twenty-one and I more than know the risks._

Part of him knew that was unfair. The last time he'd seen his family, all of his family, he'd been a scrawny little brat who had no idea what being a 'hero' really meant. Who'd needed his sisters to protect him when he got bullied, someone who all too often did something idiotic to try and prove his bravery and manliness. And who... admittedly, had gone off and done something insanely stupid, even if he'd gotten lucky and made it work.

They hadn't seen everything he'd had to live through since then... and gods he hoped that his sisters and mother never would.

 _Dammit, I'm turning into my father, with his opinions on heroes and huntsman..._

Jaune shook his head tiredly, "Off, please. I'm supposed to check on the teams from yesterday. You think you can run down to The Club and see if Junior has heard from Roman? I'll give you some lien to pick up dinner and some drinks to go. And a shake for the both of us."

Neo perked up at that, as he'd known she would. She got her shirt back on quickly, and retrieved her parasol before pointedly holding a hand out. He rolled his eyes and slipped a few hundred lien into her palm, which earned him a quick peck on the cheek before she shattered into shards that quickly faded away.

He took his time after that, shaving and getting cleaned up before grabbing his, now torn and a bit scorched, cloak and Crocea Mors.

 _Memo... go shopping and find a new one. Or send Sol a message and some lien._ He'd probably have to do the latter if he wanted a real one, he dreaded to think what people in Vale considered proper desert attire.

Locking up behind him, he wandered down the halls and then out of the central tower. It was a partly cloudy day for once, with a cool breeze; a rarity in the early summer. He wasn't surprised to see plenty of students out enjoying the near-perfect weather, a few studying, most simply hanging our or playing field games.

Being huntsman and huntresses, nearly all of said games were a bit more violent than their civilian counter-parts, and oh-so-coincidentally involved plenty of young men and women running around in shorts and tank-tops, and often little else. Sometimes even less than that, he saw Cardin catch a flying disc in one hand, the tall boy not wearing a shirt and making sure to flex more than was really necessary.

Even more coincidentally, many of the games seemed to be occurring near the CCT mall, where plenty of civilians had started to gather to watch the aura-enhanced eye candy.

"In other news," He muttered, "Teenagers remain teenagers."

...which was probably hypocritical of him, since his eyes occasionally slid over several of the young women present. Two in particular caught his eye; a rabbit faunus and a brown haired girl seemed to be holding an impromptu kick-boxing tournament, and both only had a sports bra on above the waist to the extreme delight of several young men wearing shirts from Vale's largest public college.

 _Neo will kill you if she sees you looking,_ the sane part of his brain reminded him, and he dragged his eyes away from the pleasant bouncing and slim figures with extreme reluctance.

Thankfully his quarry wasn't anywhere near the main festivities, as he'd known they wouldn't be on a Sunday. Things quieted down as he headed towards the forest-side cliffs, following a smaller path to the squat shapes of the school's forges. He caught sight of scarlet and blonde as he arrived at the shooting ranges, where the students could test their modifications; the two tallest girls in their year as easy as ever to spot.

"Hey Jaune!" Yang called as she spotted him, her hair done up in a messy ponytail for some reason. It made her look... rather like a tomboy, but he refrained from commenting. "You gotta throw your weight into both parts of it, Pyrrha, or it won't cycle right."

The other girl nodded, shaking her right arm out a bit. One of Yang's weapons was secured on her wrist, and he watched as Pyrrha settled herself, then slammed her fist forwards. The weapon triggered at once, a brilliant flare shooting out to collide with a training dummy, while the champion quickly pulled her arm back and down. The weapon reloaded, but not as smoothly as he knew Yang could have managed.

"Yang, Pyrrha." He greeted as he approached, glancing around the area to spot the others, and to his surprise only found Weiss sitting at a small picnic table with Mrs. Belladonna. "Where's everyone else?"

"In the forges with Ruby, trying to upgrade Ilia's weapon some more." Yang shrugged, "Except Ren and Nora, think she dragged him off on a 'team leader and best friend lunch' that's totally actually a date."

Jaune huffed out an amused breath. "The meeting went all right this morning then?"

Yang's smile faded a little, and she gave Weiss a pointed glance. "Eh... we're still a team, but it was a close thing I think. You going to be able to handle reforming two ex-terrorists?"

 _I have no idea. "_ I'll do my best." He smiled, "To be honest, it's not like I have much else to do right now. Not sure why Ozpin was so desperate for me to have the position, almost no one's stopped by besides Ilia in the last couple of weeks."

Pyrrha seemed surprised by that for some reason, but Yang hummed before the other girl could say anything. "Well... if you don't mind me pushing a bit, I think Weiss could do with someone to talk to."

"I'll see what I can do." Jaune nodded, even if he felt himself sigh in his head. He'd really been hoping that they'd figure this mess out on their own, with minimal input from him. Not that he didn't _want_ to help them, they were good people... but it was Sunday and it had been a long two days. "Oh, before I go, just wanted to say I'm proud of both of you for working together on the backup weapon project."

Yang actually blushed a little, and Pyrrha gave him a smile. "Thank you Jaune, that's very kind. Yang has been an excellent tutor."

"...gods, Ilia is right. You are _way_ too nice." The blonde groaned. "Could you be a little less perfect? Give the rest of us girls a chance?"

Jaune just laughed as Pyrrha turned bright red and sputtered, waving at them as he turned away, heading over to where the other two women were seated. They noticed him coming, Kali offering him a polite smile while Weiss... mostly looked exhausted.

"Good afternoon Jaune." Blake's mother greeted, "Care to sit?"

"Appreciated." He replied, taking one of the open chairs between them. "Weiss... you look a bit tired."

"Thank you for noticing, Professor." She answered, the barest hint of snark telling him more than her appearance how drained she was. "I was just speaking with Mrs. Belladonna about Menagerie and the White Fang, attempting to understand them better."

He made an understanding noise, "Ah, yeah... I can't imagine your education was big on that."

"No, it wasn't." Weiss agreed, "But... suffice to say the more I learn the more complicated it all seems."

"I can see how you'd feel that way." He offered, knowing he was supposed to say something. "If you want clarity... I'm probably not the person to ask. Last night makes me even on fighting both with and against the White Fang."

That made her sit up a little and blink at him. "...you've... really?"

He nodded, leaning back and thinking about it. "Let's see... I fought against them yesterday, obviously, and then twice when Neo and I were working for the Vacuo-Vale Rail Company. They liked to try and grab dust and weapons from it. Fought _with_ them... when I was a student against a Grimm migration, and a similar thing last year... then there was the Krohf Mines."

Weiss blinked a few more times. "...you are at those mines?"

"Unfortunately." He nodded, "Yeah. It's not a pleasant story."

The heiress looked down at her tea, sipped it once, then predictably asked, "I would like to hear if anyway, if you could?"

Sighing, he told her what had happened, much as he had told Ilia on her first session. Weiss's lips had pressed into a line by the time he was done, and he rubbed at his hair. "Yeah, like I said, it was kind of a mess."

"It was also quite the bolster to Sienna Khan's early days as leader." Kali shook her head, "A clear victory and a public relations coup."

"...my father wouldn't have ordered a killing like that." Weiss' voice was quiet. "He's... not a very good person, I will be the first to admit, but he... wouldn't go that far."

The faunus woman gave her a kind but tired smile, "Of course he wouldn't dear... your father is many things but stupid is not among them. A direct order to kill workers? Even Atlas would not tolerate it if it had gotten out. He simply... created the conditions that allowed the event to happen, and had it worked to his favor, he wouldn't have complained about a few dead employees."

Jaune nodded, running a hand through his hair once more. "He probably just told the local manager to get the mine up and running or else be removed, and his company is the kind that accepts hiring blatant racists as security guards. Combine that with a desperate boss and a deadline... you get something like what happened there."

Weiss seemed to slump a little, "...you're not helping me feel better, Professor."

"I know... and I am sorry." He reached out and gently touched her shoulder, quickly considering his options. His only real counseling strategy, poking the sore spot until they erupted, hadn't really worked with Yang and something told him it wouldn't work with Weiss either.

Maybe... those times he'd noticed team RAVN looking rather down during their time of social isolation, a few kind words and a funny story or two had seemed to help them quite a bit. Maybe Weiss would respond to that, much as Pyrrha had?

"I know what Ozpin and Glynda offered..." He kept his words as gentle and supportive as he could, "And I do want to say that I'm proud of you for giving your team a chance to come together after this."

"I..." She met his eyes for a moment before glancing at Kali. "I'll admit was a near thing."

Jaune lifted an eyebrow before waving at his face, reminding her of their first proper conversation. "Nearer than two black eyes and a broken nose, or not quite?"

Weiss blinked twice, then made a strangled noise as her hand flew up to her mouth, her eyes crinkling on the corners and making him instantly feel better. "I'm... still not convinced that happened, Professor. I have a hard time imaging you as anything but a capable leader."

"You didn't know me when I was seventeen." He snorted, "I was awful, and I'm sure Neo will show you the pictures if you ask her."

Kali leaned forwards, her chin resting on a palm. "This sounds like an interesting story, care to share?"

Jaune smiled and did so, telling her and Weiss the details about how Rau and Neo had gotten sick of his poor leadership and taken him to task. Literally. Weiss had started to relax, and did so when Kali had shared a few stories of her own youth, in particular a time when Blakes' father had tried to impress her by serenading her in front of their entire village... in the middle of the night.

He'd moved on, careful to stick to the more enjoyable times. Kali had nearly broken down when he told the Fire Grimm story, and Weiss had a broad smile on her face by the time it was done. A few more anecdotes about a few other other missions with Levi eventually got through, making her openly giggle as he related the man's odd views on life, and his almost vicious obsession with protecting his train.

"Honestly I think even the Grimm recognize him at this point, and just leave his trains alone. Maybe they're just afraid of catching whatever kind of crazy he has." Jaune smiled as he shook his head, "And his beard never did grow back right."

Weiss shook her head, smiling. "He is still doing it, at his age?"

"Still on the same runs, every week." He confirmed, "Even sent me a train themed card to congratulate me for getting this job. I think he'd drop dead if you took him off the rails, he just loves them for some reason."

Kali smiled over her tea, "Everyone has their hobby, their loves. My Blake enjoys her novels, probably far more than she should, and her father has an odd fascination with maps. The older the better... probably why he and Bartholomew got along so well. What about you Jaune?"

"Me?" He asked, considering it... then decided to go with the usual half-truth. "Neo and I like exploring, finding old relics... call us treasure hunters even. We've never really found much, but it's something we can do together."

"Miss Neo, wandering around old tombs?" Weiss shook her head, "I'm sorry Professor, but I just can't see it."

He laughed, "I know, but people can surprise you sometimes. And most of the tombs we visited were in the desert, and she's far more comfortable there than here."

That turned the conversation to weather, and adjusting to the different climates. Weiss admitted to still having problems with the heat, while and Kali agreed that this was about as cold as they were comfortable with. It was surprising how quickly you could adjust to a desert, and how hard it was to get used to anything else again after you'd done so.

The conversation tapered off after a while, and a beep from his scroll indicated that Neo had returned with dinner. "Well, it was good talking with you both. Weiss, I'll see you in class tomorrow. Kali... you sticking around for a bit?"

"I'll be here for the rest of the week." She smiled, "I still have a great deal of catching up to do, and Bartholomew asked me to guest speak in a few of his classes."

"Good, I'm sure Blake will be happy." He returned her smile with one of his own, giving them a little bow as he departed.

 _Well... you got through that all right, and maybe you even helped distract Weiss a little. It... probably doesn't wash out what you did yesterday, but... it's still something. Maybe this will finally be a good week..._

Well, he was starting off with a double class tomorrow, so it was up to him to make sure everyone had nice, normal day to unwind after what had happened.

 _Simple enough, nice relaxed class, bit of light partner work... what could go wrong?_

* * *

Yang didn't realize that they hadn't thought the consequences of their actions through until Monday morning rolled around.

"You really fought the White Fang?" Meral demanded, brushing bright green bangs out of her eyes. "With Professor Arc!?"

"Woah!" Yang protested, leaning back as the rest of team MINT quickly piled into the seats around them. Team FRST was already swarming as well, taking up the spots on the other side of RAVN, evidently badgering Ren and Nora for details, and even CRDL was trying to squeeze in to hear. "Woah, where did you hear that?"

Her old friend gave her a disbelieving look, "Yang, it was all over the morning news! Oh, hey Blake! You look better without the bow."

Blake, how had just arrived from the food line, started slightly as she sat across from Yang. "...thank you? Wait, you're not surprised?"

"Well, kind of." She shrugged, "But it made a lot of sense when we stopped to think about it, and we've had an hour since we saw the pictures on VNN."

"You look more exotic now." Tealle nodded, the slender boy leaning across the table from his partner and team leader. "Not in a creepy fetishist way either, more like a hot foreign girl kind of way. The bow was really off-putting sometimes, especially since you never changed it."

Her partner... still didn't seem to know how to respond, and went with her usual: she pulled out her book, hunched her shoulders, and buried her nose in it.

"So, come on, details." Meral poked her in the arm, then perked up when she saw another figure approach, "Ruby! Yang won't talk, give us the scoop! What happened!?"

Ruby, much as Blake had, looked more than a little startled at the amount of attention they were getting. Even several second years seemed to be leaning over from the table behind her to try and listen in, and all she really managed was a stuttering sound as she took the seat beside her sister.

 _Oh boy..._ Something about what Meral had said nagged at the back of her brain, but she couldn't focus with everyone shouting and badgering them. _Right, one problem at a time._

"Everyone calm down!" Yang threw her hands up, "We'll give you the details if you all stop crowding us!"

That only slightly did the trick, and it took a few minutes before the other first years settled down enough to hear the story. Or at least, a modified version of it. Blake's... episode was glossed over with her spending the night in the city while hanging out with a student from Mistral, something that had made Blake's nose scrunch and Weiss roll her eyes, but neither had contradicted her.

"So, they see something weird at the docks." Yang continued, getting into her story. "Bunch of planes flying around that shouldn't be there, and decide to be good hunters and check it out. Who do they run into? Roman Torchwick himself, along with a whole bunch of terrorists!"

Her audience gave suitably dramatic gasps, and she grinned. "They call for the rest of us to show up and help, but before we can get there he spots them and starts shooting flare rounds off from his weapon."

Russel whistled, "How'd you get out that Belladonna?"

Blake shifted, clearly not liking being the center of attention, but she at least responded, "Dodging, and getting close to him. I... held him off for a little while, but was a lot faster than I thought. Huntsman trained for sure. He... knocked me down, and had me dead to rights before Jaune arrived."

"He blasted the thief right off her!" Yang thumped the table for emphasis, grinning at Nora when the girl complained about her stealing her moves. "Then he yelled at them to deal with the terrorists while he went one-on-one with Torchwick!"

"Wow..." Isa hummed, "Where'd he get the gun?"

Ilia cleared her throat, and surprised almost everyone by speaking up, "He has a heavy caliber dust shotgun in his office, it was one of his old teammates'. I think he trains with it once and a while."

"Wow." The other girl's eyes widened further. "They kept their fallen teammates' weapons? Learned how to use them? That's... gods, that's so honorable and tragic."

Cardin shook his head, leaning in so that he could see around MINT. "What happened next, rest of you show up?"

"Ruby did!" Yang grinned, "She came flying in ahead of the rest of us, took down three White Fang in what, two seconds?"

"Yannng..." Ruby groaned. "It wasn't that fast."

"She's right." Blake shook her head, everyone chuckled a little until she finished. "It was more like three seconds. I'm not sure any of them even saw her coming before she'd broken their arms and left them on the ground."

Murmurs and impressed looks made her baby sister turn red and poke at her food, and Yang felt her smile widen. _Yeah Rubes, face it, you're bad-ass sometimes._

Unfortunately she'd lost her flow, and Nora seemed to notice. The other girl quickly took over the story telling, describing how their awesome pilot had roared in and dropped them off before starting a dogfight out over the ocean. Everyone ooo'd and ahh'd as she described the burning planes, and how their team had helped tie up the White Fang.

"Then Torchwick calls in this weird woman, she had some kind of melt into shadows semblance." Nora groused as they reached the end. "She kicked one of my grenades right out of the air, and got him away before even Ruby could get them. Totally unfair."

Fiye scoffed from the other end of the table, "Unfair? You guys got to fight real terrorists! With Professor Arc! _That's_ what's totally unfair!"

"Yeah!" Isa agreed, "You guys led the morning news, all kinds of shots of you guys handing over tied up terrorists... and they had this adorable picture of Blake and that faunus lady."

"That," Weiss said, "Would be Blake's mother, she's visiting from Menagerie and it was an unfortunate coincidence she arrived when she did."

To Yang's surprise, Isa didn't really respond to that. She frowned at the mousy girl, and found her staring at something over her shoulder with a kind of glazed appreciation in her eyes. It was look she hadn't seen since...

"Wait." She felt her throat go dry. "...we _led_ the morning news? On VNN even?"

Meral had also noticed her teammates' expression, and absently turned around to see what she was looking at. "Yeah, why... oh. _Oh..._ this day just got so much better."

Yang's shoulders tightened a little. She knew those tones, those looks. A glance up and down the table confirmed most of her other friends had also noticed. The guys were getting their jealous on, while the girls were smiling vaguely and not blinking very much... and to her horror, she saw Weiss tilt her head as well, fixating on something moving in their direction.

"Yang..." Ruby' voice lowered to a whisper. "Please tell me I'm wrong."

"I don't think you are." She swallowed. "What's the escape plan?"

"Um..." Her sister offered. "Food fight?"

In a normal circumstance, Yang would have never in a million years thought of that as an option. But considering what was right behind her... she grabbed her plate, aimed, and threw it at her target without pausing to think about what she was doing.

The table went dead silent as Nora Valkyrie took a plate full of soggy, half-eaten pancakes to the face.

It stretched on for about ten seconds, then orange haired girl stood up as bits of food stuck to her features, half a pancake slowly sliding down to fall off of a cheek. No one spoke, but she saw Ren give her a look of absolute horror as he tried to slide farther away from his partner.

"All righty then!" Nora punched a fist into her free hand, grinning madly at Yang from beneath bangs soaked with maple syrup. "This means _war!_ "

* * *

Neo wondered where all of the sanity in the world had gone... then she wondered why _she_ was the one left wondering about that. It really seemed to say something bad about the planet, something rather ominous in fact. Maybe she and Jaune really were the last sane people left... if so, she needed to reconsider a few of her life choices.

She ducked and rolled to avoid a can of soda that exploded against a column, juggling her coffee cup and doing her best to avoid spilling any of the drugged contents within.

The cafeteria had exploded into an absolute war-zone, some students fleeing, but most forming up into their teams while seizing impromptu weaponry. Sausages were being thrown around with semblance enhanced power, butter knives met ladles grabbed from the serving line, and loafs of bread were being used like clubs. Gravy, juice, soda, and ketchup flew everywhere as they tried to trip, blind, or just annoy one another, leaving the footing utterly treacherous.

A quick sip of the ambrosia was all she had time for before several older students noticed her, and thanks to the fact that she and Jaune didn't work with anyone besides the first years, they promptly mistook her for one of their own.

Neo narrowed her eyes as the four hefted baguettes and charged. She was crippled by her need to defend her drink, but not so crippled as they no doubt hoped. Looping her leg through a stool, she kicked it at the front boy with a twirl that let her land atop a nearby table. His partner leaped over him, a long haired girl whose swing was met by a high heeled boot.

She quickly fell back, cradling the coffee to her bosom, using her legs to block the attacks and to kick food and debris up at the girl's face as she pursued her up onto the table, her face set in a fighter's grin as she came after Neo.

 _I am not in the mood for this!_

She'd been up all fucking night, wandering around in the ruins, trying to find any kind of clue and come up with exactly nothing. She'd just wanted coffee she didn't have to heat up and prepare herself... was that so much to ask!?

A wild swing let her do a quick back flip, carefully letting the cup set on the table as her hands planted on it, both heels coming up to drill into her opponents chin to fling her away. The girl promptly landed on another struggling duo who decided the interloper made a better target.

Neo scooped up her precious cargo, ducking a swing from someone else she didn't recognize, then tried to bolt for the nearest exit once more.

The two members of the team who'd blocked her remained, and seemed angered by what she'd done to their friends. One tossed his bread to the other, letting him pounce onto the table and rush her with two weapons. Her lips pulled back from her teeth as she retreated, eyes searching desperately for a weapon she could use.

She found it at the end of the aisle; another adult shouting pointlessly for everyone to calm down. Neo neither knew nor cared who he was, only that he was conveniently placed for her to hop over him from her high ground. He, a bizarrely handsome blonde man, had time to gape before she spun and kicked him in the sternum.

The blow picked him off of his feet and put his ass on the table. A moment later her pursuer's legs collided with his back, sending them both flying to the ground as she cleared out of the area.

 _First years... those brats know better than to bother me._ They could shield her and her coffee, until she could get to an exit and out of this asylum.

She slid past a girl trying to drown a boy in gravy, it wasn't going well due to the bowl's size but she gave her points for technique, and raced towards where she'd last seen the youngest students. It wasn't hard to spot them; they appeared to be the epicenter of the chaos.

"Miss Neo!" Rose abruptly appeared next to her in a flash of rose petals, holding up a serving tray like a shield. "We need to get out of here!"

Neo nodded empathetically in agreement with the too-nice girl, still clutching her coffee protectively. A blur in the corner of her vision made her duck just as the mohawked idiot came flying in with an airborne roll, kicking his feet at Rose's makeshift defense.

The little girl yelped and went flying backwards, Neo dodging in another direction as that fight raged on. She needed someone stronger, someone... there!

She wove around two older students, coming up on Nikos as the champion did a spinning kick to knock the punk haired girl into someone else. The redhead nearly kicked a serving tray in her direction, and only arrested the motion at the last moment, "I'm sorry!"

Neo irritably shook her head, ducking the taller girl's arms and planting herself behind her. There, now she was definitely safe, she could take a few moments to think of a proper plan to-

Nikos abruptly threw herself out of the way as Winchester came in with a can of soda in his hand. He missed his target, missed Neo... but did not miss the ceramic mug in her hands.

She blinked several times as both hot and cold liquid splashed over her, glancing down at her hands. There was... a handle in her right hand, but nothing else. There was supposed to be a mug there... she was sure of it. A mug filled with what she needed after her long night. Her very... very long, very, very boring night alone. The caffeine she needed to get through Jaune's classes before she could sleep.

Now... she just had a handle. And no coffee. No caffeine. No ambrosia to make her feel better.

"I... I..." The tall boy took a few slow steps back, dropping the broken remains of his soda can, holding his hands up. "I didn't mean to!"

Oh, and she was now covered in coffee... and purple soda... and she was wet. She hated being wet. It was incredibly uncomfortable. And her jacket was ruined.

"I really didn't! I swear!"

She she also knew exactly who was responsible for those things. The tall, increasingly panicky idiot in front of her. Yes... he would do nicely. Nicely indeed.

She beamed at Winchester.

The teenager registered her expression, blanched to a pale white, seemed to assess his options... and then turned tail and bolted.

 _Honestly... now you're just going to die tired._

Cracking her neck, then her knuckles, she kicked off of her back foot and set off in pursuit. He was slowed by Rose's return to the fray, nearly tripping as she blurred past him, and the stumble let her gain on him. He noticed, looking frantically over his shoulder, and ran smack into Xiao-Long when he wasn't looking.

The blonde whirled and decked him high on reflex, another can of soda exploding in her hand... letting Neo hit him low with sliding tackle. He went down with a yelp, landing hard as she came up on his other side. Absently ducking a second reflexive swing from Xiao-Long, she drove an elbow into the girl's gut to push her back, then darted towards her prey.

Winchester grabbed a fallen ladle as he scrambled backwards, frantically trying to block as she drove a fist at him. She diverted the punch, missing on purpose and letting her own momentum pull her into a spin. His own movement left him neatly aligned for her knee to come down on his crotch, and his high pitched yowl was entirely pleasant to hear.

Planting a hand on his chest, she used it as a pivot to spin back up and off of him, driving another knee into his cheek as she bounced away. Even in agony he had some skill, rolling with the impact and trying to come up to his feet.

Neo let him, smiling as he became upright... then sprinted straight at him. He expected another punch or kick, and flinched, letting her launch herself upwards and seize his shoulders with both hands. The boy's soda covered face gaped as her speed propelled her into a handstand on top of him, her right eye winking as she tumbled over, driving a heel right into between his legs as she came down.

He went down again, clutching at himself and groaning. "I give, I give!"

Give? She cocked her head to one side. He didn't have anything to give, he had no coffee to replace hers!

Neo started to bring her fist back, and then an ominous ripple of silence washed through the cafeteria. She paused at the sudden absence of sound, looking around until she saw the cause; Goodwitch and Ozpin had arrived, and were standing near the entrance. A flick of the woman's crop sent tables, chairs, and utensils flying everywhere, students scrambling to get clear as she repaired the room.

"I thought you children knew better than to play with your food." Her voice was easily audible in the terrified quiet. "Sit, all of you."

The students didn't need to be told twice, but she remained upright, instead simply stalking towards the two adults. She definitely wouldn't get to kill Winchester now, or even properly humiliate him. Life was so unfair...

"Miss Neopolitan." Ozpin frowned as she approached, "I wouldn't have thought an adult would be drawn into this kind of ruckus."

In response she held up the handle, all that remained of her mug.

He blinked at it, then his lips parted. "Ah, that was..? Yes, I quite understand."

Goodwitch made a disgusted sound, "I will never grasp... never mind. Who started this?"

Silence fell as the students did what they always did when confronted by authority; they closed ranks and simply sat where they were, dabbing at their clothes and pulling food out of their hair. When the older woman glanced at her, Neo simply shrugged; she didn't know, but she would have told them if she did.

They'd deserve it for ruining her morning.

Behind her, there was along groan, and everyone turned to see the blonde man she'd used as a distraction haul himself out from under a table. He was splattered in a dozen different kinds of liquid, and looked more than a little woozy as he got to his feet. "I don't remember breakfast being this dangerous."

"Then you have a very selective memory." Ozpin replied, sipping from his thermos and making Neo contemplate her chances of attacking him for it. "Not that I'm averse to seeing you old friend, but what are you doing here?"

"Well, I wasn't really happy to see my girls on the morning... wait, where are Ruby and Yang?"

* * *

 _ **Started off pretty dour here, so I'm hoping the slow incline into a bit of lighter material works.**_

 _ **Weiss remains conflicted but decides to give Blake a chance to prove her sincerity, Jaune deals with his mother and tries to cheer up Weiss, then Yang and Ruby start a food fight that leaves Neo furious. Because come on, Taiyang isn't going to be happy about his girls fighting terrorists and finding out about it on the morning news. He'll be popping in and out of the story as it moves along. I know there wasn't much Kali in this one, don't worry, she and Blake will get a good section in the next chapter.**_

 _ **This first semester turned out to be a bit more student heavy than I originally planned. Part of was because I realized I had to set the proper team dynamics into play given that Ilia replaced Jaune, and part of it was that I couldn't exactly have them find the vault right away. The core plot is going to start in earnest in the next semester as the exchange students start to arrive. I'm thinking that both semester 2 and 3 will be longer than 1, probably in the 20ish chapter range each, leaving the core story at about the same length as the original PA.**_

 _ **That may obviously change, I'm sure that my Mass Effect readers can tell you all about how horrible I am sticking to outlines.**_

 _ **As for the overall plot;** **For those worried that the Ilia poll/romance is going to take over the story... don't. As I said, it is a curiosity poll, for my own interest that may drive a one-shot later on. There will be some romance, we're dealing with hormone ridden teenagers for the most part, but it won't be the core focus of the story. For those hoping for more shifts from canon, those are coming... there just wasn't all that much room to veer off from the V1 plot. The major canon events will persist (the dance, mountain glenn, the festival), but the differences are going to grow as Cinder's plot runs into Jaune/Neo's, and as Ozpin starts making his own moves.**_

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	28. Semester I: Resumption of Normality

**Resumption of Normality**

* * *

"Wait." Jaune asked, "You're _not_ giving them all detentions?"

Ozpin waved a dismissive hand, his other holding his usual cup of Nirvana. "It was youthful exuberance, nothing more... and to be frank, we don't have the time or ability to put the _entire_ student body in detention."

"That's... a good point really." He admitted, stretching out his arms a bit as they walked. Neo had decided she wouldn't be helping him in class today after all, to his complete lack of surprise after he'd heard about what happened in the cafeteria. Which was fine, he was changing his lesson plans for the day anyway, and she definitely needed the sleep. "And you said that Yang and Ruby's dad showed up too?"

"Yes." The headmaster sighed in response, "I have also received calls from Mister Schnee and Mister Nikos, news travels fast in this day and age, at least to those who care to pay attention... or can afford to pay others to do so for them. Both left rather threatening messages."

Jaune felt an eyebrow go up, "Seriously?"

"Quite." He said in response, "Both men are rich and powerful, and are used to others obeying them for that reason alone... and that is putting it rather politely. Jacques all but threatened us with a dust embargo for 'daring to risk his heir fighting common trash'. I would much rather deal with Taiyang's over-protectiveness."

 _Huh... guess today is a sane day._

He'd gotten to know his erstwhile boss, and the man he was also sort-of working against. Some days, some moments, he was sharp as a razor, almost ominously so, and seemed able to read your very soul just by looking at you. It honestly creeped him out a little bit, made him wonder just how much Ozpin really knew about them, if their quest was as secret as it needed to be.

But other times... it seemed like all he wanted to do was drown himself in his drugged coffee while Glynda berated him and had to do all of the actual work. He'd seen Ozpin simply trail off mid speech into a coffee induced haze, ignoring his deputy even when she cracked her weapon over his knuckles to try and snap him out of it.

Jaune was honestly starting to wonder if he didn't have some kind of mental condition, and if bringing it up would be considered offensive or not. He'd started to try and research it in the different psychology books he'd picked up, but hadn't found anything that seemed to apply yet

"In either case, Taiyang is nothing to worry about." Ozpin continued, "His anger burns hot and fast, and with you there Jaune, his daughters were in no real danger. In either case he has his own school to teach at; he'll likely linger for the day and then depart."

Part of that was technically true, but definitely not for the reasons he thought. Hell, even with his deal with Roman they'd gotten extremely lucky that the White Fang had decided the job so simple they could send raw recruits on it. "I think you're overstating things a bit. I could barely keep Roman pinned down, never mind deal with everything else."

His boss actually smiled at him, "Jaune, your humbleness does you credit, but the student's reports were quite clear. You had him on the defensive from the start, and his primary goal was to escape and get away from you, something you would have prevented if not for his ally."

 _Yeah... because we arranged the fight to look like that. If we'd been serious he'd have kicked my ass._ "That ally, that woman... have we found anything?"

Ozpin's smile faded but he nodded, "Not much. A few references to a mercenary believed to be from Vacuo, but nothing concrete. Considering the state of that kingdom's records, it is not likely we will find out anymore without capturing or confronting her."

Jaune hummed, "Don't imagine that will be easy, if her semblance is shadow-stepping. Is there a way to stop people like that?"

"With great difficulty." The man shook his head, sipping from his coffee as a bird let out a mocking trill from a nearby tree. "It is an unfortunate fact of our world that not all semblances and power are distributed evenly, and those with the ability to teleport are often some of the most deadly individuals in the world. Aura inhibitors, such as those used in prisons, must be attached to them directly and are too bulky to be easily applied in combat."

"So.. how?"

"Generally speaking we utilize individuals who can restrain or immobilize them instantly or nearly so." Ozpin replied, "But semblances such as Glynda's are nearly as rare, and it takes her a great deal of effort, and dust, to lock a teleporter in place. It doesn't help that ambushing such individuals is generally the only way to disable them before they simply vanish even with such an asset."

Jaune nodded contemplatively, "So not difficult so much as nearly impossible."

"Quite." The Headmaster agreed.

Well, that was at least some additional knowledge. If he and Neo ever had to bolt, it meant they'd have to do it far from Glynda. He'd already considered that a good idea... but knowing that she might have the ability to stop them from fleeing turned it from 'a good idea' to 'imperative for survival'. "Well, if we run into her again, at least we'll know."

"Assuming we do." Ozpin noted, "Such individuals can demand extreme prices for their services, and it remains to be seen if Torchwick will have the assets with which to keep her in his employ."

That would normally have been true, if not for the fact that the person responsible was probably already asleep in their bed. In a perfect world they wouldn't have to re-use that disguise, but Roman had yet to get back to them about what was happening and if he'd be paying for more help from them. It was definitely possible he'd make them another offer they couldn't afford to refuse.

 _No, don't think about that. Focus on your job, on your quest. So long as those two stay on track, you can deal with Roman and this Cinder woman on the side._

"So," He asked, changing the topic, "Are you going to be observing me again? We'll be doing... something a bit different."

"Different?"

Jaune sighed, "After what happened on Saturday, I thought I should do a lesson on practical fighting."

Ozpin somehow managed to look both intrigued and regretful. "As much as I would prefer to supervise your lesson, I am due to meet with the Council to discuss the weekend's events. I trust you will continue your exemplary work."

 _Yeah... not sure that's going to apply today._ "I'll do my best."

"I'm sure you will." His boss gave him a pleasant smile, then said his goodbyes and departed down a side-path towards the Bullhead docks. Jaune watched him go, briefly contemplated asking Neo to use the chance to get into his office and snoop around... but considering how annoyed and out of it she'd been after her long weekend, he decided it could wait.

 _He'll have other meetings in Vale. We can be patient._

Walking to the part of the gardens that had become his outdoor classroom, he wasn't surprised to find nearly all of the first years already present and accounted for in their combat outfits, and Russel and Fiye came jogging into the clearing even as he arrived. What was a bit more surprising as the pair of adults present, both of them lingering near team RWBY to the amusement and interest of everyone else.

Yang and Ruby's dad proved to be a ruggedly handsome blonde, who was currently razzing his elder daughter, rubbing her hair and saying something about her trying to avoid him while she protested and tried to bat his hands away.

 _Great... the day I decide to teach them to fight dirty is the day the parents are watching._

"Morning everyone, sorry I'm late." He called, deciding to at least give Yang a little bit of help. "Everyone remember their backup weapons today?"

He got a vague chorus of 'Morning Jaune' in reply, along with students holding up their various new toys. Most were still using the ones from the school's armory, but a few had finished making their own or bought ones from the city. Ruby seemed to have finished hers, proudly hefting up a silver tube that unfolded into a short javelin when he glanced her way.

"Good, good." Jaune waved for them to stay seated, "I know we were supposed to do partner training today, but as I'm sure you've all heard about what happened this weekend... I'm changing things up a little. We'll call it a practical lesson in practical fighting."

There was a confused murmur form his students, and he didn't miss the way Xiao-Long's eyes narrowed from the back. He was probably old and experienced enough to have an idea where this was going.

"Pyrrha, please take a spot in the center over here. Ilia? I want you to come stand by me to observe." It was probably a sign of how unusual his lessons tended to be compared to everyone elses' that neither girl offered a comment at the odd instructions, simply standing up and trotting over dutifully. "All right. Whose team wants to volunteer to take on Pyrrha in a three on one match?"

To his complete lack of surprise the kids remained sane, and none of the team leaders held a hand up or so much as twitched. He made a show of pulling out his scroll and starting a randomizer, giving them one last chance that went unanswered. For once he actually _did_ randomize it, though he felt his stomach roll a little at the result, "All right... team RWBY, thanks for volunteering. Ruby, pick someone to remain out."

The four girls put their heads together, and after a few moments they left Yang on the sidelines. That made her father frown in puzzlement even as Jaune nodded in approval. The kids had learned, and they knew that Yang was about the _worst_ person on their team to go up against Pyrrha.

Ruby and Weiss could fight her somewhat at long range, and Blake at least could dodge and distract her for a while. Yang... didn't have the reach to hold her off or the speed to dodge, so she mostly just got pummeled. She'd gotten better at using her semblance to get at least a couple of hits in against Pyrrha, but the champion could hit back nearly as hard and Yang's semblance tended to burn her out fairly quickly.

"Everyone else, please back up a bit and give them some space. We're going to go with a no-gunfire rule for this one since there is a civilian observing... Cardin? Yang? Make sure nothing gets close to Mrs Belladonna." The big student nodded, his team shifting over near the adults without complaining while Yang moved a bit away from her dad and towards an interested Kali.

For their part, all four combatants nodded to show they knew the rules, and he continued, "Ruby, you get one minute to plan, let's call this a three minute bout."

"Um, Jaune?" Ruby asked, "What's the actual lesson? What's extra practical about it?"

"We'll get there, I promise. Treat it like a normal three on one scenario for now."

She nodded. "Ok!"

Jaune watched as they fell back and huddled up, and waited until they were talking before waving Pyrrha over beside him and Iia. Once they were close enough, he murmured. "You're going to cheat."

Pyrrha's mouth dropped open, but Ilia only lifted an eyebrow, "We are?"

"Yup." He answered, "Pyrrha, I want you to put on a good show, then fall back towards the tower. Ilia? Soon as the fight starts, wander over to Nora and Ren. The three of you are to jump them once they pursue her and have their backs to you."

"But..." Pyrrha blinked rapidly. "That's... not very honorable Jaune. Especially in class!"

"That's kinds of the point Pyrrha." He said, "Was Torchwick blasting dust into your eyes very honorable? I'd say it was because it kept you out of the fight and him out of prison. From this point on, I want you both to fight dirty."

The champion still looked incredibly uncomfortable. "...meaning?"

Ilia shrugged, "Pull their hair, trick them, punch them in their breasts, kick them in the groin, hit them from behind, throw dirt in their eyes... everything everyone rags on me for."

"Pretty much all of that." He agreed. "If you and your classmates run into criminals like him again, I want you all to be ready for what he might do... that means you have to train against it. I know it won't be very fun... but it's something you have to get used to seeing. You've seen Neo and I spar right?"

"Yes, you want us to fight like...?" Pyrrha bit her lip, then forced herself to nod. "Right... I don't know about... fighting dirty, but... cheating. I... _think_ I can do that. If you really think its necessary?"

"I do, you'll do great. You always do." Jaune gave her a confident pat on the shoulder, then checked his scroll. "Right, get back into place. Ten seconds."

She nodded and jogged back, drawing her weapons. Ilia watched her go, then paused, "Um, Jaune? What if Yang gets angry and jumps into the fight?"

"I recommend dodging." He suggested. "I won't be stopping her unless I'm about to end the fight anyway. I'll signal you when its time to go, so that way everyone knows I ordered it."

Ilia blinked a few times, then huffed out a breath. "Ok... yeah. This will be... fun."

He winked at her, then raised his voice as she jogged away. "Team RWBY, Pyrrha Nikos... begin!"

The students had come a long way in the month and half he'd been working with them. Instead of all rushing right at Pyrrha and letting her pick them apart as they got in one another's way, they split into two groups. Ruby shot off alone, and mindful of his no-shooting rule, she kept Crescent Rose collapsed and drew her unnamed javelin instead; ready to use her semblance to hit Pyrrha as soon as she had an opening.

Blake stayed back beside Weiss, protecting the heiress as Myrtenaster flicked out, calling up a trio of ice glyphs to send shards flying at the champion. Pyrrha knew better than to block them directly, that could pin her in place long enough for Ruby to hit her, and instead threw herself aside before rushing towards the isolated target. That was the advantage of teaching group tactics in two on one, three on one, and four on two scenario; it had also helped them learn how to fight when outnumbered. Pyrrha knew the moment they split apart that her best shot was to take out one of the three as fast as she could, then try and split the other two.

Ruby blurred to one side, trying to get Pyrrha to turn her back Weiss. Her opponent knew better, and instead fell back towards the tower's base, clearly feeling the inability to use her rifle. It was a bit quicker of a retreat than he'd thought she'd go for, but then again she was probably a bit disconcerted by what he'd told her and was simply trying to get it over with.

"Pin her!" Ruby's shout came as she moved to pursue, Blake and Weiss separating, the three spreading out to force Pyrrha up against the tower where she wouldn't be able to maneuver. Jaune saw Ren and Nora slowly rise when Ilia nudged them, and was about to wave them into motion when, to his and everyone's complete surprise, _Pyrrha_ broke the rules first.

Milo abruptly shifted into its rifle form, slotting into her shield as she fell into a shooter's stance, making RWBY slide to confused halts before she opened fire on Blake.

"Pyrrha!?" The faunus shouted, frantically blocking the shots while Ruby and Weiss just gaped at their opponent. "What are you doing!? He said no-"

Jaune lifted a hand and snapped his fingers, the sound audible even over the student's confused calls about what the hell Pyrrha was thinking and why wasn't Jaune stopping the fight!?

Ilia promptly took two steps forwards and cracked her whip out to full extension. Someone, Yang he thought, screamed Ruby's name just before the charged cord snapped against her back. The young leader yelped and spasmed as light flashed, her dark hair abruptly standing on end as she was flung from her feet.

The other students went from shouting to stunned silence as Ren and Nora charged in, Pyrrha flexing her weapon back to its sword form as she rushed towards Weiss. Blake stumbled back as Ren and Ilia converged on her, forcing her to dodge away from Weiss.

For her part, Weiss had simply been too startled to use her semblance before the champion was all over her, blade and shield knocking Myrtenaster from her hands before a leg sweep dropped her.

He started to step forwards to call the now four-on-one fight off when Ruby's down form abruptly exploded into a flutter of petals... and came straight at _Nora,_ who'd been focused more on where a red-eyed, fire-haired Yang was being held back by a father who looked nearly as angry as she was.

The orange haired girl never saw her coming, and went down like she'd been hit like a crimson meteorite from behind. Still, it was Nora, and she was hardly out of the fight. The young woman started to rise, clearly intending to throw Ruby off of her like a furious Ursa within a second or two... but in that second or two Ruby had grabbed Magnhild from where it had fallen and thrown it as hard as she could...

To Yang.

Her sister caught it on reflex, then her lips pulled back as tore her way out of her father's grip and charged towards the fight.

"Spar is over!" He shouted, and when Yang stutter-stepped but didn't stop, he darted forwards, catching her by the waist and spinning to kill her momentum before she could launch herself at Nora. "Yang!"

She stumbled as he let her go, eyes still red, "Jaune, they-!"

"Did what I told them to." Jaune kept his voice loud and his words slow, making sure everyone could hear as he tried to get through her anger. "That was the lesson. Let go of your semblance."

Yang needed a moment, closing her eyes and visibly clenching her fingers around the warhammer she was still holding onto... but when she opened them again, the red had faded to a calm lilac and the sparks of fire had stopped trailing from her ponytail.

He nodded in approval, clapping her shoulders gently before stepping back, "Let's get everyone up and their weapons back to them."

Nora had already hauled Ruby up, visibly fighting down giggles at the fact that the other girl's hair was still standing on end, and looking not at all bothered by losing her weapon. Pyrrha had similarly helped Weiss to her feet, while Ren returned Myrtenaster to her. At a few shooing motions, they all shuffled back to the other students and sat down.

 _Good sportsmanship on them... that probably helped calm everyone but Yang down a bit._

"All right." Jaune clapped his hands once they were settled. "I know you guys hate these kinds of lessons, where I set you up to fail... but sometimes you have to fail to learn. Yes, I told Pyrrha, and RAVN, to cheat. I did it because when you guys graduate, when you go up against people like Roman Torchwick and the White Fang... they aren't going to play by any rules. They're going to do things that you might consider unfair, dishonorable, cheating...whatever you want to call it. And if you're not ready for it, you're going to get hurt."

The grumbles and confused glares faded as he spoke... mostly. Yang and Ruby's dad still looked like he wanted to kill him, but that was probably to be expected. "I know a lot of you don't like the way I fight, the way Ilia fights. I've heard the phrases gutter-fighter, street thug, and dirty tricks being used. Once you all are out there in the real world... if you still think those are derogatory terms, I'm sorry to say that your careers won't be very long."

That earned him a few uncomfortable looks, and he grimaced, not liking giving this lesson any more than they liked hearing it. "We're not going to make this a regular full lesson, but I will be giving certain teams permission to cheat once in a while to keep you all on your toes like Ruby was. Ruby? Extra credit for playing dead, then having the sense to get your sister into the fight."

Ruby flushed a little as she tried to flatten her hair, "You... kind of gave it away by having Ilia come over by you without telling her to fight, but I thought it would just be her, then Pyrrha startled me with her gun so I wasn't really ready."

"Still very well done, and I guess I'll have to be more creative in telling people to cheat in the future." He laughed, honestly a little amused at the irony. "I want you, and all of the other team leaders, to think of creative ways to cheat, ambush, or otherwise trick each other in my class. I want everyone else to remember to always have someone ready to watch your backs. Even when it seems like you're winning easily."

Jaune paused, thought about it for a moment, then added, " _Especially_ when you're winning easily, and not just against criminals or bandits. Alpha Grimm _love_ to ambush huntsman when they're busy with little ones, just like that second Ursa Major tried at Forever Fall. Everyone remember that?"

Blake nodded and spoke up, "It tried to come around behind us... it might have managed it if Miss Goodwitch hadn't had Pyrrha out on the side."

"Right, and that's just one example," He exhaled a breath and thought of another learning spot, one Primula had planned for JNPR to research before the attack. "We're going to split up the homework. Team leaders, you guys get to come up with creative battle plans for a four on four involving deceit, cheating, or dirty fighting... so long as it doesn't break the fifty percent aura rule or cause actual harm. _That_ rule will never be broken, and I _only_ want cheating if I give you explicit permission all right?"

Nora promptly raised a hand, "Can I-"

"No, you can't cheat in other classes."

"Awwww..." Several others laughed as the dour mood broke a little more, and Jaune grinned as well before continuing.

"Everyone else, your homework for next week is a Grim analysis, I want you all to research a creature called a Beringel. They're native to Anima, and they are some of the deadliest Grimm around." He fought the urge to rub at his right shoulder in remembrance, "I've nearly been killed by them a couple of times. They're big, and they're tough, but what makes them dangerous is the fact that they can _think_ , at least as much as any Grimm seems able to."

A few students pulled out their scrolls, quickly jotting down the assignment, while the others simply nodded. He gave them a moment, trying to gauge the mood of the class. Nora's joke and his impromptu lecture had seemed to help, but several students, definitely including Yang, still seemed a bit tense.

"I think we can lighten things up from here." He made a show of checking his scroll for the time, "We still have two hours before lunch... so let's do some partnership drills. I want you all to pair up with another set from another team, do some light sparring with your backup weapons for an hour. I'll call class over at eleven, let you all get out of here early."

That dispelled most of the lingering thoughts, as he'd hoped it would, and most of the kids let out a ragged cheer as they started to get up and find sparring partners.

* * *

Kali sipped at her tea, watching as a middle-aged blond man glared at a young blond man while a raven cawed in the trees nearby.

"I can't believe you did that to them." Taiyang Xiao-Long, or Tai has he had requested she call him, was clearly biting back far harsher words. "You should have at least warned them what this was about, what kind of teacher are you?"

Jaune crossed his arms, leaning against Beacon's central tower. "Not all lessons are pretty."

"Pretty!?" Tai waved a hand, "Ruby's aura wasn't up at all, she could have seriously been hurt even without the lightning! She's probably got a giant bruise on her back, she's lucky that other girl pulled the blow enough to stop it from cutting her... and you didn't even check on her!"

The teacher glowered right back at him, clearly not used to people questioning his methods. "She was fine enough to jump one of the strongest girls in her year, and she seems fine now."

"Stuff like that isn't always immediate." Came the counter, "And way to ignore my point! You're really going to teach these kids to fight like that? You're going to make them paranoid and distrusting of each other."

"They'll be fine." Jaune's expressive blue eyes narrowed, "They do a lot of mixed work in my class, they're not going to start hating each other again. And yeah, I am. I'm teaching them how to fight outside of a sparring ring."

Kali took another sip of tea, trying not to smile. _It's like the last Council meeting, when Ghira and Fennec went at it over the militia budget..._

"And you're not even teaching them right now, you're letting them goof off." Tai continued, "Look, that girl there, with the short sword? She's not blocking right, why aren't you correcting that?"

The girl in question let out a surprised yelp when her opponent thwacked her on the wrist with a nightstick.

"Just did." Jaune replied. "And because I expect them to learn on their own time, and in Glynda's class. Technically I shouldn't even be letting them do one on one spars like this."

Tai turned to look over the students, and his scowl deepened when he saw his younger daughter's pairing. They, unlike most of the others, seemed to actually be doing group activities. The three of them watched as Ilia grabbed Ruby's hair and used her grip to jerk her between Ilia and the Schnee heiress, who drew up short at the partial hostage-situation long enough for Ilia's partner to attack the smaller girl.

"That was well done." Jaune nodded with every sign of approval as the girls split apart, evidently discussing what had just happened. "Ruby's solid, but she tends to get a little cocky with her semblance and Crescent Rose, gets too far away from her team. Having Ilia and Pyrrha knock her around a bit is good for her."

Ruby's father very obviously disagreed. "...you remind me of a woman I used to know. She thought constant fighting, hurting people, and being hurt was a good way to learn too."

"It works." Jaune shrugged. "You learn fast."

"That wasn't a compliment." Tai shook his head, "Even Qrow doesn't do things like this."

The younger man shrugged, "Ozpin and Glynda approve of the way I do things. That's good enough for me."

That didn't make the other man any happier, and he shook his head before stalking off without another word, heading towards where his older daughter was going up against a very tall boy in armor...Cardin, he'd introduced himself when he'd sheltered her during the spar. He'd been an interesting one, clearly uncomfortable around her, but had stayed to protect her from stray attacks all the same.

"He's worried for his little girls." She noted quietly, smiling as Jaune scowled at the man's back.

Jaune made an annoyed sound in his throat, "Yeah, but he doesn't have to be so antagonistic about it. You're not, and your daughter was about go up against four opponents at once."

It seemed an odd distinction, that he thought she should be more upset about her daughter facing impossible odds than Tai should have been about Ruby getting attacked from behind. She mused on that for a moment, taking another sip of her tea, then felt her smile become a little bleak, "I've... had some time to get used to the idea of my daughter being in danger. Compared to that, an unusual class seems a small thing to get upset about."

He went quiet for a moment, then ran a hand through his hair and gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, if today made you uncomfortable. I just want them to learn this kind of thing here, where it's mostly controlled and safe. Not when they're out there, not like... your daughter had to."

"I know." She reassured him, noting but not commenting on his hesitation. "And I think Mister Xiao-Long will come to realize that in time. He probably already does, but it can't be pleasant for any farther to see his daughter struck like that, huntress or no. But as you said... not all lessons are pleasant. Maybe some day children will not have to learn these ones, but until that day we have to prepare them for the world that is."

Jaune glanced at her, lifting an eyebrow. "...are you trying to steal my job, Mrs. Belladonna?"

Kali couldn't help but laugh, "So eager to quit, Mister Arc? I think a great many of these students would be upset if you did."

To her surprise his smile faltered, "I don't know why, my lessons don't seem very fun sometimes."

"Perhaps not," She offered, "But they are very different, and you called the lesson the moment your point was made. If nothing else I know you made my daughter think about what you said."

Jaune hummed, glancing towards Blake. "Your daughter... I'm going to do my best to help her, but I'm going to be honest... I'm not really sure how well it will go. Ilia seems easy compared to her."

Kali nodded slightly, watching as her daughter and her blonde partner sparred with Cardin and his own companion. Rather than Gambol Shroud, Blake held a pair of slim knives in her hands, and the mohawked boy seemed to be correcting how she was using them. "How do you counsel Ilia?"

"I mostly just poke at whatever she's angry about until she explodes and vents." He admitted somewhat sheepishly, "Then walk her through the logic of whatever it is until she calms down and thinks. Ilia has issues, but she doesn't hid them... practically carries a neon sign telling you about them. But Blake is..."

"Not terribly talkative?" She suggested, smiling. "She got that from her father, it takes him a great deal of preparation before he can make a speech. "

The young teacher shook his head and gave her a hopeful look, "Don't suppose you have any advice?"

She thought about it, lifting her cup to her lips once more, taking her time before replying. His classroom etiquette may have been odd, evidently odd even by the standards of Hunters, but he did seem to care about his students, even if he couldn't understand that they had begun to feel the same about him. For the apparent unfairness of his lesson, Jaune hadn't taken any pleasure in it, even seem remorseful that he'd decided it was necessary, and he had called it off the moment he was sure his point had been made.

He would do his best to help Blake... she felt sure of it.

"Patience." Kali suggested finally. "Blake has never found it in herself to trust easily, she was... exposed to the politics of the world, of our home, at an early age. Let her get to know you, relax around you. Maybe involve her partner in your sessions so she doesn't feel cornered or pressured. She's very stubborn and will set her feet if you push too hard."

Jaune nodded thoughtfully, clearly considering that. "She get the stubbornness from her dad too?"

Kali laughed again, "No, I'm afraid that is entirely my fault."

"You? Really?"

"What were your words to Miss Schnee? Ah, yes, 'you should have seen me when I was young'." She smiled as he laughed, conceding the point with a nod. She reached out and patted him on the arm, "I believe I am due at Bartholomew's classroom, I don't suppose you can spare Blake to show me the way?"

"Of course."

* * *

Glynda sighed, having known this was coming from the moment she'd seen him this morning.

"He's totally irresponsible!" Tai protested, the man pacing a hole into the floor of her office. "Even after his 'lesson' he didn't even teach them, or give them pointers. Just stood back and watched them mess around with weapons they barely knew how to hold onto!"

"Jaune is a firm believer in self and group teaching." She shook her head, leaving off the other matter. The young man was, for whatever reason, terrified of stepping on her toes and was extremely hesitant to give direct technique advice. That had become especially acute as the focus of his class continuously wavered between actual group work and areas that would normally be reserved for her own sessions.

She had attempted to reassure him on more than one occasion that she entirely approved of the students gaining a wider skill set, and that she didn't mind the directions he took his class, but he'd remained endearingly hesitant.

 _I will have to continue trying to convince him that I do not mind... The more their skills expand in his class, the more advanced and technical I can get in mine after all._

"He prefers the students learn from one another, or that they seek out accomplished users of their weapons." She leaned back in her chair, "An attitude I can find no fault with."

Tai continued to scowl, "And what about having that whip girl zap Ruby from behind in the middle of a fight? And not even checking on her after!?"

Glynda sighed again, "I will admit the lesson unorthodox, likely startling for Miss Rose, and unpleasant for you to witness... but you can't fault his motivation. As to the other matter, he no doubt believed her to be fine, and that Miss Xiao-Long would force her to Tsune's office if she so much as coughed."

He shook his head, still pacing. "Are all of his lessons like that?"

"Of course not." She answered, "Most are actually very relaxed, at least compared to my own. He usually has them practice a group tactic for no more than a minute, often even less before beginning a class-wide discussion on what was attempted. But... once and a while he feels the need to teach them a harder lesson."

And compared to his very first class, this was a fairly gentle one. She shuddered to think what Tai would have though had been present for _that_ event, particularly the dressing down that Jaune had given his blonde daughter in the aftermath. Then were there times when he felt a team was getting too... 'proud' was the word he used, and would have them try out a tactic against himself and his partner rather than another team.

"Further," Glynda continued, "Considering that _your_ school allowed Qrow to teach combat lessons to far younger individuals than Jaune is, I'm not sure what moral leg you have to stand on."

"...I just knew you were going to bring that up." Tai complained, but from the way he waved a hand he accepted the point. "I don't exactly approve of his teaching style either, even if it does work out more often than not."

Glynda shook her head, "You're simply upset that your daughters aren't your students anymore, and you're still emotional over finding out that they were involved in combat against terrorists."

"Well..." Tai's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, you're probably right. I'm not really surprised Yang didn't tell me about it, but I thought Ruby would. They both said they didn't want to worry me, but how can I not? Making my morning coffee and see my daughters standing around with a bunch of handcuffed terrorists, both of them looking roughed up? Can you blame me?"

"No," She tried to remain somewhat tactful, "But rushing to their school right after was likely not the best decision either."

"You're just annoyed Yang started that food fight and then got away with it."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, "...to some degree, yes. Ozpin is already being overly lenient with one of the second year teams, I had thought he'd picked his chosen and her escorts."

Tai's own blue orbs narrowed. "I don't like what you're implying Glynda. What do you know?"

"That he may be trying to keep his options open." She shook her head, "I don't believe he wishes for either of your daughters to take Amber's place, but he may be considering bringing them into the fold when the time comes."

The man's expression became... complicated. A war between pride that his daughters were so skilled, had such potential, such obviously good hearts that Ozpin would consider it... and fear for what it would mean for them, memories of how it had destroyed his team and first marriage, and led to the death of his second wife.

"I don't know if I like that either." He admitted quietly.

"Neither do I." She responded, rising from her desk. Tea would help settle her emotions, it always did. "The last few years have been... tense. The political situation in Vale has begun to deteriorate in regards to his position, and so many of our generation are retiring, or are simply unable to continue as you are."

Tai followed her towards the kitchen, "I'm more open now, but I get your point. It's pretty much just me and Qrow these days. Has... he tried to get a hold of Raven?"

"Yes." Glynda pursed her lips as she opened a cabinet, "He had Leo send someone, and it went as well as you would expect."

Raven's former husband hesitated before speaking to her back, "...I've thought about going after her."

She froze as her fingers wrapped around a glass, "Tai... I don't believe that's a good idea."

"It's a terrible idea." He agreed, "But you can't tell me she'd willingly see anyone but me or Qrow, and the two of them would start brawling inside of five minutes. Maybe I can't convince her to come back, but... if she even agreed to pass on information that would be something."

Glynda pinched the bridge of her nose without turning around. She'd only met him near the end of his relationship with Raven, before she had vanished, and she'd never quite understood what he'd seen in the woman.

 _But... he has a point, and we need all of the allies we can get against Salem._

Especially since Ozpin and James's relationship continued to sour, as Leo's messages became fewer and farther between, and Vacuo remained... well, Vacuo.

Things were happening in the world, things that even ten years ago they would have had a greater awareness of. Now... the White Fang was openly attacking targets within the city without anyone knowing they were present, even coordinating with a fallen huntsman as they did so. Two of their own trusted huntsman had vanished in western Vale, and then Amber had been viciously assaulted when she had gone on her own to check on them... leaving their most powerful asset in a coma she would never wake up from.

Salem had begun to put a great deal of effort into not only dividing them, but also quietly blinding them. Peter's generation was dying out on its own, age and the career taking its toll, and Bart and Tai's had been grievously wounded by Mountain Glenn. Her own was becoming increasingly embittered, tired of shouldering a burden that few seemed to recognize, and those few bright souls all too often went mysteriously missing.

Worse, as the quiet war raged on, far from the great cities and their large populations, it seemed like there were fewer and fewer new huntsman to replace the old.

"We're... losing this war, Glynda." Tai said quietly into the silence. "She's cutting us apart, and strangling us to death one at a time. Vacuo might as well be gone, and it seems like Vale is next. I don't like the idea of asking Raven and her tribe for help anymore than you do, anymore than Qrow does... but I like the idea of Yang and Ruby on the front lines of this fight even less."

Glynda exhaled slowly, then nodded as she turned, busying herself with making tea. "You don't intend to ask Ozpin for permission then."

"No, I... already took a leave of absence from Signal. I was going to hold for a bit, but after Saturday... think I'll leave as soon as I can."

"And your daughters?"

He shrugged, "I'll tell the girls I'm going on a mission, but I think I'll leave the details out for now. I don't want to get Yang's hopes up." He paused for a moment, "I'm... also probably going to leave Zwei here with them, there a rule on dogs?"

"I don't think we ever saw the need to make one." She sighed. "I would wish you good luck but I don't think it will help."

"...you really ought to leave the motivational speeches to Peter, you're not any good at-"

A dishrag slapped against his mouth before he could finish the sentence.

* * *

"Mom, I'm just saying I think you should be careful." Blake sighed as they walked back towards the dorm building after they'd shared a quiet dinner together.

It had been... weird, to have her mother around for even just a few days. It had been so long since they'd seen each other, since they'd even properly spoken. She'd... expected more anger, more concerned talks, more hovering.

Instead... she'd been given space. Her mother had acted as if they'd just been at home together yesterday, that this wasn't anything more than a common parental visit to her daughter's boarding school. Kali had spent most of her time with Doctor Oobleck, evidently talking to the older students about life in Menagerie, and then had taken Blake and her team out to dinner Sunday through Tuesday. She'd laughed at Yang's puns, encouraged Ruby to tell stories of her adventures on Patch, and, to Blake's utter confusion, had even established some kind of positive relationship with Weiss.

Today had been their first mother-daughter outing alone, without the rest of RWBY, but even it had been... gentle. Quiet. Peaceful even.

 _I don't know how she's doing this, how she's just forgiving me... but I know she's in danger because of me, because of how I left, what I did on Saturday. I know that I would never forgive myself if something happened to her._

"If the White Fang finds out you're alone they might do something and try and pin it on the Humans." She tried again to make her see it.

Her mother sighed, "Sienna would never stoop to such things."

"Other people would." She countered, "Especially if they think you're going to tell Sienna about them working with Torchwick."

"Of course I am." Kali replied, "Blake, I'm not dismissing your fears, but I can't stay in Vale either. Your father needs me at home, and you can't escort me there and back in the middle of a school year... and you are _not_ dropping out to do so."

Blake felt her teeth click shut. Even after everything her mother could still read her mind... "Maybe hire a huntsman then? A human one?"

"You need a huntsman?" A male voice interrupted them, making them both twitch their ears and turn to see Yang's father walking their way, evidently visiting once more. Yang's extremely handsome, overly nice father who always seemed eager to tell cute and embarrassing stories about his daughter. "For what?"

"Noth-"

"Blake thinks I may need an escort back to Menagerie." Kali spoke over her, smiling as Blake's ears flattened. "She's afraid the White Fang may attempt to kill me and pin the blame on humanity to stir up trouble, and to stop me from speaking to Sienna Khan about what is happening here."

"Oh." He cocked his head a little. "That's a bit paranoid young lady, but... I could see it happening, sad as that is to say."

"Thank you." Blake replied, "I... don't suppose you know someone who might not charge very much?"

"Blake, I will be-"

"Yeah, me." It was Taiyang's turn to interrupt her, jerking a thumb at his own chest. "I'm actually headed to Mistral on a mission soon. If you think you can arrange a boat from Menagerie to the southern coast of Anima, I can get you there, won't be all that far out of the way."

Blake perked up at once, looking severely at her mother. Kali looked back at her, took in her expression, and then sighed. "If you're sure Mister Xiao-Long? When do you intend to leave?"

"Well, I was thinking tomorrow to be honest." The man admitted. "Mind if we talk inside? Want to tell the girls I'll be dropping Zwei off in the morning."

 _Zwei?_

She blinked and glanced at her mother, then at him, but when he didn't really explain she just shrugged and turned towards the doors. As they headed inside, Blake could feel something ease in her chest, felt herself relaxing. Knowing Yang and Ruby, there was no chance that their father would be anything but as good hearted as they were. If Torchwick or the White Fang tried anything on her way home, he'd keep her safe.

 _And then maybe she and dad can get to the bottom of what's really going on here._

There would still be a lot she could do, that she _had_ to do here as well, but at least she would know that she wouldn't be alone in investigating what was going on.

The door to their dorm was open, Nora lounging against it as they approached, "...just sayin', I'll hand it over for pancakes, just not lien Ruby."

"I don't even know how to make pancakes!" The other girl protested from somewhere inside.

"Then I guess you're not getting me to help you cheat in Jaune's class." Nora grinned, noticing them approaching. "Oh hey, Blake's back. Remember, one hundred pancakes!"

"We know." Ruby tried to put a growl in her voice, but it just made the other girl laugh as she walked back across the hall to her own dorm.

Blake just shook her head as she reached the doorway, stepping inside to find the others in their usual spots; Yang and Ruby on their beds, Weiss at her desk. "What was that about?"

"Nora," Weiss said without looking up, "Claims that RAVN managed to get a hold of Professor Arc's class plans and are willing to sell it to us. Ruby offered her lien, she demanded pancakes."

"Wait." Mister Xiao-Long spoke as he came in behind her, "Ruby, you tried to _buy_ stolen goods from another student?"

Ruby paled, "Uhh... hey dad, what are you doing here?"

"Ruby!"

"She never said they _stole_ them!" His daughter defended herself with a squeak, "Just that they had them! And Yang was the one who said we should get them!"

"What!?" Said blonde promptly shouted, "I wasn't even involved in the conversation!"

"Yang!"

Her mom laughed as she slid into the room, taking care to close the door. "Never a quiet moment on team RWBY, is there?"

"No." Weiss sighed, setting her pencil down. "As much as your daughter and I might wish otherwise."

Blake fought the urge to bite her lip. That was... pretty typical Weiss these past few days. Mixing kind and even familiar words and phrasing with an almost childish avoidance of mentioning her name, or inferring that the two were even remotely close. She'd become 'Belladonna', 'Your daughter', 'Yang's partner', or simply 'you'... she was never 'Blake' anymore.

She'd honestly expected worse, expected Weiss to refuse to have anything to do with her, to demand her expulsion, so this was practically tame in comparison to her fears. And she wasn't going to lie to herself and put this on Weiss. This was entirely a situation of her own making, something she'd known would happen from the moment she'd ended up on this team. Something she'd avoided for... a lot longer than she should have.

But it still surprised her by how much it hurt.

It didn't help that Ilia remained rather frosty as well. She'd accepted Blake's apology, and things were noticeably less tense between them, but they'd grown apart these past few months. They may have been on polite speaking terms now, but Ilia made no secret of the fact that she preferred to spend time with Pyrrha and Ruby.

Blake thought they could be friends again, but she knew they'd never be as close as they'd used to be.

"All right," Mister Xiao-Long held his hands up as Ruby and Yang spoke over each other, defending themselves and casting blame in a confusing blur of voices. "All right, I'll let it go, just... be good, all right?"

That got Yang's attention, "Be good? What are you even doing up... wait. Do you have a _mission_?"

"As a matter of fact I do." He seemed to puff up proudly, "In south-western Anima even. But before that, I'm going to make sure Kali here gets back to Menagerie."

That got everyone else's attention, particularly Weiss. "You believe she needs an escort?"

"I do." Blake said quietly, taking a seat on her bed. "I don't know what's happening to the White Fang, what they're becoming... but I don't think she should take any chances."

"And I agree." Taiyang nodded, "I'm going to be gone for a couple of weeks, thought I could tell you in person."

Ruby frowned, biting her lip. "You're going to send us messages right?"

"Of course. Postcards too." He smiled, walking to her bed, reaching up to ruffle her hair when he got there. "Promise. You girls need anything, Qrow will be in town, just send him a message. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, all right?"

Yang snorted, "So we should try and seduce Weiss and Blake?"

... _what!?_

The man sputtered, while the two girls in question stared at the blonde with wide eyes, and Kali covered her mouth in amusement.

"No! I mean, unless you're... I mean, if you're into other... I won't judge... dammit Yang, stop acting like Qrow!" His daughter cackled, falling back into her bed, rocking around somewhere above Blake as she howled. "... I really don't know where I went wrong with you. All right girls, I'll be by in the morning to drop off Zwei. Take care of each other, and him, all right?"

"We will dad." Ruby promised.

Blake looked over to her mother, and saw her smile, "I'll come by as well to say goodbye, and if you want write a letter to your father..."

She sighed, "I'll.. try, mom."

"Thank you dear." Kali smile widened, and she walked over. Blake felt her cheeks heat up a little, but she got up and hugged her all the same. She felt her mom kiss her right ear, making it twitch a little as she murmured. "I love you dear, and you father and I proud of your choice to come here."

Blake closed her eyes... and just held her mother close.

* * *

 ** _This chapter ended up with more serious sections than was intended, apologies for that, hopefully the small moments make up for some of it. Next chapter will be the short break between semesters one and two, with a focus on Jaune, Neo, Pyrrha, and possibly Cinder_**

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	29. Break: New Beginnings

**New Beginnings**

* * *

Pyrrha abruptly realized the flaw in her plan when she reached Jaune's office and saw that the little light next to the door was red rather than green.

"Oh." She murmured, resisting the urge to hit herself over the head. _It's a holiday, of course he's not available..._

For most students, the week long break between semesters was a great thing, a time where they could go home, relax, get away from school and work. Nearly all of the first years were gone, and even those without nearby families had often been invited to stay with friends. Yang and Ruby, out of some desire to see Ilia and Blake's friendship repaired, had tricked both into individually agreeing to go with them to their Uncle's condo since their father was gone.

She was also fairly sure that Yang had blatantly lied to Blake about their adorable Corgi being present.

Weiss had declined the offer, deciding instead to take a hotel in town, but had agreed to spend time with them anyway. Pyrrha had been invited as well, and had been about agree to when she'd realized that their uncle's home was in downtown Vale... ie; the place she'd avoided at all costs since moving to Beacon. And, since Nora and Ren had decided to stay at school, it wasn't as if she'd be alone, so she'd politely declined.

And it had given her a chance to finally follow Ilia's advice and talk to Jaune about her familial problems... or at least, that had been the plan.

 _Now what do I do?_

Nora had dragged Ren to the arcade in the CCT mall, and while Pyrrha wouldn't mind spending time with them, she wasn't sure if she was willing to to brave it after what had happened the last time she'd gone over there.

 _Maybe I could disguise myself...?_

It couldn't be that hard, maybe a hat and some sunglasses. She was in her school uniform rather than her distinctive armor so that was already taken care of. So long as she was careful about talking with people or getting close to them...

Still, she couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. She'd spent most of the morning working up the nerve to even get this far, and to see that little red light had deflated her rather badly. Behind her, she heard the sound of a door clanging shut, and jumped a little when Professor Port's booming voice echoed in the hallway.

"Ah, Miss Nikos! What are you doing up here on this fine day?"

She quickly whirled around, finding the professor standing in front of his own office, his unusual weapon hefted up on a shoulder.

"I..." Pyrrha coughed quietly, "I was hoping to speak with Professor Arc, but it seems that he isn't in."

"Jaune?" He glanced at the door, "Ah, he and little miss Neo must still be training. He mentioned they'd be in the arena at breakfast this morning."

"Oh, well if he's busy I don't want to be a bother-"

"Nonsense," He waved her off, "Jaune always has time for his students, he's a good lad. Now, if you'll excuse me, there's an old Beowolf and his pack who need to be introduced to dear Lola here."

Pyrrha fought down a smile as he bounced his weapon on his shoulder, an almost eager grin appearing beneath his gray mustache. For a brief moment she could see the young, bold hunter he must have been before he turned away, humming to himself as he headed off.

 _The training arena..._ Biting her lip, she thought about it for a few moments, _No, you decided to do this, and you know that he was right. Jaune won't mind the company._

Her mind made up, she got her legs moving, heading for the stairs. It didn't take her long to get outside, seeing Professor Port already heading for the cliffs. Doctor Oobleck seemed to appear out of thin air to walk with him... then, strangely, the school's actual Doctor appeared, her bushy tail flicking eagerly as she caught up with the other two, silver glinting in one hand before she attached some kind of weapon to her belt.

Pyrrha slowed her pace to watch them, hearing Port laugh at something Miss Tsune said. All three looked... at ease, comfortable with the other's company, and looking forwards to their mission.

 _Team RAVN will be like that when we graduate... I know we will. We're already getting there._

Resuming her trek, she took the next left, heading for the long hall that was the western part of the school, and the circular training arenas that were attached to it. The first two proved to be locked and empty, but the third was open, letting her see actual sparks flying as Jaune and Miss Neo fought one another with their blades actually drawn.

She glanced up on reflex to check their auras, and felt her lips part in shock. _They aren't using the system?_

That was incredibly dangerous considering that neither seemed to have their scrolls on their wrists, they had to operating entirely based on the feel of their aura. It was even more dangerous with how fast the two were moving. Especially Jaune, who didn't look like he should be as agile as he was.

Biting her lip again, she cautiously slid into the room, trying to stay out of their view so as not to distract or startle them, taking the chance to watch two professionals in earnest action.

They both fought in an unusual hybrid style she wasn't entirely familiar with. The base seemed to a defensively minded Vacuan martial art she'd seen once or twice, one that emphasized counter-attacks and avoiding risks. They had obviously adapted it to include bladed weaponry, and added a large number of less than honorable maneuvers as well.

But there was also a kind of... familiarity to it. Not to the style, but they way the fought one another. Like it was a routine they'd done a million times before, like she had felt after so many years with the same training coach. More than that, their style was obviously complimentary and eerily similar, as if they had both been taught only the one way of fighting from the exact same teacher.

The only real difference seemed to be how they it adapted to their body's strengths. Miss Neo was far more acrobatic, using spins, whirling kicks, and even handstands as she moved. Jaune was a beat slower, and used power punches, shoulder charges, and lower kicks instead.

The fight ended when Neopolitan noticed her lurking in the back, and abruptly did two consecutive back-flips to get away from a heavy slash and held her hands up in some kind of signal.

"What?" Professor Arc stumbled a little just as he'd been about to rush after her, then looked around while wiping sweat out of his eyes. "Oh, Pyrrha! Hey!"

"I'm sorry!" She called back, "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Nah, it's fine. We've been at this all morning anyway." He sheathed his sword with an absent minded motion, his partner doing the same before both adults headed for where a few bottles of water and towels had been left on a bench.

Not sure what else to do, Pyrrha walked over as well, fighting the urge to fidget with her hands like Ruby might.

"Oh that's better..." Jaune groaned after he had collapsed, guzzling down half a bottle of water. "So, what's up? Thought your whole year was out on the town."

"Most of them are, yes." _You can do this... just say it!_ "I was... Professor Port told me you'd be here, I was... hoping to talk with you. About... sparring!"

Blue eyes blinked at her, as did mismatched brown and pink ones.

"I... know I have a really hard time with the less honorable moves you tried to coach us in two weeks ago," She babbled, in too deep to recover. _Coward! Coward, coward, coward!_ "But I thought if I sparred with you and Miss Neo, that I could at least be more ready to face people who use them."

The two exchanged a look before Miss Neo rolled her eyes, and made a quick series of gestures with her hands. Jaune watched them, pursed his lips, then smiled a little. "What did you think of our fight just now? Give us your honest, championship level critique."

Pyrrha blinked a few times. "Well... you're both obviously very skilled, and you use a hybrid gutter style based on a Vacuan tribal counter-attacking art. You're far better at it than the few opponents I saw who attempted to utilize the base version, but... I'm... not sure how but you almost seem to have nearly identical maneuvers, which is very odd given your different statures. And..."

Jaune smile widened, "Go on."

"..I think you're a little too familiar with each other." She realized how that sounded and rushed to clarify, "I mean in terms of fighting, at times it seemed like you both knew what the other would do before they did it. I think you could do with finding other opponents."

He hummed, "We were thinking about that just the other day... how about we make a little deal."

"A... deal?" She asked.

"A deal." Jaune nodded. "You and Neo can do some hand to hand for a while, get loose and relax. You'll learn to watch for below the belt hits, she'll get someone new to spar with... and after that we can talk about whatever you're _really_ here to talk about."

 _Oh dear._.. _was I so obvious?_

She could hardly refuse, given her stated request and her actual motivation, and so while Jaune locked the doors for privacy and then relaxed on a bench, she found herself sparring with Miss Neo.

It was... a unique experience.

Pyrrha had thought her fast and agile just from watching her, but actually trying to hit her had driven home just how quick and experienced the older woman was. She'd found herself wondering if this was how everyone else felt, trying to fight her, becoming frustrated at being unable to land hits.

Eventually she landed a few, once she worked out the proper way to do so. Neopolitan's style relied on counter-attacks, and so she'd ceased committing to heavy strikes and instead focused on quick, baiting moves of her own. She was still badly outclassed without Milo and Akuo, by itself a surreal experience, but after a horrible ten or so opening minutes involving being swung around by her hair, being kicked in both sides of her chest, and almost taking a punch to her kidney when Neo had gotten behind her, she managed to remain largely upright... if not unhurt.

Miss Neo's reaction to the entire thing was interesting as well.

She'd started off clearly bored and a little tired, obviously indulging this only because Jaune had asked. That had changed when Pyrrha had landed her first blow, recognizing a two-kick punch combination that Neo had already used before. Her right hand had lashed out, her palm slamming into her petite nose and snapping her head back. Pyrrha had kept her opponent on the back foot for nearly a minute before she'd recovered, landing several punches to Neo's torso and arms in the process.

Both of Neo's eyes had snapped from a dull brown to an excited pink a moment later, and she'd come flying back at Pyrrha with an almost manic grin on her face. Evidently what had come before had been just the warm-up, because the remainder of the fight had seen Pyrrha scrambling to avoid getting hit in places she'd rather not be.

Jaune called it after about thirty minutes, when Pyrrha had desperately tried a high kick, and gotten her down leg whipped out from under her for the effort. "I think that's enough ladies."

Pyrrha just groaned from her place on the floor, the seldom felt shame of defeat trying to well up even as she tried to fight it off. _It wasn't a match... it was training... just training... and I was unarmed..._

She got up slowly, repeating her mental mantra to stay calm, pulling her loose hair out of her eyes as she did. Once she was upright, she put her hands on her knees and tried to gulp down as much air as she could, noticing Miss Neo stretch and grin, evidently entirely pleased with what had just happened.

"I'm sorry Pyrrha," Jaune spoke as he watched the two of them, "But I think Neo likes you. Not often she actually gets to go all out in a spar with someone who isn't me, at least not for more than a few minutes. You learn anything?"

"...high heels... hurt." She answered, shaking her head a little, resisting the urge to rub her aching chest in front of them. "...and I need to be... careful about my hair."

He laughed and tempted her over with a bottle of water. She tried not to look too eager as she took it, her pride recovering a little when she saw Neopolitan collapse beside Jaune, evidently far more exhausted than she looked. Pyrrha allowed herself to do the same on his other side, her uniform sticking to her skin as she guzzled the cold liquid.

"Relaxed?" He asked once she'd caught her breath and finished her water.

Strangely... she was. The fading adrenaline from the fight and the pleasant weariness in her muscles left her relaxed, and her mind clearer than it had been when she'd arrived. "Yes, thank you."

Jaune smiled, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Pyrha considered how to answer... then started at the same place she'd started with Ilia. "I hate my parents."

His smiled faded into a confused stare, bright blue eyes blinking a few times. "...all right, that's a bit more blunt than I thought you'd be. Do you... want to tell me why?"

She did, the words coming out in a slow but steady torrent, telling them about her life in Mistral. Of her parents desperate efforts to reclaim the fortune that her grandfather had lost, to live the way the Nikos had for centuries. Their discovery of her semblance, her enrollment in every manner of fighting class and tournament, days of ten or twelve hours of combat training.

The constant barrage of words, the reminders that if she failed, her family would fail with her.

How it had been fun at first, a challenge, a place she'd found acceptance. Then with each win... the pressure to keep winning had mounted, the fewer people had wanted to know _her,_ and the more who'd just wanted to bask in the Invincible Girl's spotlight and wealth. How she'd gotten so sick of endless hours of training, of being mobbed every time she went outside, of parents she only saw at public events and in the balconies at her fights.

How she'd she'd tried to quit, only to be dragged into her father's office to be told how in debt they were, how she _couldn't_ quit. How they'd lived beyond even the fortune she had won for the family. That she didn't have a choice, that this was the life she was destined to live, that it would work out if she just continued, that she'd understand.

How they'd arranged everything with the headmaster at Haven to let her fight in the adult circuit even in school, how excited they'd been about the greater fame and winnings, how they'd never once asked if that was what she wanted.

"I applied to Beacon on my own, without them knowing." She told them as she finished her story, "Headmaster Ozpin called me personally to approve, and the day I turned seventeen... instead of going to the birthday gala my parents held, I went to the airship docks and left for Vale."

Jaune and Miss Neo had listened quietly, only interrupting once and a while for clarity, but largely letting her get it off her chest at her own pace. His expression was grim, even close to angry, and his partner's was almost unsettlingly flat.

"Well..." The Professor shook his head as she finished. "...here I thought I had parental issues. They really spent it all?"

"All of it and more." She shook her head, curling her fingers around the wood of the bench they sat upon. "And after the docks... I think they paid someone to get my scroll number."

His eyes narrowed, "They called you?"

"Yes, I hung up as soon as I heard mother's voice, but they also messaged me." Pyrrha answered, "I blocked the numbers and deleted them without doing more than glancing at each, but it looked like about what I expected."

Jaune's eyes narrowed, "Money related?"

"That and appeals to familial honor." Her left shoulder twitched. "Mistral is very traditional in that way, far more so than Vale, or even Atlas. Children are expected to provide for their parents to a certain degree, once they are old enough, and families are expected to stand together."

Neopoliton made a quiet huffing sound that might have been a snort, while Jaune looked disgusted. "Gods, tell me they didn't threaten you?"

Pyrrha winced. "Not... directly, no."

Blue eyes hardened. "Pyrrha..."

"They don't threaten me, nor have they ever tried to strike me or anything like that." She quickly shook her head, "It's more..."

Neopolitan shook her head, her hands making quick gestures and rolling motions that the professor translated, "Emotional manipulation. She guesses that they beg you, maybe tell you horrible stories, say that they love you and that things will be all right if you just win one more tournament. That things will change after that."

"I... yes, something like that." Pyrrha looked down at her feet, easily picturing the old armor covering her legs. "Father likes to speak of the Nikos family, of our honor, our place in Mistral's history. That I have a duty to uphold it."

Jaune snorted, making his opinion of that clear enough. She tried to smile, but couldn't manage it as her next question just tumbled out. "Professor... Jaune, am I doing the right thing?"

There was an almost confused pause, "In what, ignoring them?"

She nodded. "I... hate them. I'm not stupid, they made sure I was educated by the best... which means I know what they did to me. That my... how I am is the result of how they raised me, but... they're still my parents. And they aren't evil, they're just-"

"Scum." Jaune interrupted, making her head jerk up. The normally kind man's arms were across his chest, and he repeated himself as she gaped at him. "I have no idea how people who could do that to their daughter still managed to make a person like you Pyrrha, but call them what they are. They're scum, and you're right to ignore them. They don't deserve to ever talk to you again."

"But... Jaune-"

"My parents did something once, did something..." He looked at his partner, whose normally lazy expression had become equally as grave. "...I still haven't forgiven them for. But _they_ at least had a good reason for what they did, they cared about me as a person, they didn't see me as a cash cow or an honor coupon."

"I..." She swallowed, a memory stirring, of him telling them where he'd been from. Where is family was... and how she'd thought it odd that he hadn't ever mentioned visiting them. "...what did they do?"

"They... tried to protect me, when I didn't need it." Jaune said after a moment. "It almost ruined my life, could have even, if not for my team, and for Neo."

"They helped you?"

His grim expression actually shifted to something close embarrassed, "...something like that."

Pyrrha blinked and glanced at his partner. The short girl smirked, flicked her thumb as if removing something, then mimed drinking as if from a bottle. "Oh. I... can see how that might help, but I don't think that-"

Neopoliton lowered her arms, then smirked and hugged them around her own chest before blowing Jaune a kiss.

"Um... I don't really need to know if-"

Neo ceased holding herself, and made a circle with one hand, bringing two fingers up with the other before pushing them back and forth through the hole.

Pyrrha felt as her cheeks turned the color of her hair, and her voice came out rather more high pitched than normal as part of her mind automatically imagined a tired, wounded Jaune having his shirt slowly removed by... _No, don't go there, don't!_ "I get it! I get it!"

"Really Neo..." The professor groaned, sounding almost as embarrassed as she. "Stop that, and please stop implying that she should get drunk and find someone to take to bed."

The woman rolled her wrists and shrugged, smirking and clearly proud of herself even as Pyrrha's face inflamed even further.

Jaune shook his head, "Yeah, I know you broke the mood and distracted her, it's the _way_ you did it that I'm complaining about."

Neopolitan stuck her tongue out at him, clearly unrepentant, then followed it up with more gestures.

"I am not ungrateful!" He protested, "I know you're trying to help even though you're not getting paid for it. It's called being a good person and helping someone in need."

His partner blinked and cocked her head to one side, as if he'd started speaking an alien language... then she held up to fingers and rubbed them together before pointing her hand at him.

"I'm not _paying_ you for helping!" Jaune half-shouted, "What have you really done to help anyway!?"

Neo waved a hand up and down at Pyrrha, then mimed drinking again.

"You are _not_ taking her out into the city to start drinking!"

There was an almost silent scoff and then more gestures that seemed to encompass the school.

"I know you can drink here instead of in Vale, that's not the point! You're can't get a student drunk as part of a _counseling_ session!

Pyrrha didn't need any help subtitling Neo's next expression with the words, ' _Huh? Why not?'_

The two seemed to have entirely forgotten that she was there, and even despite her embarrassment... or maybe because of her haywire emotions, Pyrrha couldn't stop the giggle that came out. They were just like an old married couple, despite being so young, ready to argue about any little thing in a way that seemed painfully familiar.

The giggle became a laugh when the two stopped to stare at her, clutching at her stomach as she lost control of herself. "I-I'm s-sorry! It's j-just... the w-way you ar-argue!"

Neither of them did anything besides stare at her, and that just made her laugh harder. She ended up falling against Jaune's side, almost crying as she giggled, just letting all of it out. And if there was a sob or two hidden between the laughs, neither of them commented on it.

She eventually recovered herself, drying her eyes with her sash while Jaune politely pretended not to notice. "Thank you for listening Jaune... and thank you Miss Neo."

She got a shrug from the woman, and a smile from Jaune. "It's my job, but I'd have done it anyway. You're good people Pyrrha."

Pyrrha felt her cheeks heat up slightly again, but her heart felt lighter. "If I may ask one more serious question? What if they come here, or send someone? What should I do?"

"Avoid them. If they try and corner you, tell them to leave you alone, and contact a professor if they don't." He responded promptly. "If they get pushy and you can't get a hold of any teacher, buy a box of ice cream and give it Neo, she'll beat them up for you."

Miss Neo gave her a mildly vicious smirk and a thumbs up. _She really would..._

That should have worried her, but for some reason it just made her smile and giggle again. Jaune gave her a fond smile, then nodded towards his partner, "Why don't you two spar some more, relax a bit, calm down."

"That sounds grand." Pyrrha said, rising, working out her sore muscles as she did. "If that's all right with you?"

The older woman was already walking back towards the ring, stretching out her shoulders as she did.

* * *

Glynda sat in the chair behind Ozpin's grand desk and did her best to not to notice how the entire area reeked of coffee. "As the Headmaster is in Vale on Council business for the week, it will be on all of us to ensure that the school is prepared for our guests."

Her various colleagues nodded or made sounds that indicated they weren't surprised. The sole exception was Jaune's partner, who had evidently decided to tag along to the meeting for one reason or another. She'd considered telling her to depart, she wasn't an employee of Beacon after all... but as ignorant as Ozpin was, Glynda was fairly positive she knew who was responsible for his coffee shortage.

That by itself earned her a few permissions, along with the non-disclosure agreement she had signed... and then there was also the fact that the petite figure was always willing to serve as an object lesson in her class, especially if it meant puncturing the arrogant pride of one of her students. She was considering asking her to assist with some of the older years as well, the woman seemed to have plenty of free time on her hands. If anything she seemed to be treating her paramour's new job as an excuse to take a long vacation.

Though she did wish that the woman's 'vacation' did not include long nights out in Vale, or the implications of such trips.

 _Considering what Jaune's resume described of the past three years, I suppose I cannot fault her desire for a break... and I do owe her for trying to break Ozpin's irritating habit._ She admitted silently, accepting the younger woman's presence after a quick mental review to ensure that they were not due to discuss any overtly sensitive information.

"As you all know, the dates for the Vytal Festival have been finalized, and it is going to throw our entire third semester into chaos as it occurs in the direct middle of said time." She began, "And beginning the week after next, we will have to adjust to gaining twelve new teams and only two new teachers."

Most of the others nodded, this wasn't news to them, but Jaune spoke up, "I'm sorry, only twelve new teams?"

Glynda nodded, "Each other school is sending one team per year to compete in the tournament, the remaining twenty teams will all be drawn from Beacon."

"That seems a bit skewed." He noted, "I thought the idea was for everyone to represented equally in the name of global unity and all of that."

Bartholomew sighed, "Originally that was the intent, but between changing demographics, enrollment patters, and Shade's... role within Vacuo, that became untenable. So the number of teams from the traveling schools was lowered, the amount from the host raised, and few were asked to comment on the shift."

"It also," Peach spoke up from her chair by a window, "Increases the odds that the host city wins the event, something that none of them complained about. The morale boost and potential for increased recruitment is not insignificant, and this way every school has the best chance to gain such things the year they host it."

Jaune still looked endearingly displeased, as if affronted this his high opinion of the event had been lowered.

 _I'm sorry Jaune, but will likely only get worse._

Glynda continued from there, "The first of the new students will be arriving on Monday, primarily from Atlas and Mistral, and the Vacuo contingent should be here by the end of next week. As usual Shade is not able to spare a professor to escort them, not even a part-time one. Peach, I don't suppose you'll be able to ensure they act responsibly?"

The older woman sighed and nodded, "I'll do my best."

"Thank you." Glynda replied, flicking her eyes to Jaune. "I would have asked yourself, and your partner, but you will be liaising with the Atlesians. Their support instructor hoped to teach a class on Group Tactics, so the pair of you will be working together."

Jaune's expression became politely neutral, while Neopolitan's nose scrunched up as if she had smelled something foul. The Vacuan distaste for anyone from Atlas was evidently strong within the pair of them, even though Jaune wasn't a native.

 _Though I suppose he was there for many of his younger years, so it isn't entirely unexpected._

"I see." He offered after a poignant moment, "Who will we be working with?"

"Specialist Winter Schnee." She tried to keep the frost out of her own voice at the woman's name... and found herself blinking as the pair abruptly looked far more cheered. "...do you know her?"

"Not personally, but anyone Jacques Schnee cut out of his will can't be all that bad." Jaune answered.

Glynda fought down the urge to tell him just how wrong he was, tossing Peter a glare when he shook with suppressed laughter. "...yes, well, I trust you will do an exemplary job of integrating her into your lessons. As for the Mistral contingent, Leo was as vague as ever with the details, but Ozpin believes that he is sending a part-time teacher who focused on sociology and politics. Bart? We will probably replacing one of your periods per week with that course."

The man nodded, sipping from his thermos. "I will pick out the appropriate times for each year and get back to you."

"Thank you." She flicked Peter a glance, "Peter, please check the old dormitories and ensure that they're ready to receive our guests by Sunday evening."

"I'm sure our fine staff did an excellent job." He waved her off. "But I'll double-check each and every room personally."

Glynda pushed her glasses up slightly, not believing that for a moment. "Tsune, please ensure Peter does so."

The old man blanched as her old teammate smiled sweetly at him. "He'll get his exercise, don't worry."

"Moving on," She elected to ignore the various potential ways her friend may have meant that statement, it seemed safest. "The Welcoming speech and ceremony will take up most of the Monday following. Jaune, Bartholomew, your classes will be moved to the afternoon and my own will be canceled to make room."

Both men gave her rather annoyed looks, ones that she countered quickly enough, "I will be leaving with Ozpin and Headmaster Ironwood for Vale after the speech, to meet with the Council for _that_ introductory conference."

Peach and Bartholomew all gave her sympathetic looks, while Tsune simply sighed. "You really should have listened to me about him Glynda."

"Tsune..." She lowered her voice warningly.

The faunus woman rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee, but thankfully did not bring up further personal affairs that were none of her, or anyone else's, business. Her more experienced coworkers new better than to ask, and even Jaune seemed to realize it was best to drop the subject.

"James will be remaining as part of an Atlesian delegation to the city of Vale to celebrate the new military alliance." Glynda said, once she was sure the silence had made her displeasure with Tsune clear. "He and Ozpin will be handling the security measures for the Festival and Beacon itself. General Nox and the Valean Army will concentrate on the city proper."

Jaune frowned again. "Is that much security really necessary?"

"Generally not, but with the number of tourists and media coverage of the event, it is wise to take no chances." She responded, "Grimm attacks have been known to increase if there is a particularly poor sportsman, or an unusually vicious fight that leaves a crowd favorite defeated."

"And," Peter rumbled, "The recent White Fang action has everyone rather nervous. A high profile event such as the Festival may be a place they wish to make a statement."

Glynda nodded to him in agreement, "In either case, that will be their affair to resolve. We must concentrate on our coming lessons. I am still drawing up our duty rosters for the Festival itself, I will likely have a better idea for all of you around the time of the mid-summer ball. Does anyone have questions regarding the next few days?"

None did, or rather, they likely trusted her to have already told them if anything important was required.

"Very well, let us move on to the gradings from last semester..."

* * *

Neo didn't have to wait very long for her window of opportunity, and she smirked as she watched Goodwitch leave the tower.

"I'll signal you if I see her come back." Jaune murmured from behind a book on archaeology, lifting a cup as if to sip from it. "Don't linger."

She nudged him with her elbow to tell him that she remembered, getting up from the bench the pair had been lounging on in the gardens. Walking calmly into the tower, she slipped into the nearest restroom, a single-person affair with a lockable door.

In other words, perfect.

Turning the courtesy fan up to its highest setting, she made sure the door was securely locked before pulling on gloves, rolling her shoulders, and drawing her semblance around her. The bathroom's light faded, colors becoming shades of gray... and then narrowed her eyes and focused on being in Ozpin's office, directly beside the door to his personal quarters.

Remnant seemed to crack and the reform around her as her talent relocated her a dozen stories upwards, and she immediately felt to spike of pain slam into her temples as she fought to maintain the invisibility around her through the teleportation.

 _Fucking... ow._

Normally she wouldn't have had to bother, the room's main security, the alarms attached to the various windows and the motion alert on the elevator, didn't really mean anything to her. But the Headmaster's office had did have one camera overlooking his private quarters... but thankfully, that camera was right inside of the short hallway between there and his office. A hallway whose door had been left open by Goodwitch when she'd left some secure files there while Jaune politely waited at the elevator like a gentleman.

It was an odd place for a camera, but they'd reasoned it was equally intended to watch anyone getting into his office from the other direction. There was probably another way up, a private one, so she'd have to be careful even after she took her precautions.

To deal with the camera, she'd planned ahead, and had cracked open one of the windows to let in a cool breeze while the professors had been discussing some third year team's grades and how to get them to improve themselves.

The breeze had already blown the door most of the way closed... and she gave it another light tap, letting it swing a little close to shut without actually getting there. Then it was a simple matter of backing up, dropping her illusion, and opening the window all the way. The gentle breeze through the crack became a torrent of wind that pressed the door closed.

Nice and natural...

Pressing her fingers together, she cracked several of them before rolling her neck and taking in her target. The room had only two things of interest; Ozpin's desk, and the small bookshelves lining one wall.

The latter could wait, the former... that was her goal today.

Ignoring the computer, it was shut down and even if she knew how to hack one of the things someone would have a record of it mysteriously turning on, she instead focused on the locked drawers on either side. Crouching down, she shuffled a set of lockpicks from her coat and got to work, doing everything slowly and quietly so she could hear if anyone or anything started to move around nearby.

Drawers one and two proved to hold nothing more than routine paperwork and notes on their classes and the various teachers. She found the one on her an Jaune, and unable to help herself, glanced over them to see what they thought of them.

... _I'm an alcoholic!?_ She gaped at the paper, reading the cursive writing.

Evidently Jaune's excuses that she often spent the night in Vale 'clubbing' had been taken rather literally, and they thought she was drowning herself in booze to cope with what happened at the Academy, while sleeping off her hangovers throughout the day. Gods, now she'd have to live up to that to keep their cover... well, at least it would sort of fun.

 _And if I can corrupt Nikos... it will be even more fun._

It had been far too long since she'd had someone new to spar with, someone who didn't give up and start whining in pain right away. The teen had been all too happy to accept more 'counseling' sessions that involved training, and even better, she knew how to handle a sword, meaning that Jaune could learn something under the guise of teaching her.

She was just as pathetically, disturbingly _nice_ as Rose was... but Neo could work on that.

Shaking herself a little, she pulled out her scroll and carefully took pictures of the remainder. They had more information on Jaune than on her, and he'd want to know so as to better play on their expectations. Once that was done, she carefully placed them back as she'd found them and moved on to the next.

Drawer three held nothing but coffee mugs and thermoses, and it took all of her willpower not the fuck with them.

Sliding it closed before she could be too tempted, she shifted around to the other side and got to work on its locks. Number four got her excited on the sight of a leather bound journal, but a glanced revealed that only the first few pages had any writing on them... and that writing was obviously some kind of cipher.

She recorded it anyway, then got the last drawer open. It proved to be... odd. Several old books were piled randomly inside, along with papers, notes, a spare set of glasses, a coffee stained scarf, and what might have been a jewelry box.

 _Books first... huh, 'The Great Women Theory, by Doctor Colarush'._ It wasn't one she remembered reading in their research, or even one she'd ever heard of. A glance inside showed it filled with small notes stuck to pages, all written in the same cipher from the diary. There were too many for her to get them all, so she just snapped a shot of book's interior so they could find a copy... then after a moment, flipped near to the back and took pictures of the last few notes.

Book two was an analysis of the Faunus Revolution, and went ignored, as did two more on the Great War. The last was an old battered paperback, the language one she wasn't familiar with, but a glance inside showed a print date of more than a century prior so it got its information recorded anyway.

 _Not what I was hoping for._

The man's actual diaries, the things they would really want to decode, were probably secure in his room or even in the school's vault. He must have started his one recently, probably at the start of the year... which was annoying as hell, especially since there hadn't been any neat and obvious clues about where the vault was.

Getting up, she checked the elevator and the door to his rooms, finding them inactive and closed respectively. Stretching out her back from being crouched for so long, she looked out the window, watching as a black bird lazily circled the tower.

Her final check of the bookshelves was more cursory as she aimed for anything on the history of Beacon, and found less than nothing. It was about as generic a collection of biographies and historical texts as you could find in a teacher's office, probably dating from his time as the school's professor of history.

Sighing in disgust, she nudged the window she'd opened back to how it had been when she'd first arrived, then allowed herself to shatter and reform back in the bathroom.

Jaune looked up as she returned, sitting beside him once more. "Good news?"

She scowled, sighed, and waggled a hand back and forth before nodding to his book.

"Yay... more reading." He muttered, snapping the text shut. "Well, we can do that tomorrow. Dinner at the Club?"

 _Why not... and hey, new excuse to get drunk that he can't even complain about._

* * *

 _ **Where Pyrrha has her counselling session and tells Jaune what she already confessed to Ilia, and gets his advice on the matter. Glynda prepares everyone for the incoming foreigners, and Neo pokes around Ozpin's office as plot balls start rolling once more. Waffling on if the next chapter will be another one during the semester break or not, or if I'm going right into semester two. Eh, guess we'll find out.**_

 _ **For those commenting on Tai last chapter... I think most of you missed what he was upset about. It certainly wasn't the notion of his daughters 'cheating' or fighting dirty that upset him, it was the way that Jaune taught the lesson and then conducted himself in the sparring section that got him angry.**_

 _ **He thought that Jaune could have found a far less drastic way to teach the lesson, and was really not a fan of the 'let them hurt each other until they learn' method of sparring. It reminded him way too much of Raven's philosophy... and if he was a bit upset during the conversation, the guy had literally just seen his little girl suddenly attacked from behind when she didn't expect it. He was going to be emotional.**_

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 ** _Thanks, Kat_**


	30. Semester II: Welcome to Beacon

**Welcome to Beacon**

* * *

Her arrival at Beacon should have been a moment of contemplation, of satisfaction, perhaps accompanied with a tinge of excitement. The culmination of years of planning, searching, of sacrifice may have been delayed by an alcoholic old fool, but now... now she would finish what she had started, and accomplish her mistress's goal at the same time.

It should have been a moment of impending triumph, where she contemplated all of the ways she would make use of the power that was her destiny.

Instead... instead Cinder Fall was forced to contemplate whether or not the full power of the maiden was worth this irritation.

"Hey Miss Fall..." The faunus boy awkwardly rubbed at the back of his head, "Uh, didn't know you were the teach escorting us."

"Wukong." She replied frostily as she stepped off the airship. "I see you managed to find your way here after all, and you only managed to miss a full week's worth of class in the process. Dare I ask where your uniform is?"

"Um..."

"I got it ma'am." The blue haired one spoke up from the orderly line the rest of the students had formed into, a foot kicking at a second suitcase he'd pulled out from the airship. "I knew he'd forget it."

"Thank you Vasilias." Cinder nodded slightly, wishing she could just immolate the immature child in front of her instead of having to deal with this headache. "Wukong, expect two weeks worth of detention as soon as I can coordinate with Beacon to find a suitably punitive task for you, and another two weeks from Professor Lionheart after the Festival."

The faunus winced, but was at least smart enough to keep his mouth shut.

"Join your team." She ordered, and he quickly trotted behind her to do so. _Children... at least Emerald has her team in order._

Enrolling Emerald and Mercury in Haven had been simple enough, and regrettably necessary for their cover. There hadn't even been any need to arrange the expulsion of a few brats either, as the school had been stuck with a partnership operating alone thanks to unusual number of applicants in their prior years. Ensuring that Emerald was chosen as their leader had taken just a single conversation with Lionheart, and the girl had quickly asserted herself just as Cinder had trained her.

They had won the competition among the third year students with pathetic ease, despite their actual age, thanks to Mercury's skills, Emerald's subtle talent, and the not useless nature of their new teammates. Though Cinder was very careful to ensure that the pair remained loyal to _her_ first and foremost, she'd found she had little reason to worry. The partners her subordinates had joined had spent the last two years with only each other as a team, and while Emerald reported that while they were polite and congenial; they also rarely spent time with their new 'friends' in favor of one another's company.

 _So far, luck has been on our side... all that remains is the subtle work to ensure it remains so, along with what is required to maintain our cover._

"Now," Cinder forced her voice to remain even and not bored as she got more of the required speech out of the way, "Teams SSSN, ABRN, EMRD, and CHLC... you are here representing Haven Academy and Mistral. Headmaster Lionheart and I expect your best not just in the Festival, but in classes, in your day to day, and _especially_ during your free time."

"Yes Miss Fall." Most of them chorused back.

"Good." She made sure to give the first year team a pointed look that made the faunus boy curl his tail in embarrassment, then turned to face Beacon's grand towers once more.

Students were drifting towards the school, while civilians wandered to and from the CCT tower, or else stood around to try and get a better look at the exchange students arrival. There was a great deal of commotion off to her right, where an Atlesian battleship had docked, offloading students who all but marched in time behind their headmaster.

She felt herself smile slightly as General Ironwood strode up to Ozpin, the pair shaking hands before moving towards the central tower, leaving the students to a tall blonde man and a white haired woman who stepped together to speak.

Her own liaison approached quickly, and she reflexively felt her back tighten as she prepared herself. His appearance may have been disheveled, but she knew just how dangerous an opponent he was, and her mistress had warned her of his quick mind. If anyone here would pick out any inconsistencies in her story, it would be him.

"Ah, Miss Fall I presume?" Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck gave her hand a single shake when she offered it, "Capital! Doctor Oobleck, professor of history here at Beacon."

"A pleasure to meet you," She purred, "I must admit that visiting Beacon has always been a dream of mine. It certainly does not disappoint at first glance."

The tall man puffed up slightly, looking around with her, clearly proud. "It is quite something, isn't it? Ah, but your students likely require guidance, and I'm sure they could do with some breakfast before their first classes. I will guide you to the dorms, there should be welcome packets for them inside, and then on to the cafeteria."

"That sounds more than acceptable." Cinder dipped her head, "Thank you."

"My pleasure." He smiled, turning and waving for them all to follow. "Ah, and it seems that Mister Arc has the Atlesian contingent moving as well."

Her eyes flicked in that direction see the students moving forwards, following their own instructors down the same path. It didn't take long for their groups to merge, the children glancing at one another with interest. She ignored them for now, there would be time to analyze and pick out the proper targets later. Now was a time to take in her new 'coworkers'.

Winter Schnee was identifiable at a glance, and of no particular interest. Military through and through, she would follow Ironwood's lead to the end, and she already knew how she would handle the cyborg and his little legion of toy robots.

She shifted her gaze to the man beside the pale woman. He was handsome enough to please her eye, young, tall, and while not overly muscled was clearly not a lightweight either. The simple jeans, worn boots, and dark shirt that told her he was not a man who cared overly much for appearance, while an old brown cloak lent him the degree of eccentricity that so many huntsman picked up and reveled in.

But... for the briefest moment when her eyes met two blue orbs... she thought she saw tension, the kind born of fear or anger, muscles shifting as if preparing to defend himself.

When she blinked and looked closer, he bore only a relaxed and politely neutral grin.

 _...what was that?_

"...Miss Schnee, allow me to introduce Miss Cinder Fall." Oobleck babbled somewhere beside her, "And her students from Mistral."

"Charmed." Schnee provided, barely glancing at her.

"Miss Fall," He continued as if the Atlesian hadn't spoken, potentially hinting that he, at least, was not a fan of his nation's new alliance. "Mister Jaune Arc, our resident teacher of Group Tactics and Excursions, as well as our student counselor."

"A pleasure." The man continued to smile, offering her a polite hand. "Always good to meet other teachers."

 _Jaune Arc... ah, the Professor who interrupted the docks operation._

"The pleasure is all mine," She replied, taking his fingers in her own for a moment. Strong grip, calloused from honest use, but he didn't bother with a pathetic show of strength. _I am not prone to flights of fancy, I didn't imagine your reaction... there was something there, but what, I wonder?_

Cinder elected to begin lightly, with a simple question. "I believe I came across a report with your name it before, a fight against the White Fang and a renowned criminal just a few weeks ago. The article even called you a hero, implied you'd been after them for weeks."

"Ah, that." Arc shook his head, running a hand through blonde locks. "No, it was just a case of fortunate timing. I was trying to track down a pair of students who'd let a date get a little long, and instead found them trying to fight off terrorists and wrecking half of the city's docks."

Wukong squawked somewhere behind her, "What!? I thought we only..."

The boy stuttered when almost everyone turned to regard him, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Um, I mean... was like a quarter of the docks. Maybe. And she never said it was a date."

Arc snorted, looking genuinely amused. "Another quarter burned down after you left... and I think Blake wants a word with you for skipping out just before Miss Goodwitch arrived."

Several of the younger women present gave Wukong glares, while his partner face-palmed and groaned the boy's name and muttered something about him not being cool.

Cinder hummed as though amused at the child's reaction as she contemplated what she'd just been told. It seemed to lend credence to Roman's story of being suddenly attacked by two brats, followed by a Professor and then more children. She did not take this Jaune Arc at his word, not after such a short meeting, but she knew that Wukong couldn't lie to save his own neck. Whether or not the unlucky girl considered it a date or not, he evidently had.

"I didn't know that Beacon considered a wayward date to be worth sending a professor for." She lightly probed for more information, trying to get a better read on the man.

"Miss Belladonna's mother had just flown in form Menagerie to visit," Oobleck shook his head, "And she was not responding to her scroll. Mister Arc kindly volunteered to help her team track her down."

"Gentlemanly of you." She noted, adding a suggestive lilt to her voice to observe his reaction. "That is very rare thing in this day and age, especially from a young man such as yourself."

"Just doing my job." He deflected with another brilliant smile, clearly wielding the disarming expression like a weapon. "And here we are at the dorms. Bart, Cinder, I don't suppose I can ask the pair of you to help Winter's students?"

The pale woman's eyebrows knitted at the familiar address, and she had to fight her own from doing the same though for different reasons. Was he trying to avoid her already, or was he simply being honest? Her file on Beacon's teachers hadn't include anything on him besides his name, and an irritated notes from Watts indicating he'd been a last minute hire to fulfill some Council dictate.

 _Just who are you, Jaune Arc... and why did you react to me?_

"Ah, of course." Oobleck spoke before she could, "Your class begins soon, I quite understand. It is no bother, right my dear?"

"Of course not." She lied sweetly, "We'll be happy to."

It was of no consequence. Whoever he was, she would find out sooner rather than later... and then he would be dealt with appropriately.

Nothing would get in between her and what was rightfully hers.

* * *

Jaune fought the urge to curse out loud as he retreated, barely conscious of his new co-teacher walking beside him.

 _Typical... the moment things start going well, the world immediately goes to hell!_

He'd scheduled twice a week training-counseling sessions with Pyrrha, who'd been all but over the moon at the idea, which would hopefully help shore up some of the deficiencies in his fighting style while also helping the girl out a bit. Neo had gotten into Ozpin's office, and while she hadn't found a direct lead, she'd gotten them information that would help and the titles of books they had subsequently picked up for research purposes.

Junior had indicated that the White Fang had gone to ground again, still recruiting but not doing much else, while Roman had resumed his habitually efficient heists with minimal collateral damage. He still wouldn't give them details, evidently he was still experimenting with his own chances of escaping his new boss, but neither had sounded terribly concerned or acted oddly when they'd met them at The Club last week.

But most importantly... they had found evidence that they were on the right track.

Just before midnight on their Saturday evening excursion into the ruins, they'd come across a collapsed passageway... one that had obviously not collapsed naturally. Someone had sealed it off very deliberately, and had probably used explosives to do it. They'd gotten excited and quickly doubled-back, checking other avenues that should have led beneath the school proper, and found another one that had been shut.

They'd called it a night there, but Neo had done a solo-run last night and returned tired but excited this morning with news that she'd found another pair, and confirmed that it seemed like those hallways pointed at the heart of the plateau had been deliberately sealed off.

 _But now... Roman's mysterious Cinder is_ here, _as a gods-damned professor as well!_

"Mister Arc." Schnee's voice broke him from his wild thoughts. "Is there a reason we are in the gardens, rather than a lecture hall or a proper arena?"

He blinked, glancing around and realized he'd taken them to the small clearing where he usually had his class. "Oh, sorry, was lost in thought. This is actually where I usually hold class."

A pale eyebrow rose, "You teach group combat tactics in the school's gardens?"

"Yeah," _Get your head in the game Jaune, it's not like she's going to move against you today, or even knows who you are. Focus on your job and your cover._ "It's more relaxed than the arenas, the students seem to enjoy it. We'll use a classroom if I need to lecture, or go into the Emerald Forest if I think hunting Grimm is important to the lesson."

"I see." She said in a tone that indicated she didn't quite approve. "How do your lessons generally proceed?"

Jaune blew out a slow breath, finding his favorite tree to lean against. The familiar location, and the topic of his class helped clear his head somewhat, and he managed to smooth his voice out as he spoke. "I'll usually call up two groups and give them a minute to come up with a strategy, then let give them another minute, maybe two to engage with one another before calling it. Then we hold a group discussion on what both teams tried, what worked, what didn't, and possible improvements."

Winter frowned, crossing her arms, the motion doing quite a bit to make her look like a taller, older copy of her sister. "I... could see the benefits of immediately correcting an analyzing mistakes. What variables do you introduce?"

"I generally vary the numbers; even fights, three on twos, three on ones, two one ones, etcetera." He shrugged, "I'll also have them fight with only their back-up weapons or only let some of them use their primary, get them used to not relying on them so much. There's also a new rule I started late last semester, where I'll allow one side to... well, cheat."

Ice blue eyes blinked a few times. "Cheat?"

"Cheat." Jaune confirmed, "The team leaders were supposed to come up with plans to cheat, ambush, trick... anything that would give them an unfair advantage. They can only do it when I give them permission, which I'm going to try and be covert about. Since that fight with the White Fang at the docks... it seemed prudent."

"Quite." Winter tilted her head slightly, as if seeing him in a new light. "That is not an unintelligent decision, given that terrorists rarely operate with anything resembling honor, or standard combat tactics for that matter."

Well, at least she approved. "Thanks. I probably won't do that with your students, or the other transfers until they're more aware of it. Don't want to create divisions on the first day... was actually thinking of just a series of light two on twos, maybe a few four on fours to start off with, ease everyone into the new semester."

She considered that, her hands clasped behind her back, then nodded. "In that case I will simply observe today, and schedule a meeting with you prior to our next lesson to discuss possible options."

Jaune smiled, accepting the offer gratefully. When she began to move around the gardens, inspecting the area, he slid his scroll out and quickly fired off a message to Neo, hoping she wasn't asleep yet.

 _We have a problem. Cinder Fall is the professor sent from Mistral._

He waited a minute, and was about to put his scroll away when a reply came. _!?_

 _Yeah._

For once, Neo abandoned her usual game of avoiding actual words, a definite sign that she was probably as rattled as he was. _Does she know?_

 _I don't think so, but she seemed interested in me, and what happened at the docks._

Several dots flashed as she typed, stopped as she evidently deleted whatever it was, then resumed. _If she works for the crazy and the giant, she'll figure us out. We banked on our past to get us here, we didn't hide it. Do we kill her?_

He swallowed, fighting the urge to bite his lip as his stomach flopped. _I... don't know... no. Not yet. Too much of a risk. Roman didn't think he could take her, even with all of his assets._

Neo seemed to let that sit, then replied, _Maybe... I'm too tired to think._

Yeah, he could understand that. He was awake and he felt too out of it to process this. _Get some sleep, get to The Club. Pay Junior whatever he wants to get everything on her, the Mistral students, White Fang in Vale, and anything he thinks Roman is hiding._

Jaune got a thumbs up emoji in response, closed his phone, then focused on exhaling slowly while doing his best to find his calm place again.

This was unexpected, this was horribly unexpected, but it wasn't critical just yet. Whoever Fall was, whatever power she had, they still had their own advantages. Beacon had become their home, they knew it, its staff, its students. Vale was likewise well known, and they had extensive contacts in its criminal underground, and even if she did as well, he felt certain that he and Neo were better liked.

Then there was the simply matter of time, numbers, and talent. They'd already had three months, an entire semester, to search the building. To case its security, eliminate potential hiding places, and find where the Relic very well might be... and that was with Neo and her semblance, which remained concealed. Which now _had_ to remain concealed, even more of a desperate secret than it had already been.

 _Or at least the full measure of it..._

If Fall figured out who they were, then she'd probably know that one of them could change their appearance. It was a trick they'd used constantly to try and muddy their trail. Neo could probably cop to that, but so long as she never teleported or became invisible, they'd have a card up their sleeves. They'd have to work out a system to disguise it as much as possible even so, but... it might leave her to underestimate them at a crucial moment.

 _Still... It took us three months and someone who can teleport at will to get this far. She's only got until the Vytal Festival... no, Jaune, no! Focus, you've got lessons. You and Neo can work this out later._

He rolled his neck, focusing on his breathing for several moments, slowly pushing away the problem of Cinder Fall, looking up to see the first students arriving.

It would have to wait, he had a class to teach.

* * *

Weiss felt her jaw drop open as she walked into Professor Arc's 'classroom', spotting the elegant figure inspecting the gouges in the terrain where old spars had damaged the grass. "Winter!?"

Her sister turned, her eyes lighting up though her mouth turned into a frown at the unseemly shout she'd offered. "Weiss. It's good to see you."

She couldn't help but rush forwards, wild excitement making her heart race, her manners only resurfacing when she was a few feet away. Her hands touched her combat skirt as she gave a quick curtsy, "A pleasure to see you again sister, I didn't know you were coming."

"A last minute decision by General Ironwood." Winter replied, folding her arms behind her back. "I will be supervising the students for the duration of the Festival, and assisting Professor Arc in this class."

 _Winter? Teaching us!?_ She wanted to scream in sheer excitement, and wasn't entirely sure how she managed to keep it bottled in. "That is incredible news. Professor Arc's course is becoming everyone's favorite, I'm sure you assisting will only make it better."

Her sister smiled almost fondly, before turning to the other person who had walked into the area behind her. "Is this the team leader your letters spoke of?"

"Oh right, of course." Weiss quickly turned, grabbing a confused looking Ruby and pulling her forwards. "This is Ruby Rose, my teammate and leader. Ruby, this is my older sister, Winter."

"Uh... hi?" Ruby said.

A muscle in her cheek twitched, and hit the dolt over the head. "Ruby!"

"Uh, I mean, it's a pleasure to meet you!" Ruby at least tried to curtsy properly, managing to nearly fall over in the process.

... _oh gods... honestly, Belladonna would have made a better first impression!_

"Greetings Miss Rose." Winter said after a moment, evidently need a second to process the catastrophe in front of her. "I see Weiss' letters were more accurate than I thought they would be."

"...thanks?" Her partner tried.

Winter regarded her flatly, then returned her attention back to her sister. "Weiss, I believe class is due to start soon, but I would appreciate it if you would alert me to your free periods so that we may speak."

"Of course." Weiss recovered, nodding and smiling as Winter offered her a tiny one in return before striding away towards where Professor Arc was leaning against his usual tree. She waited until she was sure her sister was far enough away before hissing, "What was _that!?"_

"I didn't even know you had a sister!" Ruby whispered back, waving her arms in confusion. "I was surprised ok!?"

She didn't know, how could she not know!? Even if Weiss had never seen the need to mention it, everyone knew about Winter Schnee, you'd have to be a complete dunce to... oh. Right. "Yes, well, I trust that you will make a better second impression."

"Well," Ruby tugged on her arm, getting her out of the path so everyone else could start trickling in. "It's Jaune's class and we're pretty much the best at it, so duh."

That hadn't quite been what she meant, but she supposed it would work. If nothing else it would let her show Winter how much stronger she'd gotten, and despite for her occasional social ineptitude, Ruby really was a fine combat leader.

"So long as he doesn't spring a surprise on us," She murmured, sitting carefully on the grass. "Or start the semester off with someone having to face Pyrrha and RAVN."

While Ruby was technically correct in saying that their team remained at the top of the board in Jaune's class, the margin between them and RAVN was razor-thin. Quiet and unassuming that he was, Lie Ren had proven to be a sound tactician if not quite at Ruby's level, though he almost always had 'throw Pyrrha at them' available as a backup plan.

It was a rather annoying plan to get around, if she was being honest with herself.

Ruby winced. "Well... yeah, but that just goes without saying doesn't it?"

It rather did, and she remained quiet as the others arrived. Belladonna and Amitola both looked startled upon seeing Winter, and in a far less pleased way, though their partners kept them from making a scene. The others regarded her with mild interest, though a few of the boys seemed to let their eyes linger longer than they should have.

 _As if she would even speak to you Sky Lark..._ She growled in her head, glaring at the boy who seemed fixated on her sister's chest.

"Oh no..." Belladonna groaned as the first foreign students arrived, a team of four boys led by...

"Oh." Weiss murmured, "Him. I didn't know he was a first year."

MINT had settled in to their usual place right behind them, and Meral leaned in, "Oh. He's cute, nice abs. That the guy you took on a date?"

"It wasn't a date!" The other girl hissed back. "We were just... hanging out is all."

"For most of two days." The punk girl replied, giving Yang a conspiratorial wink when the blonde realized what was happening. "Sounds like a date to me, right Yang?"

"Definitely a date." The brawler agreed. "He's cute enough, I suppose I can let him go out with my partner again. And his team's not bad."

Meral scoffed quietly, "Liar, you're still pining after Juane."

"She's got you there sis." Ruby noted, watching as the four guys visibly tried to work out a way to near them, but with RAVN on their left, MINT behind, and the school tower on the right, there just wasn't room. Sun in particular seemed a little depressed, though... a rather tall, handsome boy beside him seemed to cheer him up with a few words.

She realized she'd been looking too long when Yang's voice turned merrily wicked. "Yang Xiao-Long does not _pine,_ but she does think that Weiss just saw something she likes."

Weiss felt her cheeks heat up, "I was merely inspecting the new competition."

"Uh huh." Yang grinned back at her, "What _parts_ of the competition? Their chests, their shoulders, their-"

Jaune came to her rescue, clapping his hands to get their attention. Everyone quieted down and turned, Weiss only barely catching the last team, probably the Atlesians, arriving and settling near the back.

"Welcome back everyone." He called, his usual smile in place, as familiar as the grass around them. "For those of you are new, and for those who celebrated a little too hard over break and forgot, this is Group Tactics and Excursions. For those who don't know the woman beside me, this is Specialist Winter Schnee, here from Atlas, and who will be co-teaching this class moving forwards."

Winter stepped forwards at that, "You may all address me as Specialist, Ma'am, or Professor Schnee. Today I will be acting as an observer only, and will take a more active role in our next session."

Her quick delivery and emphasis on her title contrasted rather severely with Jaune's laid back voice and approach, but Weiss quickly clapped her hands all the same. After a moment, the rest of RWBY joined in, as did RAVEN, MINT, and the Atlas team.

Jaune gave them a few moments to welcome her, then spoke again as Winter politely dropped back once more. "Now, since we do have two new teams here, and another group on the way later this week, I thought we'd start off nice and light to welcome everyone back."

Weiss felt her guard go up at once, and saw Ruby's eyes narrow in suspicion before they both glanced around, noting that Miss Neo wasn't present.

 _She is either not participating, or preparing to ambush and humiliate whoever volunteers._ She decided, expecting Ruby to have worked out the same. _Either way, volunteering in Jaune's class is less than intelligent._

His classes may have been incredibly interesting, and definitive learning experiences, but everyone had learned _that_ lesson.

"Does any partnership wish to volunteer?"

Not a single student of Beacon was so stupid as to reply, though the new arrivals were not so experienced.

"Yo, teach! We got this, right Neptune?" The faunus boy from the docks stood up, his partner proving to be the young man she had definitely _not_ been checking out earlier. At an amused gesture from Professor Arc, the two trotted forwards, glancing around at everyone else as they did.

"Who are we up against?" Sun asked, glancing almost shyly towards Belladonna as he pulled his staff from his back.

 _...gods, he wants to impress her._

"Let's find out." Jaune smiled, glancing around, "Anyone? Ilia, about you?"

Amitola shifted a little, then sighed and rose, "Sure thing Jaune. Pyr?"

The girl's partner rose as well, and both boys evidently knew the famous champion because they both blanched almost at once.

"Um..." The taller, Neptune, coughed into his hand. "You're really Pyrrha Nikos? _The_ Pyrrha Nikos?"

"I am." Pyrrha smiled as she walked into the open. "This is my partner, Ilia Amitola. It's a pleasure to meet you both."

"Same." Sun not-quite squeaked, though Weiss honestly couldn't tell if it was because he was a massive fan, or if it was because he'd suddenly realized he'd blundered into something horrible. "Um, rules?"

Jaune, his usual polite smile now one of genuine amusement, quickly ran through the his classes rules. The aura limit, that they would stop the moment he called an end to the fight, and that the goal was to come up with unique and interesting strategies more than it was to show off fighting skill. The last bit seemed to calm the two nervous teens, at least a little, though the nerves came back when the professor added that there wouldn't be any cheating allowed 'this time'.

Yang leaned forwards slightly as the two pairs broke away, murmuring to each other while Jaune timed their planning stage, "Ten lien says they go smoke-screen, pyrrha leading."

"No way," Ruby replied quietly, "They do that to surprise us with a straight fight, they'll try something tricky."

"Their version of bumblebee?" Blake suggested.

Weiss pursed her lips, "Maybe..."

"Oh!" Ruby practically quivered in place, "I got it, you're on sis! They'll go with shiny distraction!"

And, the moment the Professor called for the fight to start, that was exactly what they did. While the two exchange students promptly lifted their weapons to open fire, Pyrrha broke into a diagonal sprint heading mostly towards them, her shield protecting her from most of the gunfire. It did less to protect her from some kind of enhanced dust projectiles from Neptune's weapon, but her aura easily held off the blast's effect while she blocked the core of the bolts.

With both young men fixated on the extreme danger she represented, falling back to try and keep space between them and Pyrrha and thus proving they weren't total idiots... neither focused on Ilia, who had dropped into a crouch and rippled her skin to the color of the grass as soon as Pyrrha had taken off. Her dark clothes stood out somewhat, but it had been enough to remove her from their vision, and once she was sure Pyrrha had their attention she calmly rose and drew her dust whip.

Ruby's advice and expertise in weaponry had done a great deal to help her, and when she cast it to full extension it easily snapped across the entire garden to snap around Sun's legs. He let out a startled yelp as his feet were yanked out from under him, then a louder shout of surprise as she quickly began to haul him across the grass towards her.

"Sun!" His partner looked torn between trying to keep Pyrrha back with gunfire and rushing to help his friend, but as Weiss could have guessed, the lesson ended before he had to decide.

"Spar complete!" Jaune shouted, stepping out into the open, one hand up and the other on the hilt of his sword. Weiss wasn't quite sure why he always did that, no one had been so stupid as to keep going after he called it, but she supposed he liked to remind them that he was ready to intervene fully if he had to.

"That's it, good job everyone." He continued as everyone relaxed, Ilia helping her opponent out of her weapon before retracting it entirely.

Yang just grumbled as she fished a card of lien out, passing it to her grinning sister. Not that she was the only one, several others were likewise exchanging goods or lien while her sister frowned in disapproval before glancing at her.

Weiss kept her hands firmly in front of her and her chin up, telling her through inaction that she did not participate in such behavior.

Usually.

Jaune seemed to consider it an amusing little game to go with his class, something to let those who weren't involved test their knowledge of one another and their strategic preferences. Once in a while he even participated himself. So far as he was concerned, losing lien betting in his class just inspired you to make more informed decisions next time, or to learn your lesson and cease betting.

It helped that he attached no stigma to defeat in his class, concerned more with the fact that they learned and didn't repeat their mistakes. It had taken some getting used to, but these days only Pyrrha seemed to still have a hard time accepting a loss and corrections in the abbreviated spars, and even she was slowly getting better about it.

"Can anyone tell me when our new friends did wrong?"

Meral raised a hand behind them and called, "They got distracted by the sexy."

Both boys promptly flushed and stammered, and Pyrrha's cheeks seemed to darken, but everyone else had more or less gotten used to the girl, much as they had gotten used to Yang. The two had an irritating habit of reinforcing one another.

"Exactly." Jaune nodded, not bothering to correct her term of address, "For those newcomers, this is an ideal strategy for a team like RAVN, or anyone else with an obviously threatening or dangerous member who is willing and able to serve as a distraction. Pyrrha's reputation and aggressive motion made them forget Ilia even though she was right in front of them, and her defense was solid enough that wasn't in real danger. Cardin? What should they have done?"

"Used gunfire to hold Nikos off, charged Amitola." Winchester replied promptly. "Try to take her out in a rush and leave them with a two on one."

"That's an option." The Professor concurred, "Fiye? Give us a second one."

The more slender boy needed a longer moment, then waved at the tower, "They were closer to the tower, and they had the ranged advantage. They could have put their backs to it and tried to hold out until time was called."

"That might have worked." Ruby chimed in, "If they stuck together made it hard for Pyrrha and Ilia to split them apart."

Jaune smiled, letting the discussion continue as the various team leaders all took their turns offering opinions, then gently guided the conversation to what Ilia and Pyrrha could have done even better. Weiss watched her sister throughout, noting the older Schnee's obvious discomfort with the relaxed atmosphere, but she seemed at least somewhat contemplative as the eternal 'how do we beat Pyrrha?' debate resumed once more.

She and Ruby had a few ideas, but they wanted to save those for later in the semester, if not the tournament itself, preferably for one of the four on four matches where they'd have the most options.

After about ten minutes of discussion he sent the recent combatants back, both young men still looking embarrassed if a bit thoughtful, and brought up his scroll to randomize the next pairing.

Weiss nudged Ruby with her elbow, hard, and nodded at her sister. Her partner blinked, followed her gaze, then groaned. "Fine... Jaune! Weiss and I will take second fight!"

The teacher glanced up in surprise, then nodded agreeably. "All right, come on up ladies. Anyone care to make it a rare three volunteer day?"

"...sure." Weiss turned to blink as Cardin got up, Russel slowly following suit. "Might as well get our turn done with."

Jaune rubbed at his chin, looking bemused at the unusual situation, then motioned them both forwards. "All right. Cardin, Ruby, back-up weapons only, non-cheating round, your minute starts... now."

* * *

James Ironwood looked up as his most trusted subordinate entered Ozpin's office, her armored heels clicking across the floor.

"Sir." She drew herself up straight, then turned slightly at the waist to face Ozpin. "Headmaster."

"At ease Winter." He waved his flesh and blood arm, "Were you able to spend time with your sister?"

"I was." Winter replied, her expression momentarily showing her pleasure at having been able to do so before she buried it behind her usual cool mask. "I will admit that Beacon has done far better by her than I expected, and that I am proud of her continued excellence and personal growth."

Ozpin smiled slightly behind the mug he held in his hands, "She is quite skilled, yes, the second best in her year behind Miss Nikos... and while she had some early difficulties, Professor Arc was able to guide her to an early understanding with her team."

Ironwood nodded slightly, "Which brings us to the purpose of this briefing. What is your assessment of the man?"

Winter paused before speaking, but that was hardly atypical when he requested her thoughts on a subject. "He is obviously experienced despite his young age, and has a quick mind, though I cannot tell you if he is merely cunning or actually intelligent. He is almost disturbingly informal with his charges and in the manner of his class... though he at least showed a solid grasp of the topic. I foresee no issues working with him, and believe him capable despite the small sample size."

He nodded again, "And personally?"

"He was..." She hesitated again, "Variable."

Ozpin paused mid-sip, lowering his coffee to frown. "In what way?"

Winter shifted, then gave in to her urge to pace. It was one of the few quirks she allowed herself, even in front of him; the woman could and _had_ simply paced back and forth across an office for hours on end. It seemed to help her channel her thoughts.

"His initial greeting was pleasant, but he seemed ill at ease. I attributed it to his Vacuan background and discomfort with the Atlesian military. Still, he was nothing but polite, and remained so when we walked to the dorms." She frowned as she turned, "However... after we separated from the main group to head for the gardens, he withdrew almost entirely and ignored two attempts to make conversation. He seemed utterly unaware of my presence until we reached his class area."

James narrowed his eyes, "Was he simply snubbing you?"

Winter shook her head, "I don't believe so sir. When he broke the class into multiple spars, he freely discussed Weiss' grades and experiences with me, and seemed to regard her as one of his favorite students. He seemed entirely at ease in my company, even amused by the difference in our bearing."

Ironwood nodded slightly at the clarification, then made a dismissing motion with an arm. "Thank you Winter, continue your observation and alert myself or Ozpin if you notice anything alarming in the future. You're dismissed."

Winter drew herself up and gave him a salute, then strode into the elevator without another word.

"I told you people like that need time to heal, Oz." Ironwood said, looking at his old mentor. "I am not comfortable trusting my students to a man who has a mental break simply from seeing them, especially if you tell me that his partner is a functioning alcoholic."

Ozpin sighed in return, "We don't know if it was the sight of your people who caused it James. It could have been something unrelated entirely. Jaune's work last semester was exemplary and he showed no signs of mental imbalance, this could be an isolated case."

He shook his head, "Oz, listen to yourself. Look at his resume. By his own word this is the first stable job and environment that the man has had in the last three years, and I trust you confirmed that."

"The Vale-Vacuo Rail Company all but sang his praises." Ozpin replied, "As did a few hunters I reached out to. I trust what is in the paperwork."

"That kind of life is not what you need to recover from something like what happened." Phantom pain ran through his side, where metal met flesh. "You, of all people, know that as well as I do. Have you asked him what happened at the Academy, to Haley and Summer?"

"No." The other man sipped more of his strange brew, "I have listened, from time to time, and he and his partner both avoid the subject of the Academy like the plague. The students debate it occasionally in private settings, but were evidently told to respect their privacy on the subject."

Ironwood frowned. "You should have confronted him by now, even if you do it gently. She's been missing for three years and we _still_ have no firm idea as to what happened there."

"We know." Ozpin said grimly, "Salem learned of Summer's position as a teacher, and took a chance on a direct assault. Haley would have given her life to ensure her escape... what we don't know is just how the Grimm bypassed the perimeter defenses and lookouts so easily, and _that,_ old friend, is why I am tolerating those eyesores you have floating above the city."

He fought down a snappish response; only Ozpin could refer to the finest Atlas military technology, veritable wonders of engineering, as 'eyesores'. Each one of those ships was worth a hundred huntsman against a Grimm migration, and he was proud of what his people had accomplished with them. All three had more than earned back the lien spent on them in the number of lives they'd saved over their careers.

But then, he supposed, Oz had his reasons. He, unlike anyone else alive, knew just how horrible honest war between kingdoms could be. His past lives had scarred him in a way that James wasn't sure he understood, that he _could_ understand. That Ozpin continued the fight despite everything never failed to awe him... just as it never failed to concern him.

 _How long can you go, old friend? Glynda already worries that you're fraying at the edges... I worry that you've gone beyond mere 'fraying'._

"Not every problem can be resolved through a few agents and covert action." He reminded him quietly.

"Not every problem is a nail to be struck with brute military force either." Ozpin countered, their old argument resurfacing. "We fight a shadow, an enemy who I expect to attempt to infiltrate the school during the Festival, when the influx of tourists will give them all the cover they need. We don't face an army."

"That," Ironwood replied flatly, "Was probably what Haley thought before a horde of Grimm descended on her school."

For the barest of moments, the wizard disguised as a teacher's hands clenched around his mug, and the lighting in the room flickered towards darkness before steadying. "...your request to question Jaune and Neopolitan over what happened at the Academy is denied, I trust them implicitly. If either shows further signs of psychological instability, we will discuss the best way in which to _help_ them."

He drew himself up, nodding. "Am I to withdraw Winter then?"

Ozpin regarded him flatly over his glasses, then shook his head. "No, she may remain. While I disagree with your concerns, I will admit that caution is not unwise in these times. So long as she limits her spying to observations and polite inquiries, I see no reason she cannot work with him."

 _Typical Oz, trying to placate and deflect instead of just dealing with the problem head-on._

"Very well." He accepted dropping the topic, but left his tone flat to ensure that the other man knew that they would be revisiting it in the future. "Have you located a candidate, and what of Amber?"

"Two." Ozpin tipped his head, "The primary is a second year whose team is utterly loyal, and whose personal combat abilities are extremely flexible. The other is a first year who I am still evaluating. Amber is safe within the vaults, and remains stable."

Ironwood let out a tight breath, "Still no signs that she will recover?"

"No." Golden eyes closed tiredly, "Her aura is stable, but... it doesn't seem to be repairing the damage to her mind. She simply took too much trauma, your machines are all that are keeping her alive."

"For how long?"

Ozpin turned away, staring out of his grand windows. "...I don't know, but I fear not as long as we need."

* * *

 ** _Not too much to say here besides the obvious, Cinder's shown up, so has Ironwood, and things should start getting interesting as the new semester begins. For those of you who noticed the bird in the last chapter... I'm not going to say anything, except that a bird or birds have been present in most of the chapters starting around chapter twenty. It may have been a bit too subtle, so I may go back and adjust them somewhat, especially the two references in ch 28._**

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 ** _Thanks, Kat_**


	31. Semester II: Faustian Bargain

**Faustian Bargain**

* * *

 _Neo grabbed the book in Jaune's hands, throwing it aside and ignoring his startled squawk. He didn't have time to make another sound before she was shoving her discovery into his hands, his blue eyes blinking at the cover._

 _"Treasure Hunter: The Greatest Prizes." He read the cover before glancing at her, "You...?"_

 _She gave him an irritated scowl and yanked the cover open, flipped a few pages, then pointed firmly at the index._

 _"Scepter of the King... Lost Treasure... another lost treasure... Menagerie's city of gold..." His breath hitched, "...the Four Relics of the Brothers."_

 _Neo grinned as he frantically whipped through the book to the appropriate page, skipping the first few paragraphs before jerking his gaze back up to hers. "Where are the books on religion?"_

* * *

 _She all but skipped towards Sol's Cafe beside her partner, despite the sign saying closed and it being after hours. Sol was always open for them, and today deserved a celebration. They'd finally found a lead, a real, honest to the gods lead!_

 _The book on treasure had been long on legend and weak on actual fact in their opinion, and the books on religion had been far too heavy on the metaphor. It didn't help that the faith in question was a dead one that no one took seriously anymore, but it was still a start, and now they knew where to look within the massive archaeology section._

 _It was proof that they hadn't been wasting their time after all._

 _Neo made sure to slow up her pace a little as they reached the cafe, Sol had started to look at something that didn't belong to her lately... and even if Jaune was too dense to realize who he belonged to, that didn't excuse the other woman._

 _Their friend looked up from her counter as they walked in, and Neo's prepared warning glare slid off of her face as she caught sight of the tanned girl's expression. She was nervous, worried, even rattled._

 _"Sol, sorry to..." Jaune's voice trailed off, and he quickly shut and locked the door behind them. "What's wrong?"_

 _Sol had bitten her lip, then quietly said. "I had a customer today, one asking strange questions about the Academy... a large man, with a very deep voice who was 'checking in' on the survivors to make sure they're doing all right."_

 _Neo's back tightened._

 _"I think," Sol suggested quietly, "It might be safest for you two to leave Vacuo."_

* * *

They'd left that night, using what lien they had to outright buy the critical books from the library before taking the first caravan defense job they ran into.

 _Now history is repeating itself._ Jaune grumbled bitterly. _Whenever we get a lead, whenever something good happens, everything goes right to hell afterwards._

He paced the floor of their suite, one hand rubbing at his chin as he thought. Neo watched from where she was sitting cross legged on top of his desk, the dying sunlight of the evening streaming through the windows to leave the room dark and shadowed.

"Nothing from Junior?" He asked, wanting to be absolutely certain.

Neo shook her head and tapped a wrist. It was going to take him some time to dig up anything more, if there was anything more to find. But he _did_ have more information on the White Fang, and a denial from Roman that the thief had known Cinder would be in Beacon.

He nodded, mulling on that. "You believe him?"

A pale finger tapped her lip, then she signed Junior's name and nodded... then Roman's and shook her head. She thought that Roman was trying to play both sides, at least to some extent, until he had a better idea of what was going on and who he should side with to save his own skin.

"I don't want to think that..." Jaune admitted, "It's possible, hell, it's probable she's not telling him much of anything besides what she wants next."

His partner shrugged before reminding him that trusting _anyone_ in their circumstances was stupid.

Grimacing, he ran a hand through his hair, wishing he could disagree. "Priorities. This is about priorities. We have to find the vault, and we have to find it soon, before Cinder can even get close. That means getting through that debris or finding a way around."

Neo frowned in thought, then held up a single finger.

"We don't exactly have mining equipment, or know how to use it." He pointed out.

She shook her head irritably, reminding him that they had their rough map and then the basic map of the school. If they updated theirs to an actual, detailed and measured out one they could probably figure out what building was on top of the vault. Then it would just be a matter of finding the way down from this side.

"Oh... yeah, right. Let's have that as your focus then." Jaune agreed, "And if you can spare the time, more covert runs to Junior... and Roman. If he thinks we're abandoning him he'll do everything he can to be indispensable to her."

Her lips twisted as she nodded in agreement, asking what they could possibly offer.

"Tell him we're all in the same boat now, and we won't leave him behind if we have to bail." He thought about it, then added, "Tell him we're willing to help him keep delaying her plans for both of our sakes, and that you can use your disguise to keep him out of trouble."

 _That might buy us some time, and if he is working with Cinder, telling her that we're not close could help cover things up a bit.._

Neo nodded again, then asked what he would be doing.

Jaune shrugged, "Not much I can do, not since I have to keep up appearances and stay available as a counselor. I'll read those books and see what I can find out, and do my best to keep an eye on Cinder during working hours."

His partner made a face indicating that she wasn't thrilled with that division of labor, but wasn't able to argue with it.

"You want to fend her off when she starts prying?" He asked, "I would be fine swapping jobs."

She gave him the finger and rolled her eyes before using both hands to ask him how long they had. The number of variables when they'd started this had been damned small, their only real fear that his parents might hear of his position and expose him. Hell, that was still a concern, though a small one. People in Ansel cared little for what happened in Vale proper, and even if the White Fang event had made the local newspapers it had probably been back-page material.

Not that his parents had really watched the kingdom's news, or read papers from what he knew. Their concerns were local; local events, local families, and their own children. He didn't doubt they'd eventually find out, he'd accepted that, but this wasn't meant to last forever. Ideally just one school year, six more months. If it went longer, the risk would of course go up, but they'd hoped it wouldn't.

Still, they knew his mother or father screwing this up was a far greater risk than Roman or Junior betraying them to Ozpin, and even if he'd turned out to be a poor teacher that wouldn't have really ruined things. Not unless he'd been so bad as to get fired immediately.

 _It was, is, a risk... but one we've planned for to some degree. One we might be able to handle, and apart from me just blurting out our goal is was really the main concern._

Or at least it had been. Now... Cinder was here, and whoever she was, she was probably after the Relic as well. She'd figure out that they were her rivals in the matter sooner rather than later, and then things would get dicey. Outright killing them was unlikely in his opinion, it would cause a massive investigation, a huge scene, all kinds of problems that would slow and delay her, and he doubted she could remain in Beacon indefinitely.

 _But if she's threatened enough... she's got Roman scared half out of his mind, which doesn't bode well for our chances in a straight fight. She might decide the risk is worth getting rid of us._

What she also could do was turn them over to Ozpin, possibly by framing them for something. That would also be a risk, and depending on her 'evidence' they'd have a chance to fight it, but it was an option. Hell, she might go with that to get them into a jail or force them to make a press event in Vale, then pay off a cop or assassin to kill them in a way that didn't point back to her.

Either way, whatever she did would have to happen fast and suddenly, before they tried to point the finger back at her, flee and hide themselves again, or else try and take her down with them

 _Of course... that goes both ways. If we try and turn her in, at the very least she'll try and drag us down with her. We'd have to kill her in one shot and ride out the investigation, just like she would._

Neo could probably assassinate her, as much as he loathed the idea of condoning that kind of thing... but if anything even remotely went wrong, Neo would die, and he'd probably be thrown in jail as an accomplice to attempted murder.

 _No, no way. We can't risk it, not yet... although, we're not the only ones in this position, are we? Once she figures it out she's going to be thinking all of these things about us._ He frowned on that thought, picking at it. _She won't know how strong we are, but she might know we've been at this for three years without being caught yet. She'll be cautious... wary that we might turn things around on her._

"Neo..." He asked quietly. "What do you think of openly admitting who we are to Cinder?"

Neo thought he'd lost his gods-damned mind from the way her eyes went cream colored and her mouth fell open.

"Hear me out." Jaune said, "She's a threat to us, we're a threat to her. If she's smart, and she definitely seems to be if she planned out getting here as well, then she'll know that. If we try and keep quiet and avoid her, she'll either play her cards so close to the chest we'll never see them, or she'll take a gamble and we'll have to fight or flee."

Neo bit her lip, then admitted the point. If they worked with her, or at least _appeared_ to work with her, they might learn something. She'd probably lie her ass off to them and obfuscate things, and try to learn about them back, but... it would give them something and let them keep close tabs on her.

It was an insane risk though.

"Yeah, it is." He agreed, "But all of this is an insane risk when you get down to it. We've been going up against the enemy without knowing who they are, running from them constantly, not actually knowing their goals... this might be our only chance to get a lead that doesn't involve joining Ozpin's side. And it isn't as if _not_ talking with her would help us much, she'll know our end game and find a way to be watching us constantly."

She brought her hands up and rubbed furiously at her face, still evidently thinking about it.

"She'll know we aren't all that sincere," Jaune admitted, "But we'll know the same about her. When it comes time to grab the Relic, it's probably going to be Vacuan desert shootout, but we'll know the time and place it will occur at."

Neo worked her jaw, then agreed that it _might_ work, and if they found the Vault first they could booby-trap the hell out of it, but even then they'd need allies to back them up just in case. Ones far more trustworthy than Roman and Junior's gangs. That... or they could try and set up Ozpin to be there as well, and grab the Relic and bolt while he and Cinder fought it out.

It was his turn to purse his lips. "The students are off limits, we can't put them at risk. But... I think we can count siccing Oz on her as a fall-back plan. As for allies... well, we can always call up people we know in Vacuo, we've got enough cash we can bring a few old friends for an extraction if not a full brawl. Maybe... we can start digging into Ozpin's past more, and see what Cinder says. We can't be the only ones both sides have pissed off, if we can find others..."

Neo tilted a hand. She thought that was a nice dream, but the odds of any such people actively helping them was low, given that they wouldn't know them from a rock in the ground.

"Maybe they would give us safe harbor after." He countered, "It's something I can look into, or get Junior to help with."

Assuming he had time.

He blinked, "What?"

She sighed and shook her head. If they were going to do this, they needed to step up their training massively, back to their Academy levels even. They'd gotten too used to dealing with minor Grimm or a few bandits, and just running away from bigger threats. Right now they were probably on the same power level as a recent graduate, but... even she'd admit that their skills had gaps, and they had no idea what kind of fight they'd be in at the end.

If they _had_ to brawl with this Cinder for the Relic they needed to be in top shape.

Jaune ran a hand through his hair, "That's... shit, a fair point. We've got twice a week with Pyrrha, maybe we can turn that into longer sessions... that or demonstrate in class far more than we have been."

Neo grimaced before asking if she should take Goodwitch's open offer to assist in her other classes.

"...do it. The extra lien might help us pay for help or equipment when the time comes, and it'll give you more experience." He blew out a breath, "I'll start doing more personal work in my class to match that, and let's take... Monday and Wednesday nights for sparring between us."

She nodded, hesitated, then cautiously inquired as to when he thought they should do this.

 _She just saw me this morning, she seemed curious if not alarmed..._ "...let's get the place cleaned up, see if we can take her off guard with quick action."

 _And before I change my mind._

* * *

Cinder Fall was rarely surprised by anything, so it was a strange feeling when she received a message on her scroll that left her jaw hanging open.

 _Miss Fall, if you could please join me in my office to discuss our mutual friend in the removals business, it would be greatly appreciated. ~ Jaune Arc_

"Ma'am?" Emerald asked quietly, "Are... you all right?"

She needed a moment to collect herself, her mind was racing too quickly as she tried to process it. This was... entirely unexpected. She had in fact just been ordering Emerald to investigate Arc thoroughly via the other students, to learn everything and anything that she could.

An assassination? No, too overt, too fast. If they had meant to kill her they would have come into her rooms this night, not invited her and put her on her guard.

Her subordinate began to speak, but a single look made the girl's teeth click together as she closed her mouth.

What was this? He had just openly admitted to knowing Roman, and it _had_ to be Roman with the reference to removals. They must have witnessed one of her meetings with the irritating thief in the past, explaining his momentary reaction to her this morning. He'd clearly spent the day considering an appropriate response, much as she had plotted out a few ways to gather information, but he'd come up with... admitting his association?

Why? Who was he to know the city's principle thief? An old ally, perhaps the reason Roman so often evaded the law? Arc couldn't have been in her role as Roman's master, otherwise he would have already moved to protect the kingpin when she had forced him to submit, and his evident youth likely precluded the required experience.

 _Nor did Roman call him in on his own... either he was preserving an ally for a later attempt, or he did not believe his aid would actually help him... or for any number of other reasons._

She wasn't going to puzzle it out simply sitting here, that was for certain, and though he didn't imply it in his message she felt sure this was a limited time offer. Either she met him tonight or he would consider it a rejection, and switch to more overt measures... which she did not fear, but any risk at this point in the game was foolish. It could very well bring Ozpin and Ironwood down upon them all, and Salem would be infuriated by such a failure.

Meeting him at a time and place of his choosing was a risk, true... but not meeting him could be a provocation that would escalate matters far beyond what she desired at this time.

"I have an appointment." She informed Emerald shortly, rising and making sure that her teacher's variation of Haven uniform was neatly creased, her pants clinging just enough to her legs to draw the eye without restricting her movement. "It seems that Mister Arc is more clever than I anticipated... I expect a report on him by Friday."

"Yes Cinder, of course." Emerald nodded, "Do you want me to stay nearby, just in case?"

Cinder open her mouth to refute the offer, then remembered her own logic about taking risks. "...yes, actually. There is an alcove shortly down the hall, remain within it, use your semblance to remain hidden. If hostilities erupt, I trust you will improvise appropriately."

The teenager didn't quite swell with pride, but it clearly took all of her willpower to restrain herself. "I'll be ready."

She smiled slightly, paused to select two small files of dust and slip them up her sleeves and into hidden clasps, then headed for her door. Arc's room was not far away, in fact it was only a dozen meters or so from where Emerald secured herself. Easily within range of her semblance and a short sprint, she would only have to hold out for a handful of seconds before reinforcements arrived if required.

Cinder knocked twice, and the door opened on the second to reveal a copy of her own suite, and a blonde huntsman politely waving her inside.

"Cinder," He greeted politely, using her first name to establish some kind of camaraderie. "Thanks for coming."

"Jaune." She purred in reply, the lilt coming automatically to her voice. "With such an intriguing message, how could I refuse?"

He gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes, and shut the door behind her. She took the moment to search the room, and found it curiously lacking in personal touches. It had a more lived in feel than her own of course, but the only oddities were a picture on a desk crowded with paperwork, and then a weapon's rack set nearby.

There was also an extremely petite woman sitting behind said desk, her hair and eyes both a mix of brown and pink, and she was regarding Cinder as though judging how far she needed to lead a moving target.

It abruptly clicked as her eyes fell to the weapons sitting idly by, and saw a dust flail and a heavy shotgun gleaming in the room's light. The very same weapons she had seen a picture showing four teens fleeing form a burning Academy, not knowing that Tyrian and Hazel were pursuing them to tie up loose ends. And, her memory reminded her without needing to look at Arc, he had born a sword on his waist, just as one of the four had.

Just as the male member of a partnership that had evaded Hazel for so long.

 _Oh... oh you are_ _bold_ _Jaune Arc. I adore boldness._

"Figured it out, did you?" He noted, walking past as a smile crept onto her face. Rather than sit, he moved into the kitchenette and began to prepare drinks. "We thought it would be best to save everyone the time and paranoia."

Cinder chuckled, carelessly stepping behind an armchair, feeling the fabric beneath her hands. "I will admit I didn't expect this. Chasing the pair of you was like chasing ghosts, every lead paid for in lien, time, and blood... yet here I stumble across you quite by accident. Lucky me."

The girl's upper lip twitched, clearly not happy at that, but she said nothing.

"Lucky you." Arc said in agreement, "Or unlucky us, I suppose. We always assumed it would be one of the others who found us."

"Hmm... not for lack of trying." She hummed, noting that he hadn't offered the names of her sometime associates despite the implication that he knew she had been involved. Concealing his full knowledge, probing for information... perhaps both? This had suddenly become quite the game, her mistress would have relished the wordplay.

And, to a degree, she did as well. "My subordinates will be quite irritated to know that their time was wasted."

"Too bad for them." Came a lazy reply, giving no hint of surprise at her claim to be the mastermind. This one knew how to play these games, though she had expected nothing less. They had survived, no, they had _thrived_ in Vacuo's crime ridden culture, and ingratiated themselves with Roman Torchwick and Vale's own underground.

"Still," She said, "I will admit that I am surprised, I would have expected you to attempt to buy yourselves more time."

Arc exhaled as he poured honey colored liquid into three glasses, "It wouldn't have lasted long. The professors and students all know we're from Vacuo, studied at the Academy. You'd have worked it out in a day or two, a week tops, and we'd have all been in an awkward position of trying to guess what the other knew and was doing... things could have gotten messy and drawn attention I think we'd both rather avoid."

Her lips curled further, "So you decide to make a preemptive strike, lure me here with a cryptic message, perhaps even startle me and keep me off balance."

"Something like that."

Cinder laughed, genuinely amused. "Well, consider me lured, though I do hope you intend to tempt me with an offer while you have me in your web, rather than offer unseemly threats."

"That's the idea." Arc nodded, returning to the living area. He served his diminutive partner first, then pointedly set the other two glasses on a coffee table before sitting.

She regarded both cups as she stepped around her seat, noting how he allowed her to select one rather than try to offer her own. A thief's courtesy, to show a guest they weren't poisoned. Picking up one, she settled back, inhaling the soft fumes of a fine Mistralian brandy.

"You have excellent taste." She murmured, risking a sip. It tasted as it should have, and she gently let go of the aura she had pooled to lash out if she had tasted so much as a hint of something else. "As your guest, allow me to hypothesize your offer. The decided lack of dear Ozpin or Goodwitch tells me you aren't eager to reveal me, either for your own reasons or because you trust I have a fallback option."

The girl behind the desk held up two fingers, indicating which.

Cinder noted the correct assumption, and the continued lack of speech, and then went on, "And if you are being honest about a lack of threats, that leaves an offer of cooperation."

"A simple deal." He offered, taking a small measure of his own drink. "A straightforwards one. We coordinate our hunt for the Relic, aid one another to keep our covers intact when needed, and assist in our mutual escape when the time comes."

She hummed, swirling her drink. "And to whom go the spoils, Jaune? Only one Relic is here, and it can hardly be split in two."

Arc seemed to hesitate for just a moment, though she wasn't sure if it was a ploy or an honest pause, "It depends on which Relic is here. If it is Choice or Creation... we will let you leave with it without interference, though we may ask a commensurate favor in return."

 _Interesting..._ It was her turn to hesitate, entirely for effect, then she tested them with a lie. "Based upon my own sources, I can assure you that it is neither of those Relics."

He was too good a player to let her see him react overtly, but she caught just the hint of tension around his eyes. Ah... they truly hadn't known, had in fact been gambling as to which Relic was here. "I see... in that case, we would ask that we be given a set amount of time with the Relic. Call it three weeks, twenty one days, to... make inquiries."

So they _had_ known it wasn't Destruction then... just as she had thought, their information was rough, patchwork, but they had enough of a foundation to build some kind of goal upon. They _wanted_ the Relic of Knowledge specifically, not the Relic of Destruction... and they wanted it for a specific reason.

 _What is it that you wish to know so badly? And why reveal that you wish that Relic in particular?_

The answer came quickly enough; because they obviously knew that if the Relic _was_ Destruction that neither side would trust the other to so much as look at it, and this conversation would be a waste of time. He was trying to convince her that he was sincere about coordinating their efforts and was willing to work with her, provided she agree.

 _Teasing me with the truth, or testing me with a lie, I wonder?_

"That is all you wish?" She asked, letting the purr come back to her voice as she gently pushed for more information, arching her chest somewhat to draw his eyes lower. "I am surprised you are not attempting to drive a harder bargain, to pressure me into revealing more, or perhaps providing more... personal favors."

The girl behind the desk twitched slightly, and she could hear fingernails scrape along the wood.

Cinder smiled coyly and flicked her attention to her, "I would not be averse to sharing either, dear."

Two pink eyes glared back at her, telling her all she needed to know about their relationship... and making her blink once. One of those eyes had been brown, she was sure of it, and the pink had been far softer than the almost hot color it was now.

 _...are you the illusionist then, or is that merely something to make me think you are?_

"That isn't necessary." Arc shook his head, drawing her attention back to him. "We're looking for a professional relationship, not a personal one. Are you interested, or is tomorrow going to become... difficult?"

The little pause before the last word was a nice touch, lending both apparent regret and steely resolve to his terms. "Let us say, for a moment, that I am interested. How would we proceed?"

"Simply." He replied. "I'm sure you have your own plans, as do we, and I believe we would both rather play things close to the chest and not add any potential risks."

Cinder sipped more brandy, and nodded with a smile to accept the point.

"So, rather than have to constantly watch one another, we share information." Arc continued, "And when the time comes, we coordinate to retrieve it and escape from Vale, preferably without Ozpin ever realizing that we were the thieves."

That ran entirely contrary to Salem's desires for Beacon, but then he didn't need to know that.

"Allow me a moment to consider."

It was his turn to dip his head, leaning back while she considered her options.

He was trying slightly too hard to prove their sincerity, but then she had been laying it on rather thick with the offer to sleep with them as well. If they proceeded, she would trust them as little as they trusted her, though a potential betrayal at the last moment was of little consequence to her. However strong they were... they would be no match for the power of a maiden, perhaps not even the half-maiden that she was at the moment. She could subdue them when the time came, and fulfill Salem's command.

Or simply kill them... in self defense of course. Her mistress would be annoyed, but if Ozpin was dead and occupied reincarnating, Beacon destroyed, and the Relic in her possession, she felt certain such a thing would be forgiven quickly.

But... they were clever, and had indeed caught her off-balance with this sudden revelation. She couldn't afford to underestimate them, especially... her eyes narrowed in realization.

 _They've already been here for three months... are they close already?_

That... that could be a great boon. If she could locate the vault well before the planned White Fang assault, or better yet, on the very eve of it... she could fulfill Salem's command to utter perfection. The terrorists and Grimm would run rampant through the streets, she would retrieve the Relic... and she could ensure that these two were taken with it to her mistress while she remained behind.

The loss of a professor would be demoralizing to the students, even as the loss of his Relic and Amber would make Ozpin reel. She could pin the theft upon them if it came to it, perhaps frame the little girl behind the desk as Amber's slayer. The school would be in shambles, staggering when the Festival inevitably went ahead to 'honor' the victims of the horrible attack, to try and boost the morale of the kingdom.

And then the true fall of Beacon would begin, and perhaps... even the fall of Vale itself.

Then of course there were the countless other advantages in keeping her enemies close. She could learn just how they had evaded them for so long, give her time to gauge their strength, sound them out for her Mistress's plan to recruit them, discover just why they had not gone to Ozpin, why they risked this tenuous alliance. Things that Salem would desire to know.

 _A risk to eliminate them... or a risk to play this game, and see even greater potential benefits. It is hardly a decision at all... and they know it. They knew what they were doing._

They wanted her close to them as well, they wanted to know who she was, who she worked with, just what she wanted the Relics for. And it was an even greater risk for them to arrange this meeting, to reveal themselves and push her, tempt her. Oh they were intelligent indeed, knowing that this was not the time to play it safe, that competition would breed conflict between them, tension that could draw Ozpin's eye.

This was the time to take a risk, to be bold, to trust that they were good enough to outplay her.

 _It seems it is time for me to do the same._

"I believe that we have a deal, dear Jaune." She rose from her chair, smiling. "Partners then."

He rose along with her, nodding, his smile just as sincere as her own. "Partners."

* * *

Neo slid back into their suite, closing the door behind her before dropping her semblance. Jaune had the full bottle of brandy in one hand, the other resting on his forehead as he poured another drink. "Anything?"

She nodded, then told him that a green haired student in a Haven uniform had joined Cinder on the way back to her own room. They'd vanished inside without saying a word, and she hadn't risked following them.

He blew out a breath, setting the bottle down and throwing the shot back in one motion. "Fuck... well, at least we know. We'll keep an eye out for her, and whatever team she's on. Not a first year... so at least she won't be in my class."

Neo wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

"Me either." Jaune admitted, already pouring yet another drink. "She didn't really give us much, except for the fact that she knew which Relic was here."

Her lips twisted in a grimace as she nodded again, not sure if they could trust that.

They'd agreed to not reveal anything overt just yet, beyond to hint that yes, she and Jaune had been searching for the Relic since they had arrived, and yes, Cinder knew that she had the end of the Festival and the departure of the exchange students as a deadline. That was ominous in several ways, since she had shown nothing but utter confidence that she could find the Relic within that time-frame, whereas she and Jaune had thought they'd need a full year, at a _minimum_ , to find the stupid thing.

She was either arrogant and over-confident, or she knew far more than they were comfortable with.

And of course Cinder had danced away from any topic involving Roman and the White Fang, playing it off as something not related to the quest for the Relic and thus outside the scope of their 'arrangement'. Pressing had seemed stupid, and would have invited questions about what they were doing with Roman in turn, and so they'd let it go for now. But... it had still been blatantly clear that she intended to do _something_ with the combination beyond just stealing dust.

Something they would have to figure out before it bit them in the ass.

She watched as Jaune downed another glass... considered telling him to stop... then strode into the kitchen to grab some coconut rum from Menagerie that she'd grown fond of.

 _Fuck it, we can plan more tomorrow... it's definitely time to get drunk and have sloppy sex on that desk._

* * *

Blake sighed as she walked up the stairs in the central tower, heading towards Jaune's office, "I still don't think you have to come with anymore."

Her partner shrugged, her hands busy retying her ponytail. "Why not? Jaune said it was good for me to come with... not thrilled about it being this early in the morning though."

She could understand that, but then Tuesdays were an odd one for their year. Their only classes were Grimm Studies from ten to noon, and then Combat from one to three, with the rest of the day set as free periods for them to train and work on their own. Given that Jaune already saw Ilia every evening, he'd decided to schedule her mandatory sessions for the first thing in the morning.

Much to her annoyance.

Then he'd gone ahead and said that Yang should also accompany her, for reasons that he hadn't adequately explained at the time. Her partner had been all for it until she'd realized it was an eight in the morning session.

Her first sessions last semester had been... odd. She'd expected him to talk about the White Fang, about her mother, about why she'd done what she'd done. Instead he'd mostly just asked about how school was going, what she and Yang thought of each other and their team, and generally just chatted. The only thing he'd truly insisted on was that she actually participate in the conversation instead of just leaving all of the speaking to Yang.

It had taken her all four of their sessions to realize that he was trying to make her relax around him, open up about little things before he jumped into the big ones, and that he wanted Yang around so that she'd feel like she had a supporter if he pressed her too hard.

It was so wildly different from how Ilia said he worked with her that it hadn't taken Blake long to guess what might have caused it.

 _Mom... she had to have given him advice before she left._ Blake wasn't sure if she was grateful or annoyed about that... maybe a bit of both, especially since it was working. She'd been a paranoid bundle of nerves the first time around, but by the fourth session she'd found herself mostly relaxed, and today, their first meeting after the break...

 _I'm just tired and not awake enough yet._

Yang held up a fist as they reached their destination, knocking twice on the door. There was a muffled shout that might have been a response, and after a quick check to make sure the light next to the door was green, Yang shoved it open and strode in.

"Morning Jaunnnn-what the hell happened to you?"

Blake leaned around her to see Jaune standing behind his desk, evidently trying to organize paperwork. From how wet his hair was, he'd clearly just showered, but he still managed to look awful in spite of that, his eyes a bit bloodshot and sunken.

"Yang, Blake." He offered with none of his usual cheer, "Morning."

Her nose twitched as she shut the door behind them, her legs carrying her to her usual chair. The room didn't reek of alcohol, not like Yang's uncle's had the one time she'd made the mistake of opening his bedroom door, but it was strong enough to tell her why he looked out of it. Then there was something else too... harder to place. Kind of like sweat, but heavier, more...

 _Oh gods!_ She nearly fell over as she frantically aborted sitting on the chair, her ears flattening. _No, they didn't, not in his office, he's too professional to have-_

The bedroom door opened to reveal Miss Neo, the petite woman wearing one of Jaune's dark shirts and... it was hard to tell if she had anything else on, given that it fell about to her knees.

She didn't walk into the room so much as she prowled in, pausing and looking around the counters. When she didn't see what she was looking for, her eyes flickered to an odd shade Blake hadn't seen before... an almost off-white as she turned a glare at Jaune.

The man sighed and rose. "Go ahead and sit down, apparently I need to make coffee."

"Y-yeah." Yang stuttered, the normally confident girl having clearly worked out just what had happened in here last night. "Um..."

Jaune evidently didn't notice, maybe too hungover to, and started busying himself in the kitchen while his partner waited impatiently.

Blake swallowed and did a quick check of the room, trying to see if it looked at all different. The seats and couches were all in the same place, two empty bottles of liquor were in the kitchen along with numerous glasses. Really, the only mess seemed to be on his desk where the paperwork had been...

 _...and I will never be able to look at that desk again. Wait, is that our... oh gods Jaune, on our homework!?_

Closing her eyes, she let herself drop into the armchair, trying as hard as she could to not think about what had obviously happened on that desk last night, and she resolved to burn any assignments he handed back to her for the next week or two.

Yang needed more time to sit on the couch, clearly unsure even after Blake had tried to signal that it was probably safe. She kept casting covert glances around the room, clearly feeling as awkward as she did, something that wasn't helped when Neopolitan noticed their wandering attention.

She evidently thought they were looking at Jaune a bit too much as he worked, because she slid up behind him, pressing into his side and glaring at Yang in specific as she rested a hand on his chest.

Jaune, somehow, _still_ didn't really seem to notice the awkward atmosphere, just absently leaned down and kissed her on the mouth before returning to the coffee machine.

"I'm not coming with... not _showing up_ next time." Yang muttered, her cheeks red. "You're on your own."

Blake glared at her, "Traitor."

Thankfully it didn't take him long to heat up the beverage, though Blake tilted her head when she realized that he'd made both of them a cup as well. Neo, of course, got hers first and then took her scantily clad self back into the bedroom and shut the door, leaving Jaune to carry the remainder out to them.

Yang's blush seemed to fade in an instant, her back straightening as she locked onto the mug. "Is that..."

The professor rolled his eyes and let her take one of the mugs, "Don't read into it."

... _what?_

Yang didn't grab the cup so much as she snatched it out of his hands with Ruby-esque speed, quickly lifting it to her mouth. Then... her eyes simply went vacant, a small smile appeared, and she seemed to deflate as if becoming relaxed for the first time in months.

She blinked at that, then again when Jaune pressed one of the other two into her hands. "Um, I'm not really one for coffee."

"Its Mistralian Nirvana, the most expensive blend on Remnant." He told her as he walked behind his desk and collapsed into a chair, "Trust me, just give it a shot."

Blake glanced down at the brown liquid... it looked like normal coffee. _He served you something this expensive, at least pretend you like it._

Lifting it, she took a sip... and giant weights lifted from her shoulders. She could hear the roar of the ocean, the laughter of families at the beach. Her mother giggling as her father did something to try and show off, Ilia and Adam shouting good natured encouragement. The afternoon sunlight of Menagerie beating down on her shoulders, lending her its warmth and comfort as the peaceful world spun on.

Seagulls called, probably circling the fishing trawlers as they returned home with their catch. And somewhere... other voices rose. She thought she recognized them.. Ruby, Yang, and Weiss, laughing as they walked down to the beach, to join them as she smiled and sipped her-

An empty mug clicked against her teeth, and she jerked badly in surprise as actual sunlight and a gentle breeze assaulted her senses.

"W-what..."

"Hey there." Yang drawled, her partner now draped in lazy repose along the couch. "Welcome back."

Blake blinked frantically, trying to make sense of it. The office's windows had been opened, banishing the scents that had assaulted her, and Jaune's desk was now pristine. Miss Neo was present in actual clothing and was inspecting the weapons they had stored against one wall while Jaune ran his finger along the page of a book he was reading.

The clock told her than nearly forty minutes had gone by. "What!?"

Yang laughed, "I did the same thing last time."

"But..." Blake stared at her cup, then at her, then at Juane. "What was that?"

"I told you." He answered, now looking not at all hungover, with his usual smile tugging at his lips. "Mistralian Nirvana, best coffee in existence."

"That's... coffee doesn't do that!" Neo seemed to laugh silently at her, her shoulders shaking as she picked up her parasol. "It doesn't, it has to be drugged or something!"

"It probably is, even if the group that makes it denies it entirely. That's why you're not getting any more of it." Blue eyes seemed to pointedly flick over to Yang as he said it. "And don't tell me you aren't awake and feeling amazing right now."

She opened her mouth... and then realized that she couldn't. The lingering morning exhaustion was entirely gone, so was the awkwardness of what they'd walked into. She didn't feel _good_ so much as she felt _incredible._ As if she'd just woken up from the best sleep of her life, full of energy and ready to do whatever she put her mind to.

Yang smiled, kicking one leg over the other. "Caffeine crash will be terrible tomorrow... we'll need tea or something at breakfast. A lot of it."

"I... ok." Blake set her empty mug aside, rubbing at her forehead as she tried to process it. The memories of where the coffee... or whatever it was, had sent her were already fading even as she tried to remember them. "All right. Just please warn me next time."

"I will." Jaune promised, then switched his attention to his partner as she signed something at him in a complicated gesture. "...all right, try not to have too much fun."

Neo rolled her eyes and headed for the door, vanishing out of it a moment later.

"What's that about?" Yang asked before she could, her voice curious.

"Glynda found space in the budget for a part-time assistant professor." He filled them in, "Neo will be working in her class with all years now, not just popping in and out when she has time."

"Oh." Blake frowned a little, "Will she... really be able to, without being able to speak?"

"I'm sure she'll figure it out." Jaune seemed more amused than offended, thankfully, and she quickly nodded and decided to drop the subject. "Well, let's get started. How was your girls' break?"

"...eventful." She responded, knowing she was supposed to say something.

Yang laughed, "You mean awesome? Uncle Qrow took us Grimm hunting out on Patch, and we met up with the rest of RAVN at the arcades twice, and we went out to dinner every night."

They'd had to, the grizzled huntsman hadn't actually had any _food_ in his home, just liquor and water _._ Thankfully what he also had was lien, evidently lots of it, so they'd been able to eat out at every meal or eat leftovers.

"Like I said. Eventful." Blake sighed, "And not terribly relaxing."

"You're just annoyed we stuck you in a room with Ilia." Her partner teased.

"I was fine with Ilia." She countered, narrowing her eyes, "It was that hellhound you call a dog that was annoying."

Yang gasped, holding a hand against her chest dramatically. "You take that back!"

Jaune's laugh forestalled her counter, "Good that you girls had fun, and that you and Ilia are doing better Blake."

Blake flushed a little, glancing aside. "We're... better, yes."

Though still slightly awkward. Ilia had told her that she'd moved on, that she didn't have a crush on her anymore, but the pair of them sharing a room for a week had still been... not uncomfortable so much as a little awkward. For the both of them really, since while she may have _emotionally_ moved on, Ilia had still seemed to find her physically attractive and seemed embarrassed about that fact.

She'd never openly ogled her or anything inappropriate, at least not that Blake had noticed, but Ilia had been more than a little over-cautious about entering their room when she was inside.

"We're friends again, I think." She continued, "I don't think we'll ever be what we were as children, as... compatriots in the White Fang, but we're doing better."

"That's good." He smiled easily, sounding honestly happy for her. "Never let go of a friendship if you can fight to keep it."

"I won't." Blake nodded.

"Anything else happen?"

"No-"

"Not unless you count someone trying to spend all her time at the library." Yang interrupted, making Blake's ears flatten as she whirled on her partner. "What? You knew I would bring it up."

Blake glared. "Between _us_ , Yang."

"Jaune counts." The blonde waved an annoyed hand, "He's more like one of us than he is like a teacher, right?"

"I'm not sure about that." He replied, glancing between them, "But what's so bad about spending time at a library?"

"Nothing-"

Yang, again, spoke over her, "She was looking up old news articles on the White Fang, trying to figure out what they're up to."

" _Yang!_ " She fought down the urge to hiss something furious at her... and then felt her jaw drop when Jaune tilted his head in confusion.

"So?" He asked, "Considering everything I don't think that's an unreasonable decision to make."

They both stared at him in shock until Blake found her voice, "You... don't?"

"Not really." Jaune shrugged, "You remember the Beringel my team fought, the first time we met? First thing we did when we got back was start planning on investigating the type, figuring out how they even spawned in Vacuo when what we knew said they were from Anima. It's a natural instinct to want to know more about a dangerous threat."

Blake felt herself straightening, hope blossoming somewhere in her chest. "You think it's a good idea then?"

"Within _reason_." He stressed the second word. "You're still in school Blake, and whatever your past, that's got to be your priority... and it has to just be research. Figuring out patterns, working out a plot, that's all something a hunter is supposed to do, and it's probably good training, but going after heavily armed terrorists _isn't_ something students should be involved in."

"But-"

Those blue eyes narrowed and she almost bit her tongue as she stopped. " _No_ , Blake. This is exactly why you're here with me instead of having a free period right now. You're Blake Belladonna, student of Beacon. _Not_ Blake Belladonna, Sheriff of Vale. You go running out there again to look for trouble and you're going to get expelled, not slapped with counseling."

She forced herself not to flinch, to remain calm, to keep her voice even. "I know them, more than other people do. I can help-"

He did that stupid thing with his hand, lifting it up palm out, and she again felt herself fall silent on pure reflex.

"You _can_ help, I'm not saying you can't. I'm saying you can help by doing _research_." Jaune repeated, "Hell, I'm sure General Ironwood would be thrilled for any insights you could give him. Those battleships out there aren't just for show Blake. People, important people, are taking this very seriously."

That... she glanced out the window, unable to help it. One of the Atlesian warships was just barely visible out over the Emerald Forest, a distant, dark shape slowly drifting along. A veritable floating fortress, bristling with missiles and cannons, ready to obliterate any Grimm... or anything that got in its way.

"Give them a little bit of credit Blake." He continued, "And a bit of trust."

Trust... "I... don't know if I can trust them. Atlas is..." Judgmental, cold, racist. The worst of the four kingdoms for faunus to try and live within. She knew that the White Fang was... being corrupted, that she had nearly been a part of that fall, but helping _Atlas_ fight them was... hard to contemplate. Maybe it was necessary... but it would be... gods, it would be hard.

Jaune frowned, then nodded and asked, "Then trust me, Blake. You bring me anything you find, we can go over it together, and I'll forward it onto the General. Or, if you'd rather keep it within team RWBY, you can go over it with Weiss and she can pass it onto her sister."

"I... I'll try." She managed.

"That's all I can ask." He glanced at Yang, "Why don't you have your team help you actually, call it a group training project. I'm sure Weiss will be very helpful in the research, and Ruby and Yang can make sure you don't overdo it. You four can go over it all together, then give it to me or Winter."

"I-"

"Got it." Yang pumped a lazy fist into the air, "We'll keep her under control, don't worry."

Blake had glared at her again, and the professor had laughed. He'd eased up after that, checking in about her mother and seemed pleased to hear that she and Mister Xiao-Long had made it to the southern coast safe and sound and would be taking tomorrow's ship across to Menagerie. He'd pushed for a couple of more details about their break and how things had gone, joined Yang in teasing her when the blonde had brought up Sun and his obvious crush.

Then he'd let them depart, a good forty minutes ahead of their scheduled end time.

"Yang..." She asked as they walked down a path, heading to meet up with Ruby and Weiss at the forges. "...did he seem... off, to you?"

"You mean the fact that I'll never be able to look at his desk the same way again?" Yang asked, "That he let us go almost an hour early for the first time ever? Or the obvious hangovers that they both had?"

"...the latter two." Blake returned after a moment, feeling her cheeks heat up a little. "On the first night back from break, after classes? Seems... a weird time for them to be drinking that heavily, and you're right. He lets out of class early, but never his counseling sessions... even if we're just chatting he makes sure we go to time."

"Yeah... and it was two full bottles." Yang's voice lowered, becoming serious. "Big ones too. Saw them next to the sink, and I'd bet that Jaune had most of it. Neo's tiny, wouldn't take much to get her drunk."

She bit her lip, trusting Yang to know after having seen their Uncle. He'd certainly drank a lot, but hadn't gone to excess with it while they'd been around. "That's what I mean. Why on a Monday night, when he knows he has a counseling session in the morning?"

Her partner was silent for a while, then quietly offered, "It's not the only odd thing about him. Ilia said somethings last week that... kind of worry me, and he seemed... a bit out of it at the start of class yesterday too."

"Something happen to them over break, do you think?" She asked, "News from Vacuo?"

"I don't know." Her friend puffed her cheeks out before exhaling. "Pyrrha said she sparred with them, twice, and she seemed to be more than a little happy about how it went. So... if they did hear something it had to have happened very recently."

Blake mulled on that, noting her expression. "You're planning something."

"Yeah. I was going to ask Pyrrha and Ilia to sit down and chat about it this week... maybe we should make it a full team kind of thing."

"That..." She hesitated, "Seems a little invasive."

Yang made an annoyed sound, "I'm not trying to butt into his private life. Yeah, he's hot and I like him, but I know he's very, very claimed. Honestly... I think of him more as a friend than as a teacher, and I think that if we can help him that we should."

Blake glanced away, thinking once more, the idea striking a chord somewhere in her. She still wasn't sure about restricting herself to just research, not when she had so much that she could do, so much she felt that she had to do to make up for what she'd done... but he was trying to help her. He might have been the first adult besides her parents to seriously _want_ to help her become a better person.

 _And... he was right. I could have been expelled for what I did at the docks... gods, I almost got Sun killed. He and Professor Ozpin just turned that into counseling sessions... I owe him._

"All right, I'm... I'm in." She let out a long breath, "Nothing too crazy though."

"Hey, it's me." Yang grinned, "Nothing to worry about."

... _I think I may have just made a mistake._

* * *

 _So yeah, here's a thing. Not sure what people will think of it, but hopefully it makes everyone think a bit. As pretty much this whole chapter can tell you, things are going to be quite different from canon volume 2, and from the original professor arc for that matter. Next chapter will be a it more relaxed than the first half of this one, and we may get one or two new points of view._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 ** _ _Thanks, Kat__**


	32. Semester II: Conferences and Engagements

**Conferences and Engagements**

* * *

Late Wednesday night found Ilia glancing up from her textbook as the door to their room swung open after a single knock, revealing Yang Xiao-Long. "Ahoy team black bird!"

"Ahoy team shiny rock!" Nora promptly replied with a cheerful wave from own bed.

The blonde laughed and strolled in as if it was her own dorm room, the rest of team RWBY following along in her wake. Ilia blinked a bit at that, and then glanced at her team leader from where she was sitting at one of their desks. "...um?"

"Why does it seem like you guys have way more space than us?" Ruby complained before he could say anything, looking around at the four evenly spaced beds, dressers, and the pair of desks. "We had to make our awesome bunk beds just to get everything to fit."

She wasn't sure she'd define a bed held from the ceiling by ropes as 'awesome', but then again it wasn't her opinion that mattered.

Ren shrugged, taking the other team's arrival in stride. "We didn't actually organize, the room was set up like this when we arrived."

Blake opened her mouth with a pointed look at Weiss, then seemed to hesitate before saying nothing at all. Three weeks ago Ilia was certain she would have said something sarcastic regarding the amount of luggage the heiress had brought with, but it seemed that things were still cool between the two.

"Come on Rubes," Yang interrupted the sudden silence, nudging her sister over to one side, "Let's find a spot to sit, we've got stuff to talk about."

Ilia could only shrug when Ren looked at her, and Pyrrha did much the same. Their leader cleared his throat politely and asked, "We do?"

Yang whirled around, "Nora!"

"What?" She complained from her bed, then suddenly looked a little abashed. "Oh, right! Hey Ren, team RWBY's coming over tonight to talk about Jaune!"

"...thank you Nora." The only boy present sighed, "Weiss, please close the door."

She did so, and soon enough four more girls were finding places to sit. Yang deposited herself next to Nora, while Ruby settled onto the floor nearby. Weiss quickly took a seat at the other desk, and rather than sit on the floor or next to someone, Blake decided to remain upright and leaned back against the door.

"Right," Ruby chirped, the young team leader pulling out a notepad. "So, Jaune. Yang's worried about him and how he's been acting lately. She thinks he might need help."

Ilia frowned and shifted her chair around so she wasn't contorting her body to face everyone, "…I think we're missing context, Ruby."

Blake spoke up at that, "At my counseling session yesterday, Yang and I noticed... a few things that worried us. Combining them with other things we've seen, and it started to worry us even more."

"We were hoping," Weiss said, "To pool our knowledge with yours and attempt to discover if there is anything we can do to help him. Professor Arc-"

"Jaune." Half the room corrected.

"- _Professor Arc,"_ The only student in their year who could get away with calling him that continued, "Has done a lot for us, and we think he deserves our kindness in return. But first we have to know exactly what is wrong."

Ilia bit her lip, frowning a little. She'd noticed a few things, sure, but she wasn't sure she was comfortable sharing many of them. "...what set this off? Guessing there was something in specific."

Blake and Yang traded a look, the blonde of the pair speaking, "He was hungover, like, _really_ hung over Tuesday morning when we showed up for her session. So was Neo. Two big bottles of hard liquor were both empty next to their sink."

"Which is very unlike him." Weiss prodded.

"Well..." Ilia hesitated, then sighed and continued, "He _does_ drink once and a while when I'm in my late sessions, but it's never to excess. Maybe one glass near the end, kind of a nightcap."

Yang pursed her lips, "That's a lot different than two full bottles on a school night when he's got a meeting in the morning. Plus, it was right after break... if they were just looking to get hammered and have fun, they could have done it any day last week."

"After that," Blake picked up the story, "We spoke with Weiss and Ruby, and they both confirmed they saw him acting... oddly before our class on Monday. And Weiss' sister was asking her about his mental health this morning, apparently he just... shut down while they two of them were walking. She wanted to know if that had ever happened before."

 _That doesn't sound like him at all._

"She thought," Weiss provided, "That he was snubbing her for being from Atlas, or perhaps military, but he was a perfect gentleman with her in class and I assured her that he has never treated me poorly because of my heritage when she asked."

Nora frowned, pulling her headphones off from around her neck and tossing them aside. "That doesn't sound like Jaune at all. I mean, I kinda figured he'd be a bit messed up like the rest of us, but just spacing out? That's not like him."

"Agreed," The heiress nodded, "That's why-wait. Like the rest of us!? How am I in anyway 'messed up'?"

"Awww..." Nora cooed, "You're adorable when you try and deny it."

"I deny it because I-"

"Weiss." Ren interrupted calmly, "Nora. Please, not now."

"Sorry Ren." His partner replied on reflex. Weiss just huffed a little, but she dropped it.

"Thank you." He said, "Yang, you seem to be experienced in this kind of thing. Do you want to take the lead?"

Ilia glanced at her, and saw her share a long look with Ruby before she let out an explosive sigh and nodded. "Yeah, sure. Our dad... well, its pretty obvious that me and Ruby have different moms right? Let's just say he had some rough spots in his life, and it took him a while to pull himself back together."

"Uncle Qrow had to do a lot of work." Ruby provided, her voice almost unnaturally somber. "I don't remember as much as Yang, I was too little, but he says he almost had to threaten to take us away to get dad to pull himself together. He's a whole lot better now, but for a while when we were young he'd have... episodes."

Yang nodded, "Jaune's got a couple of the same signs that dad did. He'd talk about mom like she was... just out for a walk or something, be home anytime. Jaune... kind of does the same thing sometimes, but with his old teammates. He'll reference them in a story like they're still alive, like he expects them to pop up any day now and yell at him for telling stories about them."

She did a quick check of her memories... and winced, her freckles going blue as she picked out a couple of times when he'd done that without her even noticing.

Ren tapped a finger on his knee a few times, then rose and walked to his dresser, pulling out a notebook of his own. "You believe he still hasn't accepted their passing, even after three years."

"Yeah." Yang repeated, spreading her hands a little, "And then there was the drinking, and what Weiss' sister says she observed, and remember what he said in our first Combat lesson? He didn't... _doesn't_ want anyone asking about what happened."

"Let's compile what we know." Ren stated as he sat, "Ruby and I can both have a copy, and we can add to it as we find out more."

Ilia watched as the two spent a few minutes jotting down what they'd already discussed, and shared a quick glance with Pyrrha as they wrote. Her partner looked distinctly uncomfortable with the topic, even more so than she did, and pretty much everyone else was trying to give them subtle glances.

She let out a slow breath, and started mentally tallying up what she felt comfortable and what she _didn't_ feel comfortable sharing. Anything he'd directly told her seemed off limits, if he kept her secrets she'd keep his. But... what she noticed about other things was more open. Things anyone could pick up if they just spent time around him.

That she could share.

"Ilia?" Ruby asked, looking between her and Pyrrha and settling on her. "You see anything?"

She blew out a slow breath and nodded, "Blake, did you notice the chairs in his office? How they're setup? None of them have their backs to the door, and they're all at angles to the windows, or as much as they can be."

Her fellow faunus blinked, frowned... then actually slapped herself in the face. "Gods, how did I miss that?"

"Um..." Ruby held a up hand, "What's that mean?"

Ilia glanced at her, her voice somber. "It's a precaution, so that even if you're sitting down and relaxed, if someone breaks into the room your back isn't to them. You can see them coming and react. No White Fang safehouse has chairs with their backs to doors."

Weiss sucked in a breath, "You're not saying-"

"I'm not saying anything," She shook her head, "Just stating what I've observed."

"It's more than that." Blake spoke up again, "I've seen other bits of paranoia. Little ones. He'll... twitch if someone startles him, he's a little better now but it was a lot worse at the start of the school year. Remember when you showed the three of us Crescent Rose before Initiation Ruby? I heard him start to draw his sword when you startled us, he had to settle it back."

Ruby swallowed. "...he did?"

She nodded, and between the two of them, plus, surprisingly, Weiss, they found several other incidents in their memory where he'd seemingly reached for a weapon or started to move when surprised. Ren and Ruby had jotted those down, he far more neatly she, and then glanced back at her.

"Anything else?" Her leader asked.

Ilia shook her head, "...nothing I'm comfortable sharing."

A few of them looked a bit distressed at that, but thankfully none of them argued with her. Or with Pyrrha, when she cautiously spoke up.

"I... won't say much," The champion bowed her head, "It was told in confidence, and I won't break that unless I think it has to be said. But... his fighting style is wrong."

Ren lifted an eyebrow, "He seems quite skilled with it."

"He is, but..." Pyrrha shook her head, "I've been studying him when we spar, when he and Miss Neo spar out on the weekends and, well, it's a copy of hers. An almost perfect one with just a few adaptations for their differing body shapes."

Ilia frowned, "Meaning?"

"Meaning that no professional trainer worth their name would have taught it to him, not based on his build and selection of a long-sword as a weapon." She glanced at Ilia, a tiny shrug moving her shoulders. "I could name a dozen styles that would have suited him better off the top of my head, and more if I actually stopped to think about it."

"Maybe..." Nora hesitated, "They just had the same instructor, a bad or cheap one? Or maybe they had a friend teach them?"

"Maybe." Pyrrha allowed, "But... I think it's more likely that Miss Neo trained him, and that she did it in the only style that she knew."

"But..." The other girl shook her head, "They're the same age, right? How would that work? They'd have gone to school at the same time, had the same teachers."

"Not like they grew up together either." Yang frowned, "He's got a big family from what he said, a _really_ big one, and is from eastern Vale. From what he and Miss Neo have implied she was born and raised in Vacuo, so they're not exactly childhood besties."

Pyrrha just shrugged helplessly, having given them all that she apparently could.

"Let's leave that aside for now." Ren suggested gently, "We can all agree that it's odd, but we don't know if, or how, it's relevant."

There was a general rumble of consent from the seven girls in the room with him, and then Weiss spoke up. "I think that this is a good start of collecting information, but I think we need to find out more, and decide what we can or should do to help."

Ruby frowned at her partner, "Of course we should help, what do you mean?"

The heiress shook her head, "Ruby, it may be none of our business, or it may be something we simply can't do anything about. We may even make things _worse_ if we rush in. Especially if we're wrong."

"She's right." Everyone glanced at Blake in varying degrees of surprise, the faunus nodding towards Weiss. "I've seen people in the White Fang have... break downs. Some of them were caused by well meaning friends trying to help and just making things worse by saying the wrong things or pushing them to do something they weren't ready for."

Ilia found herself nodding in agreement, "I've seen similar... both in Menagerie and in Atlas."

"Thank you Blake, Ilia." Weiss turned away, missing the other girls' startled expressions at her use of their given names. "We should divide tasks between us all, and try to keep an eye on him and Miss Neo where possible."

Ren nodded and spoke up, "Ilia, Pyrrha, and Blake see him the most, and they can observe how he acts during their counseling sessions. If you're not comfortable telling us details I think that is perfectly acceptable, but even clues to his mood may help. We can make a chart and compare good days to bad ones."

She thought about that, glanced at Pyrrha, then nodded in agreement a moment after Blake did the same.

He waited until they'd done so, and then continued on, "Nora still enjoys calling him over during mealtimes, so she and I will do our best to note his behavior then. Ruby, what about your team?"

"Hmmm..." Ruby hummed, scrunching up her nose. "Oh, I know. I heard Coco say that Jaune likes to do maintenance on Friday nights, if we move our team time in the Forges to when he's in there we can spend more time with him."

"That sounds-" Weiss paused, "Wait, who is Coco?"

"Mecha-shift mini-gun that can collapse into a handbag." Ruby promptly replied, "With a heavy magazine capable of-"

"Forget I asked." Her partner cut her off, "All right, I think that will give us a reasonable spread. Yang... you seem the most familiar with this kind of problem, what are we looking for?"

"Depression, mood swings, sudden silences." Yang supplied promptly, "Starting off into the distance, reacting badly to innocuous topics... from the stuff Uncle Qrow looked up when dad was having issues, it varies a lot from one person to another. So basically anything you'd think odd for someone his age, or someone in his position."

"Like drinking to intoxication on the first work night after vacation." Ren supplied, underlining something on his page. "I propose we meet again in two or three weeks and discuss our findings, and then possible ways we can help."

Ilia added her voice to the quiet chorus of agreement.

* * *

It hadn't even been a week, and Emerald Sustrai hated Beacon even more than Haven. At least at Haven everything was pretty compact up near the top of the mountain, and getting from one class to another and then back to the dorms was something that took a couple of minutes at most. Plus, getting away from the pampered school brats was as easy as wandering down a broad stair or finding an elevator into the city proper.

Beacon? You practically needed to pack a spare lunch for your hike to class, and if you wanted to check out Vale you had to take a freaking plane... and your scroll would note when you'd taken one of the school's taxi aircraft.

 _At least we're not the only ones bitching._

"Seriously." Dodger grumbled, the Mistralian boy brushing black hair streaked with blue out of his eyes, "They really had to build the arenas on the other side of the tower from the dorms?"

Emerald made a sound of agreement, "Must need the exercise to walk off the food."

"Nothing wrong with cooking everything in butter." Mercury, as usual, took the other side of the argument just to annoy her. "Those burgers were insane."

Ray glowered at him, and then at her partner when the other boy nodded, smiling in remembrance of their meal yesterday. "You're such a guy Merc, I felt like such a fat-ass after eating that."

"Well, if you want to work off a few pounds, I think my bed's free tonight."

The short haired blonde made a disgusted sound and walked a couple of steps ahead to catch up with Emerald. "How did you not smother him in his sleep when you two were out in the country?"

"I'm blessed with unbelievable levels of self control." She responded honestly, though she left off the obvious agony Cinder would have put her through for indulging. The threat of incineration was something that rather helped keep her urges under control. "And by constantly reminding myself how good he is in a fight."

Her 'teammate' muttered a bit more before falling quiet. Their dynamics were... strange, but she'd known they would be from the moment Cinder had given them this mission. Ray and Dodger had been used to being alone for the last two years, and had only slowly adjusted to having the pair of them around. Even then it was pretty strictly along gender lines... Ray tried to hang out with her once and a while, while Dodger spent some time with Mercury.

Emerald put up with it to the minimal degree possible to keep the peace, nothing more, nothing less.

"Here." She announced as they finally got to the central building, and the circular arenas attached to it. "Arena one, and we're still fifteen minutes early."

The others grumbled at that, which she ignored with the disdain it deserved. Cinder wanted them to have a record of excellence built up in advance, to draw attention to themselves in only the most positive of fashions. If the plan reached the Festival stage, which Cinder seemed to think likely given the unusually heavy Atlas presence, and the new player's actions, she didn't want their advancement into the final rounds to be suspicious.

They had to be above reproach when the time came. And, if people attempted to befriend them, giving them a wider pool of information on their opponents, all the better.

Inside, she found the arena to be more or less the same as what it had been at Haven. A circular zone for fighting, raised bleachers around for everyone to watch, and obvious barriers ready to protect the spectators from stray bullets. If the display screens up above were a higher quality, that was more or less irrelevant.

Especially compared to the two figures standing near the back of the room.

One she recognized instantly from the briefing packet that smug Atlesian scientist had given them after Cinder had come up with this plan; Glynda Goodwitch was tapping away on a tablet, evidently showing whatever was on it to the individual next to her. According to Cinder and that Watts guy, the blonde professor was one of the deadliest huntresses on the planet thanks to her semblance, deep aura reserves, and vast combat experience. She was Ozpin's second, heir, and wouldn't hesitate to kill them if she found out the truth.

 _Cinder can match her, but we're barely anything compared to either of them. We have to avoid her attention at all costs._

Unfortunately they didn't have the same level of information on the almost disturbingly petite woman standing to her. Her name, or at least the name she was going by right now, was Neopolitan. She was believed to be between somewhere between twenty and twenty four years old, was from Vacuo, and had spent three years easily evading Hazel and Tyrian's efforts to catch her and her partner.

 _Possible Illusion semblance..._ She remembered Cinder's warning. _Not much else known We need to investigate her skills, but carefully so that she doesn't have an excuse to remove one of us._

She glanced at Mercury as the pair headed for a nearby bench, and saw him nod slightly. If they could arrange it, a spar between the tiny woman and Merc would be ideal. He could throw a fight in a way she struggled to, and was far better at gauging an opponent's actual strength.

 _Anything we can find out about her here..._

Other students began to arrive quickly, piling into the benches around them, chatting loudly and obnoxiously about nothing in particular. As much as she wanted to ignore the blabbering as so much annoying background noise, she knew they had to keep digging on this girl and Arc, and tried to listen for anything related to either of them.

Apart from more than a couple of students seemingly having no idea what a 'grade schooler' was doing down with Goodwitch, she got a whole lot of nothing.

"Grade schooler..." Mercury muttered when they were sure their teammates were occupied talking with one another. "That little doll's probably got as large a count as my dad had."

"Hush." She hissed back. "You see a weapon?"

"Just a cute little parasol." He shrugged, "Think it's a cover?"

It had to be, but they didn't have time to keep discussing it. There was a deep gong as the hour struck, and everyone from Beacon shut up instantly. Ray, Dodger, and the team from Atlas needed an extra second but the oppressive silence was too large a hint for them to miss.

"Welcome, everyone, to a new semester of Combat Class." Goodwitch said once the last voices had stopped, her heels clicking as she advanced towards the center of the ring, "Welcome as well to team EMRD from Haven, and team TMBR of Atlas. I trust you will treat my class as seriously as you would the classes at your own Academy."

She managed to make it sound enough like a threat that even Emerald shifted a little uncomfortably.

"As you all can see, I am accompanied today by Miss Neopolitan." A hand gestured at the white clad girl who gave them all an almost mocking wave. "For those of you unfamiliar with her, she is the partner of Professor Jaune Arc, and formerly of the Academy for Gifted Youths in Vacuo."

 _Nothing we didn't know, but at least it's confirmation._

"With Professor Arc deciding to spend more time in his counseling role this semester, she has graciously accepted a position as an Associate Professor at Beacon. She will be assisting me in all of my classes from this point onward." There was a distinct pause, "Because someone will ask, Professor Neo, and she prefers that address, is mute. She will communicate via her scroll, sign language for those students who can understand it, or text via the projectors."

 _A... mute?_ Emerald couldn't help but blink rapidly. _You've got to be kidding me... wait, what did she say Arc is doing?_

Of course her blank reaction, and the mildly confused looks from Mercury, Ray, and Dodger were utterly tame compared to the stunned looks from the locals. There wasn't an uproar so much as a sudden rush of whispering and staring as they tried to process what they'd just been told.

Not that Emerald could blame them, even the shortest girl up here probably towered over the waif with her cute 'weapon' standing down by the Professor.

"I am certain that my students will treat her with the respect her position deserves." Goodwitch spoke over the sounds, the threat was once again very clear. The whispering cut off at once, and she got a rumble of agreement from those students who'd recovered from the surprise.

 _...she can't honestly be a mute._

"She has also," She continued, "Graciously consented to begin the semester with a spar, allowing one student to test themselves against a professional huntress. I warn you that she will not be an easy opponent, having spent the past three years fighting and accepting missions in the wastelands of Vacuo and the outer reaches of Vale."

She immediately threw her surprise into a box in the back of her head and focused on the here and now. This was exactly what they... no, this was even _better_ than what the wanted! If they could observe her fighting someone else, not reveal their own strengths, that would be a massive-

"Miss Sustrai of Haven, please make your way to the ring."

Emerald's brain ran into a brick wall as her mental celebration abruptly imploded. Mercury, visibly fighting back a grimace, had to nudge her into motion, and she still only slowly got moving down the stairs.

 _Five teams of four, plus us, plus the Atlas team, that's... twenty eight. One in twenty eight... that's..._ She wasn't any good at higher math, but she knew horrible odds when she saw them. _She picked me on purpose!_

Cinder's warning that Arc and this Neo had been here for months, had established themselves, and would be cunning adversaries came back to her a little too late to do any good.

 _I need to fight well enough not to embarrass myself, not so well as to reveal how good I am, but well enough to see how good she is... while not making it look like I'm doing any of that, and without using my semblance._

The headache started almost before she got to the floor, but she managed to regain some of her cocky swagger, resting her hands on her hips as she walked into the ring. Quitting or forfeiting wasn't an option, it would make her look weak, and it wasn't like she could suddenly fake being ill after looking fine all morning.

She was stuck.

A wave from Goodwitch sent her to one side, linking her scroll with the system while her opponent did the same. Then they both headed to the small lines in the floor, facing one another, sizing up their enemy and ignoring the other professor as she went over the rules.

Neopolitan was... absurdly small up close, even if she was more identifiable as an adult thanks to her bust and the confident stance of her body. Probably wasn't even five feet tall, with heels even, and didn't look like she had all that much mass to her. She had a sense of style, Emerald would give her that, she more than pulled off the corset, boots, and coat... but the parasol remained an almost childish choice of a weapon. Assuming it even _was_ a real weapon and not a decoy.

"Hello." She said, trying for casual, noting that even her eyes were mismatched. "Love the outfit."

The girl... woman, whatever, smirked and glanced up and down her body before giving her a thumbs up in return.

Emerald frowned and then peered a little closer. _Did her eyes just swap colors...?  
_

Neo blinked again, and they definitely reversed the brown and the pink.

 _Yeah, that's not weird as hell._

As the lights dimmed, she wrapped her fingers around the hilts of her weapons, waiting for the go signal. The shifting light let her see her opponent give her a tiny, almost coy smirk as her weight shifted, her own hands flexed as the gripped the parasol resting on her shoulder.

 _You can do this Em. Don't let Cinder down, definitely don't do that less than a week in._

"Begin!"

She drew in a flurry of motion, opening fire almost before the shout had finished echoing. Her rounds slammed into pink and white fabric that impossibly held off the barrage, it must have been laced with gravity dust, and her surprise at the functional shield nearly made her miss the fact that said shield was getting much larger in her vision as her opponent rushed her.

Abandoning the gunfire as a losing strategy, she flicked her thumbs, sickles unfolding, and then counter-charged at an angle.

The parasol abruptly snapped closed, parrying away her first slash, Neo twisting at the waist to avoid the overhead strike she followed it up with. Not wanting to give her a chance, and deciding her best way to end this without revealing much would be to try for a ring out... or let herself get ringed out, Emerald pushed as hard as she dared, staying close.

Slash three was avoided by a twirl that planted a high heel into her gut, driving her back. She skidded back, prepared to block an attack... and found her opponent smiling and staying right where she was. Gritting her teeth, she came back in, weapons whirling as she tried to push her back towards the edge of the arena.

Attack four was parried, five was dodged, and the sixth actually saw her opponent step into her guard, almost pressing against Emerald's chest before ramming her weapon's tip into her stomach to once again knock her back.

It was after her third and fourth assaults had resulted in the exact same outcome, and both of them still near the center of the ring, that she realized what the little bitch was doing. _Parry, Dodge, Counter. Parry, Dodge, Counter._

She was giving away as little of her own skillset as possible, and hoping to frustrate Emerald into revealing something... and it was working dammit. She wasn't Mercury, she couldn't shrug off getting wailed on, all of her instincts from the streets were screaming that she need to kill this bitch _now_ before she looked like anymore like a weak victim in front of the crowd.

Some part of her started to draw on her semblance by reflex, and she only narrowly aborted, taking the point of the parasol to her cheek as she lost focus.

 _No! I'm not on the streets anymore! Cinder wouldn't tolerate me revealing anything!_ Emerald darted backwards, ignoring the pain in her face in favor of flipping her weapons back to pistol mode to buy herself a bit of time. The parasol promptly snapped open again, easily covering the tiny body behind it.

She needed to lose, or win, but do it fast. She _had_ to get the fight near to the edge of the ring. What if... no, she couldn't reveal her weapon's third mode, not when Neo hadn't revealed _anything_ about her own.

 _Think like Merc... think like Merc... fuck I hope this works._

Planting her back foot, she exhaled and kicked off, sprinting right at her opponent firing as she came. Neo met her charge in return, and just as she had at the start of the fight, Emerald shifted to come in at an angle, weapons sliding into their melee configuration.

The parasol didn't collapse this time, instead snapping up to one shoulder, as if her opponent had realized she was up to something. That was fine with Emerald, it made her more open when she abruptly shifted direction instead of cutting at her, and tried to tackle the smaller woman directly.

Neo's eyes widened as she threw herself back, literally falling down on purpose before bringing her feet up. Two high heels planted themselves right into Emerald's stomach, her momentum folding her over them as the legs bent, then abruptly shot back to full extension to hurl her away.

She'd thought she'd get thrown or shoved, but this worked even better.

Emerald hit the ground, and fought against her instincts once again, letting herself bounce and roll instead of simply spinning up to her feet. She had to add an extra bit of twist to make it the last few feet to fall out of the ring, and could only pray that it had looked natural.

"Spar complete." Goodwitch called, "Miss Neopolitan is the victor by ring out. Aura tally is Miss Neo at one hundred percent, Miss Sustrai at eighty two."

Scattered applause and whispering promptly filled the room as Emerald hauled herself to her feet, clenching her jaw so that she didn't say something she'd regret.

"You fought very well, Miss Sustrai." The teacher continued, cutting off her class. "You noticed the pattern to her movements and changed strategies appropriately, and I noted your efforts to push her towards the edge of the ring early. That is precisely the correct plan given her superior experience and skills, you did exceedingly better than the second year she combated yesterday."

Emerald let out a slow breath, forcing the words out, "Thank you ma'am."

She surprised herself by meaning it, the voices above and behind shifted in tone to something more thoughtful, and she realized that the teacher had been trying to patch her pride and standing up a bit.

"Now, will teams TMBR and GNMT please followed Professor Neo to Arena Two, you will be conducting your spars under her supervision." The professor continued, "The other teams will remain here. Miss Sustrai? You may rejoin your friends."

Emerald nodded, glancing at her opponent and finding her regarding her coolly for a split second before turning away, waving for others to follow her.

 _This... is going to be harder than I thought._

* * *

Neo watched the students filing out, bouncing her weapon on a shoulder as she did.

This morning had been... interesting. Convincing Goodwitch that she need to 'prove herself' to the students had been almost pathetically easy considering that the other woman had agreed entirely. She'd gotten a good work out in yesterday against some girl named Adel, who Neo would admit had spectacular fashion sense even though her slower fighting style hadn't been nearly as interesting.

She hadn't been helpless once Neo had gotten into her guard, but she hadn't been all that skilled at close combat either. Goodwitch had praised her for highlighting the gap in the teen's abilities, to which she had only shrugged. That point of it had been to test herself and get a work out in, and that had been accomplished. She wasn't Jaune, she felt no real urge to help people for the sake of it.

Then today had come, and she'd been supposed to fight someone from Beacon. She'd changed that quickly enough, picking Cinder's little minion instead. Convincing Goodwitch to go along with it hadn't been hard either, she'd just pointed out that the girl had been ranked extremely high at Haven, and that fighting only students from Beacon might make their students annoyed at being shown up.

The other Professor had accepted the argument, and had once again been impressed by her 'teaching them the value of adaptability when facing a repetitive opponent'.

Neo had fought the urge to roll her eyes. She'd just been trying to troll the girl until she got angry enough to reveal something, and to some degree she had. Nothing on her semblance, but she'd glimpsed a few things. First, easiest, Sustrai had been trying to hold back but hadn't quite managed it. She'd definitely lost on purpose quickly enough, but her actual attacks had been sincere and committed.

That led to her second assumption; the girl wasn't on her or Jaune's level in terms of experience. She was quick enough, and a good technical fighter, but she was... off. It had taken her four repetitions to try something new, it shouldn't have gotten anywhere near that point. Further, Emerald had acted... as if unsure what to do after her initial plan had failed, like she wasn't used to needing a back-up. She'd stuck with her ring-out plan instead of letting herself get hit hard and then forfeiting, or faking an injury, or any number of other options.

 _Not sure what that means... but my gut says it's something._

"Thank you again." Goodwitch spoke as the last students departed, the actual teacher walking over to her. "You have done an excellent job, and I believe the students appreciate being able to get in far more spars per week than they could before."

She shrugged, waving away the words. That wasn't why she was doing this.

"I mean that sincerely." The blonde insisted, "I believe that your and Jaune's presence has improved our school for the better, and your... variant teaching styles had made the children more contemplative."

Meaning that letting the brats hurt each other until they learned seemed to be making them learn. Shocking.

Neo sighed and pulled out her scroll, typing rapidly before showing it to her. _It's the way we were taught. Your learn fast._

Goodwitch seemed to frown at that, "Neither of you is used to receiving compliments, are you? Even despite being at the top of your year at your school."

 _Our combat teacher was incompetent._ She typed bluntly. _Jaune and I learned more sparring on our own every night._

"I am... familiar with teachers who do not believe in supportive words or actions, personally I find them unworthy of their positions." The professor glowered at the screen, as if angry on their behalf. "And truly? Every night?"

She just shrugged.

"You never had much of a chance to simply enjoy your teenage years, did you?"

Neo's eyes narrowed as she got where this was going, and she pointedly snapped her scroll closed.

Goodwitch got the message and immediately backtracked, realizing that she'd pushed a little too hard on their second day working together. "I meant nothing by it, my apologies. Will you be taking lunch in the staff room? Ah, very well, in that case I will see you with the first years at three."

She twitched her chin in a nod as the taller woman walked out of the teacher's exit, fighting the urge to glower at her back before turning and stalking out of the building and into the open air.

Neo hadn't really considered the consequences of what the staff believed she spent her evenings doing, but they'd been driven home once she was officially hired. They'd shifted from treating her like Jaune's assistant to treating her much as they treated him, subtle offers to talk with them about their past strewn all over the place to 'help'.

Goodwitch seemed to be the most overt, probably because Neo was going to be stuck spending four hours a day with her from here on out.

Jaune, being Jaune, completely missed most of the hints that were dropped in his direction, except for Oobleck's. The green haired Doctor was smarter than the others and disguised his questioning under their mutual appreciation for archaeology and history. It was having an effect already, she could tell. He and Jaune were definitely close in a way that worried her in terms of their plan.

If it all worked, awesome, free source of information on ancient crap. If it all blew up, Jaune was going to get his stupidly big heart crippled and she'd be left to stitch it back together... _again._

"Good morning Miss Neo!"

And now _he_ was corrupting _her..._ that was not how their relationship was supposed to work!

She waved vaguely at Pyrrha Nikos as the girl came wandering over, the redhead smiling so sweetly it was a wonder her teeth weren't rotting.

"Did you just come from a class?" The girl asked, shortening her strides as she fell in beside her. "Jaune told us at breakfast that you took a full position as an assistant to Professor Goodwitch."

Neo nodded, grumbling mentally as she pulled her scroll out again. _Combat assistant. You'll have me in her classes instead of him._

While she expected another saccharine grin, instead she got a... slight frown. "Oh."

 _Oh?_ She typed, then narrowed her eyes as both flickered to hot pink. _If you're pining after him like the blonde I'm going to be annoyed._

Green eyes widened, "No, of course not! I mean, he's not unattractive but I'm... um, that is..."

 _Trying to decide if liking it when the faunus girl ogles you means something?_ Neo suggested.

"I... no!" Nikos denied, her pale skin turning the color of her hair to make the lie clear.

She smirked back at her. If she was this easy to tease, corrupting her would be... ugh! She was thinking like Jaune, again! Trying to make nice and help people... she was going to put him through hell in their next training session for this.

Neo wasn't sure if she thought of the teenager as a 'friend', but the girl was definitely fun to spar with, one of the people she could go all out against in a private session and actually get a real benefit from. Then there was the entertainment she provided, even if that went hand in hand with her irritatingly good nature. The latter would improve as Neo worked on her, taught her the wonders of alcohol, sarcasm, sleeping with ones partner, pranking, and trolling.

She... was starting to approve of Nikos' existence, enough to want to chip away at the stupidly nice exterior to find out what was beneath. That was more than she could say about any other student.

 _This is all your fault Jaune, I know it! We're not supposed to be making friendly with the marks!_

"I was disappointed because I was hoping to spar with you actually." The other girl rushed to continue before Neo could tease her further. "My hand to hand still needs work, and I want to keep training with my gauntlets but Yang doesn't always have the time. And you seem better than Jaune in that area, but if you've got classes now I don't want to be a bother."

Neo perked up a little at that idea, fingers flicking across her scroll as they stopped walking. _When?_

"I don't want-" She all but shoved the screen into the girls face, tapping a foot irritably. "-I was thinking between lunch and class?"

Her thumb rose to show her approval, then she typed out, _Garden classroom by one._

"I... are you sure?" Neo closed her scroll with a sharp click, and just looked at her. "...right, I'll see you there ma'am."

If she could have growled she would have, and she lifted her parasol threateningly.

"I mean, I'll see you there Miss Neo!"

Better.

* * *

Winter Schnee rather wished she had a firearm on her, so that she could kill the bird who had been shrieking in a nearby tree almost from the moment she and Weiss had begun their lesson.

"Focus." She called, watching as her sister's glyph spun upon the grass. "Remember your fallen foes. Remember how they pushed you, forced you to become more than what you were."

Weiss seemed to quiver, her rapier shaking as she tried to pure effort into the summoning.

"No!" Winter snapped, "Do not let emotion control your actions, if you do-"

The glyph began to flicker rapidly, and abruptly vanished as her sister collapsed onto one knee, panting.

"-you will lose control." She finished, pressing her lips together. "Is this truly the best you can do?"

Weiss whirled to her feet, sweat making her hair stick to her face, "I told you I can't summon!"

"Stop doubting yourself." She countered, "Our semblance is something unique to us, something every true Schnee can do. How can you believe you can become a full huntress if you cannot manage to control your own latent ability?"

"I can control it!" Weiss insisted, "My glyphs are almost perfect."

Winter lifted an eyebrow, focusing her own talents as she lifted a hand. A small glyph whirled for a bare moment before mist coalesced into a small bird. "And yet you can't summon so much as a small Nevermore."

Her sister stared at it as it flapped its wings, guided by Winter's will, then tore off into a nearby tree, finally driving away the black bird who'd been present there, the thing fleeing into the sky. Her own circled back around before fading back into a puff of snow that melted instantly in the warm summer sun.

"You need to cease trying." She told her sister flatly, "You're letting your frustration ruin every effort. You cannot force it to happen, you need to focus, control your emotion, and simply _expect_ it to rise and stand beside you."

Weiss swallowed, turning away. Then she set her shoulders and stabbed Myrtenaster forwards once more. This time the motion was slower, firmer, the white symbol of the Schnee family perfectly crisp. Its spinning began after a few moments, accelerating as Weiss attempted to draw forth an old enemy to stand by her side.

For a moment... Winter saw something began to move, forming... then her sister _again_ tried to force it to appear.

It wavered, flickered, and died as she put too much of herself into the effort.

"Did you not listen to a word I said?" Winter asked tiredly, shaking her head as Weiss fell to her knees, gasping for breath. "Am I speaking to Weiss, or did our useless brother disguise himself as my sister?"

"I..." Weiss shook her head again, not looking at her, clearly humiliated by the comparison to Whitley.

She sighed and walked forwards, resting a hand on her shoulder, lowering her voice. "You nearly had it Weiss. It was forming...then you let your emotions go once more, and it collapsed. You _can_ do this, I know it. You just need to maintain your focus."

Her sister nodded, not resisting as Winter crouched down, gently helping her up. "That's enough for today. We will try again next week."

"I can-"

"Collapse from exhaustion." She interrupted the attempt at bravado. "And you have combat class in eighty-seven minutes, I shouldn't have allowed you the last effort as it was. We are going to the mess hall so that you may eat, and you _will_ drink at least two full bottles of water."

"Yes sister." Weiss nodded, slowly sheathing her sword.

Winter remained close until sure that her sister didn't need her assistance, the pair leaving the hedged in alcove in the garden that they had been training within. The general sounds of a school surrounded them, children calling to one another, complaining of homework, and generally acting like the unruly teenagers that they were.

Though she would admit that the noise was far quieter than it may have been at the other academies, thanks to Beacon's design and sheer size. A school built to train six hundred students felt cavernously empty with a mere sixth of that present, and her mind briefly wondered to the politics of the local kingdom before sounds of physical conflict distracted her.

"Huh..." Weiss offered as they moved past the area where Professor Arc had held his... odd class on Monday. "Pyrrha must have asked for a private lesson."

Winter frowned as she followed her sister's gaze, and found the Mistralian celebrity engaged against Arc's partner. The two were sparring hand to hand, though Nikos seemed to be armed with some form of gauntlet over her fists, and they were fighting with a viciousness she hadn't expected at Beacon. The much smaller woman spun away from a dodge to grab the champion's ponytail, making her opponent arch her back in pain as she was swung around by the grip on her scalp to be sent stumbling against the central tower.

To her surprise the girl didn't complain, shout, or do anything besides plant her feet against the stone and use it to propel herself back into the fight, fists jabbing in quick motions as she forced the part-time teacher back.

"Interesting." She noted, turning away. "Weiss, your meal awaits."

"Right, I'm sorry." Her sister quickly caught up.

As a rule, Winter did not care to... interrogate her own sibling, but the General had made it clear that he desired more information on Arc and his partner, and Weiss seemed to have no issues conversing on the subject of her teachers.

"Is that a common sight?" She asked.

"Not usually... well, sort of." Weiss corrected herself. "I know he sometimes does counseling sessions that involve sparring, he says it lets everyone work out their emotions. But full sparring is usually just himself and Miss Neo on the weekends."

Winter hummed softy, she would have to investigate and see if that was a legitimate counseling strategy for huntsman. "I have heard you sing his praises as an instructor, what do you make of his fighting technique?"

There was the tiniest moment of hesitation that no one who didn't know Weiss would have noticed, "He is exceedingly skilled, and surprisingly fast for his size. He and Miss Neo took down all of team CRDL in a demonstration spar while barely being hit in return."

"...what else?" She pressed.

"Um..." Weiss bit her lip, then seemed to sigh. "They're not very... elegant fighters, as you just saw. But they're very adaptable! Both of them can use each other's weapons, even the ones of their old teammates', and he insists that we all have a back-up weapon ourselves."

That was entirely practical advice really, and Winter felt herself nodding in approval even as she filed away the notion that they had kept their fall comrades' weapons. "I trust you have done so, and are working to master it?"

"I'm trying to, when I have spare time. Ruby helps."

 _Your hyperactive partner? If she is assisting then I must assume..._ She flicked her eyes up and down her sister, then felt her lips tug on one side. "Ah. That explains the object hidden in your left boot."

Her sister flushed a little. "It seemed the best place."

"I trust the pistol is of high quality." Winter stated more than asked, "And sufficient power to defend yourself should you lose access to Myrtenaster."

"Ruby made sure of it." Weiss nodded, then gave her sister an almost pleading look. "I know she seems childish and immature sometimes, but she really is the best in our year with firearms and weapons design."

She believed that, if only because she'd read a report on the girl from Signal Academy... but she was still an elder sibling. Ensuring that Weiss' partner was properly grateful for having her sister as her companion was more than merely expected, it was a requirement. "Inform me when next you plan to visit the firing range next. I will accompany the pair of you and inspect the weapon and your shooting stance to ensure my satisfaction with both."

"Yes Winter. Of course."

* * *

 _This chapter would have come out yesterday, except i kept writing things that I didn't consider up to my personal standards... about 7k words worth of them. So yeah, I'm hoping what's here remains solid enough, touches the main plot and expands things on the sides a bit. I'm very glad that everyone seemed to like the unexpected direction of the last chapter, and that you're all still engaged._

 _In other news, RWBY and RAVN convene to discuss Jaune, Emerald gets stuck in an awkward position, Neo thinks corrupting Pyrrha = helping Pyrrha, and Weiss and Winter have their summoning practice early. Next few chapters will probably continue to touch on the core plot of the relic quest at least to one degree or another, while also hitting on the various side things occurring._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 ** _ _Thanks, Kat__**


	33. Semester II: Relaxation & Reunion

**Relaxation and Reunion**

* * *

Ozpin seemed to have written a decent speech for once, though Jaune wasn't sure how many students had really been paying attention since he'd given it first thing on a Monday morning. He had a feeling they'd cheered at the end when Headmaster told them to spend the morning 'building bonds' more because it meant they didn't have class than it was because they'd been moved by his message.

What he could have done without was Ozpin and Glynda taking Cinder with them to the official welcome ceremony, as well as Ironwood.

 _Giving her access to two Headmasters and the Council for the morning... not sure why she wanted to go, but I doubt its for anything good. We'll just have to see if she lets anything slip, or if Oz or Glynda mentions anything._

In slightly better news, Neo hadn't spent her usual Sunday night in the ruins, since they'd known she'd need to look like a human being instead of like a zombie this morning. And since she needed no more than one or two more nights to finish measuring out her map, she hadn't minded taking one night off to maintain appearances. That was doubly good today, since it meant she was actually coming with to his class, and not leaving him to face Winter Schnee alone.

Not that Winter was hard to work with, she was just... a lot to take in all at once.

"I still don't think that us sparring gives the students much of anything in terms of Group Tactics." He said as the three of them walked the gardens, taking the long way to the cafeteria. "That's something more up Glynda's alley, but I do like your idea of the three of us against two teams of students... you're right in that we haven't really worked larger group tactics."

Winter nodded, her hands folded behind her back as she walked, "Eight on four engagements are quite common at Atlas, it covers numerous areas in terms of learning. Further, they are the largest I believe practical considering their youth and relative capabilities."

"What do you think of making the groups ad-hoc, rather than straight teams?" Jaune asked, "I did that in their first practical, it forces them to get used to not always having the same people beside them. Helps keep everyone together, and teaches them something in the process."

"Hm." The elder Schnee hummed, "I had not considered that. For variance we would normally remove one or more members of a team, or instruct them to act as though they were injured or unconscious... would said teams be randomly assigned?"

"Random assignment, random leader." He confirmed, "And have them go up against a normal team who will more efficient and used to each other."

Winter considered that for several paces, then nodded once more, "We should have time for two sessions today, if we included your typical debriefing sections after each engagement. The three of us can engage two teams first, then randomly assign the second."

"Works for me." Jaune nodded, then saw a chance to shift things, "If we're doing multiple team tactics, a lecture on the subject might be in order. Not today obviously, but maybe that's something you could do next week? If you plan on a two hour lecture we might still have time to get another engagement in."

"...that would be acceptable." Winter allowed, a slight frown on her face. "You are comfortable to allow me to teach one of your classes?"

 _You know this subject way more than I do, considering I'm winging it._ "Of course."

She nodded slowly, relaxing slightly. "I see, very well, I will plan such a lecture. If we are going to coordinate today, may I inquire as to your abilities?"

"If we can do the same." He replied. Neither he nor Neo was very comfortable with this, but they'd known they'd need a cover for their semblances sooner or later. Cinder already knew one of them had an illusion based semblance, and probably already suspected that it was Neo. Confirming it for her via Winter and the students, and portraying it as limited, would hopefully keep Cinder from digging too deeply.

Especially if his own seemed rather mundane.

"The Schnee family semblance is hereditary." Winter answered, surprising him. _Hereditary? I've never even heard of..._ "Though I obviously have more fine control than Weiss, and access to summons, I will restrain myself against the students. Your own?"

Jaune shrugged, "Not combat related really... or at least, not related to a gentle spar. I can heal more quickly from injuries than even normal huntsman."

She frowned, "Unusual, does it require aura to function?"

"Yeah." He smiled, trying to make it look a little bitter. "It's... not all that useful. It takes me less to heal than most people, but if my aura is broken I'm as screwed as the next guy."

"Hm." Winter shook her head, "That is... ah, I see. It prevents you from being killed in an ambush, as you can simply recover where others would be grievously wounded. It unlocked during the attack?"

The question was anything but subtle, and he felt himself stiffen on reflex... but it was also an honest one, and he felt compelled to complete the lie. "Griffon, came right out of the sandstorm, I never saw it coming. Neo thought I was dead for sure, nearly had a heart attack when I got up."

"Strange..." She shook her head, "That is oddly limited as a talent. You have found no other application?"

"Not after three years of messing with it." He sighed, "Consider it an Arc family curse to have less than useful semblances." When she raised an eyebrow, he elaborated. "My father knows when it's going to rain. Exactly when, for exactly how long, for exactly how much. _That_ is his semblance, he unlocked it during a camping trip. From what little he told me, my grandfather's was equally limited."

"I... see." Winter nodded, evidently buying it, or at least filing the bit about his father away to verify later, then turned to the ever-silent Neo. "And yourself?"

Neo shrugged as they slowed to a stop beside the cafeteria, then snapped her fingers. There was a quiet crackling sound before her hair turned bright blue, her eyes golden, and her skin a deep brown. A second finger snap saw her return to normal.

"Appearance shifting?" His co-teacher frowned, "In actuality or seeming? Can you shift your overall body size?"

"It's just a reflection." Jaune provided, "She unlocked it as a child in an orphanage, a way to avoid... unfortunate attention due to her size and appearance."

From the way Winter's lips pressed together, she was imagining the worst sort of 'unfortunate attention'. Which... he'd admit to worrying about from time to time as well. Neo had never actually told him how she'd come into her semblance, but considering the wide variety of uses for it... he imagined that she'd been in a position where she'd needed _all_ of said uses.

"I see." Winter said after a few moments, "Is it limited to herself?"

Neo smirked and stepped over, the three of them stopping as she held a hand out towards Winter. The taller woman regarded it for a moment, then cautiously accepted it before Neo snapped the fingers of her other hand again, the woman starting as she no doubt saw a flash of pink-white light.

Winter Schnee's hair abruptly turned pitch black, her lips became the same shade, she gained a silver nose ring, eye studs, and one cheek sported the kind of wickedly marked tattoo one usually associated with Vacuan gangs. Her eyes seemed to be shrouded in far too much dark eye shadow, and her already pale skin became almost porcelain white.

She looked utterly ridiculous, especially with the same prim and proper expression on her features.

"Dare I ask?" Winter asked, noticing his abrupt struggle to not laugh.

"Um..." Jaune tried to glare at Neo, who was already biting a finger and shaking, clearly entirely too proud of herself, but found himself swallowing his own amusement. "How do you feel about the punk-bandit look?"

One of Winter's cheeks twitched. "You cannot be serious."

Neo quickly signed several things at him, making him translate as she kept struggling to fight down laughter, "She wants to know if you want to keep the nose ring and the tattoo or not, she thinks they look good on you."

The twitch came again. "The... _what_?"

His partner promptly fell into his side, her chest heaving with silent laughter while Winter stalked over to the nearest window to look at herself. Her entire body went rigid when she found the right angle to see her reflection, and then came storming back. "Revert this at once!"

Neo managed to get a hand up and snap her fingers again, as if that mattered for her semblance, and the image she'd laid on top of Winter fell away.

Winter promptly strode right back over to the window, clearly not trusting that it was all gone, and only once she had thoroughly checked did she straighten her coat and regain some level of self-control. "Was such a childish display truly necessary?"

As his partner was too busy still giggling, he spoke up, "Forgive Neo, she likes her pranks, and it isn't as though anyone saw it."

From her expression, Winter wasn't about to forgive her, but the second bit at least kept the peace. "...does it have combat application?"

"She can only do colors, and it costs some aura... so, sort of." He provided, wrapping an arm around Neo as she kept giggling. _You totally took a picture somehow, I just know it._ "So she can camouflage someone, but its not adaptive. You'd have to stay still."

The military woman exhaled slowly through her nose, clearly fighting down a temper. "I... can see applications for that. Perhaps she can be utilized in an ambush role, I will consider it over lunch. If you will excuse me, I believe I saw my sister enter."

Jaune nodded politely, though Winter was already departing. He waited until she was gone before eyeing Neo. "Really? She's going to be a real gem to work with after this."

In response she pulled her scroll out of a pocket to show him what Winter had just looked like, and promptly began gasping for breath as she resumed her silent cackling. Jaune tried, he really did... but the sight was just too ludicrous not to laugh at.

"...always getting in me in trouble." He managed after a minute or three. "Such a little troll."

Neo simply beamed, utterly proud of herself, her hands telling him they needed a bit of fun after last week. Besides, the bitch had a stick up her ass, she was just _asking_ for someone to tweak it. That someone might as well be her.

He couldn't exactly deny at least some of that, and could only shake his head, still smiling. "You want to sit with RAVN and show them that picture, don't you?"

Her grin shifted, becoming an almost coy smirk.

"Oh gods... she's going to try and murder you, you know that right?"

Neo thought that she might try, but that she wasn't the one who had to teach a class with the stuck up Atlesian. So really, if the woman couldn't handle a little joke... it was mostly just his problem.

"Such a considerate partner." He noted, turning to head towards the doors. "You really are."

She shrugged modestly. It was one of her few faults, but she was working on it.

"How did I fall in love with you again?"

Did he really want her to answer that in public?

Jaune felt his cheeks heat up. "Please don't."

Because she was pretty sure it involved her-

"Hey look, team RAVN." He abjectly refused to look at whatever else her hands were saying. "Why don't you go sit with them while I get us plates?"

Neo rolled her eyes, both a merry shade of brown, and she made sure to slap him hard on the ass as she turned away. Several nearby students laughed or cheered her at that, even as he felt his flush worsen.

He managed to fill up a pair of plates with chicken, rolls, and assorted greenery before howling laughter erupted from the first year's table. Jaune turned around in time to see Nora actually fall off of her bench, unable to stay upright, and Ilia's entire body had turned a bright orange as she cackled.

...and, from the other end of the table, Winter Schnee slowly rose from where she'd bee sitting beside Weiss and team RWBY, and began stalking towards Neo with a hand on her saber.

 _Dammit Neo..._

Groaning, he set off, wishing he knew how he was going to talk their way out of this one.

* * *

Cinder collapsed into her office's chair, pouring herself a glass of strong wine. She needed it after the day's... events.

"That bad, ma'am?" Emerald asked, sitting politely in a chair while Mercury did push-ups on a nearby rug.

"It was course re-affirming." She stated, enjoying the flavor as she tilted her glass back. "If I had tried to go into politics in the pursuit of power, I would have become a wanted murderer within an hour."

Emerald visibly fought back a smile, while Mercury let out a bark of laughter, shoving himself back into a crouch. "Dad got a lot of work from politicians back in the day."

She could well believe that. Ozpin's speech this morning may have been naive drivel, but it had been genius and poetry compared to the platitudes thrown out by fat and elderly men and women eager to seize the spotlight and boost their own popularity. More than a few had been just as eager to be seen beside a gorgeous woman, which she of course was.

But there was a great difference between using her sensuality as a weapon against someone reasonably attractive, such as Arc or Roman, and being lusted over by an overweight businessman twice her age. It had taken all of her willpower not to incinerate him, and she found herself sequestered against a wall with Goodwitch of all people while Ironwood and Ozpin had glad-handed.

 _I would have sooner been teaching brats about social movements..._

At least now she would have plenty of resentment to call upon when it came time to teach local politics... though she would have to be careful.

Cinder sighed and sipped more wine, not paying any attention as her disciples began to bicker.

Her short sojourn teaching at Haven had been an irritation she would have preferred to avoid; her original plan had simply been to act as Lionheart's assistant to provide the proper cover. It had been Salem who insisted she actually _teach,_ something she hadn't understood at the time.

" _I don't understand."_ She'd told her mistress. " _Why do I need to bother?"_

" _Consider it valuable training for your infiltration of Beacon._ " Salem had replied, " _And remember Cinder, despite Arthur's... bombastic beliefs to the contrary, sometimes one must re-examine the basics before one can truly be called a master."_

Cinder had started to grasp that concept around the end of her short tenure, 'teaching' the upper years advanced dust manipulation. Most of them had been idiots, by and large, but a few... had been clever enough she'd had to actually work to maintain her cover. In the process she had been forced to go over nearly every aspect of her own techniques for the first time since she had learned them.

She'd... surprised herself by somewhat enjoying the process. Realizing with experience that she had minor gaps and inefficiencies in her style, that the students own observations and styles could be utilized in addition to her normal patterns. That she could use them as a whetstone to improve her own powers and talents, eliminating waste, and learning to stretch her aura farther than she'd believed possible. Salem had been correct... if teaching was an exchange of information, in that process information flowed in both directions.

The same enjoyment, however, had been utterly lacking in her other class. Nothing she could do could make teaching first and second year students politics and sociology interesting. The decision to teach it at all had been a rapidly made one, decided because she knew the subject matter.

 _Something I dearly regret now._

Worse, she could not indulge herself by spreading discord and distrust, could not smile as little dreams of optimism died. Well... she _could,_ but it was something she had to do slowly, carefully. It had to be done in such a way that Ozpin and his ilk would not grow suspicions, would not think that she was purposefully lowering the morale of his little warriors.

She would save her most pointed lectures for just before the Festival, when the mix of competition and pride would make them the most effective. Until then... she could only scatter embers, let the heat build slowly... too slowly to properly enjoy. It was just another task, an irritation she had to deal with.

"Children." Cinder sighed, setting her glass aside. "Enough of your squabbling. Report."

The pair quieted, exchanged a look, and as usual Emerald elected to speak first. "Progress is... slow, ma'am. Arc only teaches the first years on Mondays, and then spends the rest of his week in his office as the counselor."

She tapped a finger on her desk, "Is that all?"

"No, of course not." Emerald shook her head, "I asked around a bit, and both of the faunus in that year have mandatory sessions with him twice a week. One of them apparently started a brawl with a racist in the cafeteria, and has a reputation as a bit of a thug. The other was the one who messed with Roman at the docks."

"I," Mercury quickly spoke up, "Checked in with our friends in the White Fang, and both of them are runaways. Taurus was real interested in the cat girl, sounded like a severe case of psycho-boyfriend."

That drew her attention. Another leash to wrap around Adam's neck was always worthwhile, and the idea that Arc was 'counseling' former terrorists intrigued her. "Two former White Fang operatives you say... get me further details on the both of them, see what else Taurus will provide."

The boy shrugged. "Will do."

She tapped her finger once more, "You say he meets with them twice a week?"

Emerald nodded, "Yes. He's supposedly really close to one of the teams in particular, the one with Nikos on it. The thug faunus I mentioned, Amitola I think was the name, is her partner."

"Two White Fang agents and the Invincible Girl." Cinder mused, picking up her wine once more. "Now whatever could Arc want with such a combination."

"Followers?" Mercury suggested, waving at himself and Emerald.

"Potentially." She mused. It was a decidedly interesting combination, that was for sure. "He may also simply be using the faunus as sources of information, while grooming Nikos... or looking to access her wealth. Hm. They provide him with options, if nothing else."

"What should we do?" The girl asked.

She flicked a hand, "Befriend these teams he interacts with, find out who and what they are. Their motivations, desires, their skills... anything that may give us an insight into his interest."

Emerald surprised her by biting her lip, "I"m... not sure I can, ma'am. They know I'm associated with you somehow. If they see me trying to befriend them..."

Cinder frowned, that was true, irritatingly so. "Do so covertly then, away from his attentions. I cannot trust this to Mercury alone."

"Yes Cinder, of course." She nodded, as she should have. "I'm sorry for the spar last week, I tried to conceal as much as I could-"

"It is of no consequence." Cinder interrupted, waving away the attempted apology. "Consider it a lesson to you both that neither Arc nor his tiny paramour are to be underestimated. That was twice in a single week where they surprised us by bold, aggressive maneuvers. Your infiltration of his own little followers will be our retaliation."

Mercury nodded, rolling his shoulders, "We can make nice with the munchkins, no problems there... but what about Arc and Neo themselves? You want us to investigate them?"

"They are obviously beyond either of your skills, at least directly." She sipped more wine, considering the matter further. "Let us give them another week to relax before you attempt to infiltrate their quarters. You have made no other discoveries?"

The boy shrugged, "A couple of rumors at dinner that the little bitch played some prank on Winter Schnee with an illusion, couldn't get any concrete details, but the stuck-up rich girl was apparently angry enough to spit nails at lunch."

An interesting, if obvious target if the pair shared their failed Kingdom's hatred for the northerners. Was that a lever she or Salem could pull to gain their allegiance, even partially?

"But," Mercury continued, "I also got the impression that no one had known what her semblance was before this point. They seemed surprised she never used it in the spars last week, when she was messing with everyone in class."

"I thought that was kind of weird." Emerald chipped in, "I mean, why hide it for so long only to reveal it now that we're here? And why reveal it for something as minor as a prank?"

"Why indeed?" She asked. It could have been many things... a lapse in self control seemed unlikely but possible, given how little they knew. It could also be a simple distraction, a lure, intended to occupy their thoughts and attentions, leaving other plans aside as they scrambled to discern whatever rules the girl's power worked under. Or it could simply be a cover for Arc's own talents... a means to draw attention to Neo rather than to himself.

Lastly... it could have been a taunt directed at her, a hint that they knew what Emerald's purpose was and that they were ready to match her. That... concerned her, to some degree. Emerald's efforts to lose while maintaining face may have revealed something inadvertently, some hint of her power that the former street urchin did not realize she had shown.

 _You are not lying to me, you know better._ She regarded Emerald as she thought, the girl lowering her eyes on reflex. _You truly believe you revealed nothing important... you are more upset that you discovered nothing of the woman's own skills. But the possibility remains that you are merely ignorant of your failure._

Or that this Neo had seen Emerald in action before. Cinder had been somewhat cavalier in her usage of the girls' power when it came to keeping tabs on Roman... a mistake, in hindsight, now that she knew the thief had been concealing powerful allies.

 _You and I will be having a very long conversation this weekend, Roman._

"Pay attention to any such rumors in the future." She ordered, acknowledging that she now _had_ to respond to the revelation, even if that ended up playing into their hands somehow. "If you can discern any details, and if you can learn of Arc's semblance."

"Yes ma'am."

... _what are you up to, Jaune?_

* * *

Pyrrha stretched and yawned, grateful for the fact that it was Friday.

"I am so glad to be done with classes." Nora groaned, throwing herself into a bed. "Goodwitch was so mean today!"

"A pop quiz on weaponry was hardly cruel Nora." Ren chided, settled far more calmly into a chair, setting his weapons upon the desk.

"I dunno." Ilia shook her head, tossing her own arms onto her bed and starting to rummage around in her dresser. "A hint of a warning would have been nice... know I got nothing on the sword section."

Their leader sighed, "Do you need more time to study?"

"What do I need to know _swords_ for?" The fuanus shook her head as she threw her pajamas over a shoulder. "I aced the firearms and dust sections, so not like I failed."

Pyrrha smiled, "I'm sure you did just fine."

"Awww..." Nora cooed, "She's so supportive, Ren, why can't you show your affection like Pyrrha does?"

Ilia quickly vanished into the bathroom before anyone could see if her freckles turned pink, while Pyrrha flushed more traditionally, "We've told you it's not like that! And aren't you always saying you and Ren aren't together-together?"

"It's not like that _now,"_ The other girl countered, completely ignoring the second part, "But you know she'd totally go out with you if you asked."

"I... don't know if I even..." Pyrrha shook her head as she realized that she was engaging. "Ren, I thought we had a no-romance rule in the dorm?"

"We do." Ren glanced over his shoulder at his partner, "Nora, I know you like to meddle but please."

"Aww... fine, I'm sorry." Nora let her head fall back. "Ooo, can we talk about _other_ teams romance?"

"No."

"Rennnnn... you're so mean!"

Pyrrha smiled in spite of herself, unable as ever to stay annoyed at Nora. She'd probably apologize again later, and wouldn't bring it up for a while inside or outside of their dorm to make it up to her. Then... she probably would blurt something out again, it was something that Nora just couldn't help.

She would just prefer it if her romantic life, or lack thereof, was not one of the preferred topics to come tumbling out.

Ilia emerged from the showers after her usual long soak, her partner having admitted that hot showers had been a rare luxury in her life, something that none of the others had ever judged her for. Pyrrha quickly slipped in while Nora was complaining about homework to Ren, cleaning herself with a quick, mechanical efficiency.

It left her mind free to wander.

The arrival of the exchange students for the Festival had left her... feeling somewhat like had in her first weeks at Beacon. Well meaning as many of them might have been, it didn't change the fact that she'd once again had to deal with plenty of people trying to draw her to their table to speak, sign things, pose... the list went on. The students from Mistral were often the worst, excepting team SSSN who had evidently been warned away by team RWBY.

She owed them for that, even as it had been driven home that her decision to study at Beacon had been incredibly correct.

While nearly everyone at Beacon had heard _of_ her, at least in passing... the Mistralians almost exclusively used that abominable nickname, and all too often seemed to feel as if they deserved her time and attention simply for sharing a place of birth.

Her team had helped quite a bit, especially Ren. The stoic young man was always far more diplomatic and polite than Ilia or Nora, though they'd also lingered nearby just in case a more physical approach was needed to maintain Pyrrha's humble privacy. But... it was still a distraction, just one more thing to deal with.

She sighed, turning the shower off and stepping into the humid air as she dried. _Just one more thing to deal with._

There was also her more personal issues. Whether or not she considered Ilia a partner or a potential _partner_ was something she tried not to dwell on, and it usually only came up when Nora or Yang teased them. Which she was thankful for, it was something she dearly wanted to take more time to think about since the last thing she wanted was to ruin her closest friendship.

But... her primary problem right now was her concern for Professor Arc and Miss Neo.

She hoped, dearly hoped, that the others' worries were merely well-intentioned concerns from friends that would turn out to be nothing. She just sincerely hoped that the oddities in his fighting style, his mimicry of his partner, would likewise be revealed to be nothing more than a quirk, an oddity. Maybe some kind of bonded semblance even.

The mere week since her meeting had seemed to relax everyone else, particularly on their team. Jaune had been nothing but his usual smiles in and out of class, and Neo's prank on Winter Schnee, and her sharing it across the school, had cemented her status as, in Meral's words, a 'powerfully cool but also probably insane' teacher. For his part, Jaune's lunchtime stories those times he'd sat with them had been as fun as always, telling another story of Levi, and one of a huntress he'd called Charrie.

But her training and counseling sessions had... worried her, even as the others relaxed. Miss Neo hadn't complained, nor had she accepted Pyrrha's request for more hand-to-hand time, instead she'd all but _insisted_ on it. Jaune had taken that as excuse enough to turn his own sessions with her into bladed ones, and both had clearly, if cautiously, been trying out new techniques in both.

Ilia had been the only other one to notice, telling her quietly that her own counseling-sparring sessions had also intensified. That they had become something serious, though she'd been equally quick to say that he wasn't skimping at all on the conversation. He was still doing everything he could to let her get things off her chest, talk, let her vent...

 _He's just also trying to improve himself rather than just letting us relax and de-stress._

Which wasn't a bad thing! Every huntsman had to always strive to improve, even the most skilled. But the timing... the timing worried both of them. They'd agreed not to bring it up to the others yet, since it didn't seem to be related to how he was feeling... yet it worried them.

 _It could just be a coincidence. In all probability it is... it is a new semester, maybe they simply made an agreement to improve as much as they could. Maybe they simply trust our skills and our friendship enough to be more serious in how we spar._

Pyrrha sighed, pulling the dark red pants and shirt that served as her pajamas on. It was still very early, especially for a Friday, but tonight felt like a stay in bed and read night. A good book would distract her.

Of course, so would the fact that a Professor was sitting in her bed when she emerged from the bathroom.

"Um..." She managed, blinking rapidly. "Good evening, Miss Neo."

The tiny woman smiled up at her, then the grin faltered into a frown as she took in Pyrrha's clothing. She made a turning motion with her hand, and pointed back at the bathroom.

"I..." Pyrrha hesitated, glancing at the others to find Nora grinning and Ilia shrugging. "What?"

"She wants us to go out on the town with her." Her partner provided, "To a club I think."

Neo gave her a thumbs up.

"We haven't really gone out like this as a team." Nora, to her lack of surprise, was all for the idea. "Not all four of us together anyway, it usually just some weird mix of three of us. And it's a weekend tomorrow, and the Bullheads run late tonight so we'll be totally fine. It'll be fun!"

Ren twitched his head slightly when she looked his way. "We are quite far ahead on our homework, and Nora is right. We've mostly done projects or other school related activities as a team... maybe it's time to simply spend an evening out together. Miss Neo says they have excellent food, and a dance floor."

"And," Ilia added, "He wants to be the designated sober person if Nora finds alcohol."

 _They all seem to want to go..._ "I... that sounds grand, but I don't want to ruin everyone's night by drawing attention to us."

Her partner grinned and nodded to the tiny Professor. "You remember Monday, right?"

She blinked... then a sudden and burning hope rose in her chest. "You... can? It would last that long?"

Neo pulled out her phone, quickly tapping away before turning it around. _It will last longer if you lot get changed in time for us to make the next Bullhead._

Pyrrha didn't really have any clothes besides her uniforms and combat attire, and decided to go with the latter since being dressed as a school girl in a club seemed a little risque for her. She emerged in almost record time before Ilia ducked past her to change as well, Ren and Nora evidently being content to go in their usual ware.

"So... what do I do?" She asked as the older but shorter woman walked over, looking her up and down.

In response she was offered a hand, and after a moment of hesitation, she took it. Neo's other wrist rolled before her fingers snapped... and Pyrrha could have sworn she heard a window crack somewhere as her vision briefly tinged with pink, then evened out. Nora let out an excited whoop in the background, and turned to look at the mirror on her desk before gasping.

Her scarlet hair had turned a soft brown, and her green eyes a faded blue. A curling, serpentine tattoo ran from just under her left ear down her neck, then suggestively curled down beneath her top. Leather armor had likewise darkened to a near black, while bronze had shifted to a muted iron.

She almost didn't recognize herself. Her features were the same, but... wow.

"Wow!" Nora promptly shot over, poking interestedly at the mark on her neck. "That is so cool! Does it take aura to maintain?"

A round of typing revealed a response, _Creating is harder than maintaining, but don't go more than twenty or thirty meters away from me._

"I won't." She nodded, looking over as the bathroom door opened. Ilia had gone with her combat uniform, but added a long white coat similar to Miss Neo's, an almost knee-high set of boots, and several decorative belts to make the leather look more like a fashion statement than military wear.

"Wow." Ilia offered, staring back at her. "You... hardly look like you."

"I know." Pyrrha tried not to show her excitement. "Are we already to go? Is Jaune coming?"

 _He's not, but his money is._ Ren groaned as he read that, even as Nora giggled. _Come on, sooner we leave the sooner we get there._

* * *

Neo enjoyed the complaining and wailing from the long line leading into the club as she simply strutted past, the four kids following behind her.

"Um..." Pyrrha managed, "Aren't we supposed to wait in line?"

She snorted in response, lifting a hand to wave at the gangsters pretending to be simple bouncers and ushers. They'd already noticed her coming and a pair had shifted to block the front of the line, making sure no one tried to sneak in with them.

"Good evening Miss Neo," The leader greeted, "Should the boss put in your usual?"

Neo nodded, then jerked a thumb over her shoulder at the kids and exaggerated a pair of signed words.

He watched her and nodded, pulling out a tablet. "I'll have a runner put the order in right away ma'am. Give me one moment... table three is free."

The crowd's irritation rose as the five of them promptly headed inside, the enjoyable sound being quickly replaced with the music eliminating from within. A quick, natural guitar number in the Vaucuan style, lacking in the usual screaming volume you got from places like this. Junior preferred his patrons to actually be able to hear one another, and to dance in a way that didn't make them look like seizing addicts.

His DJ would still pick up the pace later in the evening, when the rich types just looking to flaunt their wealth had gone home, and just the young generation looking for a good time remained, but by then Junior himself would have likely retired to his office for the night.

"You're a regular here?" The sole boy in their party asked as they walked through the entrance hall, which was part dramatic entry, part area where inebriated patrons could sit on benches and recover for a bit before heading outside.

She waggled a hand back and forth as they entered the club proper. The dance floor was tinged with red at the moment, though parts of it were shifting to blue. A general roar of conversation assaulted them as soon as they stepped inside, letting them view the packed space.

Neo led three brats and Pyrrha down the stairs and off to one side, finding the booth the bouncer had said was free. It was a good one, overlooking the dance floor, but with curved walls most of the way around to mute some of the noise.

"I feel under-dressed." Ilia muttered as a waiter in his black suit and red tie walked past, a glance at the nearby tables revealing other men and women in even more expensive attire.

She fought the urge to laugh. The faunus and Pyrrha were both wearing more leather than anything else, and even they'd been too in awe of the massive club to realize it they'd been getting _plenty_ of male attention... and a bit of feminine attention as well, though not nearly as much as Ren.

Evidently fit, young, exotic Mistralians were utterly fascinating to the local women. That the boy's partner was all but hanging over him didn't seem to dissuade them much either.

 _This is going to be a fun night, just what I needed after the last two weeks._

She'd known that teaching would be a chore, even if it did give her an excuse to 'train' with the students by demonstrating techniques once and a while and observing their own styles, but she hadn't quite realized how much of a chore it would be to do. Goodwitch had multiple classes per day, every day of the week... and even if she wasn't asking Neo to present for _all_ of them, she got to skip the lecture ones, it was still far more work then she'd expected.

And she'd still had to put her map together, and keep an eye on Cinder, and help Jaune work out what the bitch was up to, _and_ keep an eye on that green haired brat who'd started to try and make friendly with _their_ pet team... interfering in something that was _hers._

Neo had to force herself to calm down at the last. The Sustrai girl had blown her first attempt by approaching from the fan-of-Nikos angle, trying to make it look natural... but she knew better. They'd heard, or Cinder had found the paperwork, describing Jaune's counseling schedule and had decided to start poking around. She'd try again, or get close to RWBY instead.

 _There's always something..._

A waitress bustled over, wearing a feminine version of the usual goon-suit, carrying one of Neo's shakes. "Miss Neopolitan, your drink. Your steaks will be up shortly... and what may I bring the rest of you proud hunters?"

"Water, please." Ren asked, "Designated driver."

The woman laughed, "What a responsible young man. Yourself?"

Amitola set down her drink menu, clearly uncertain as to what it was all called. "Do you have anything from Menagerie?"

"I'll start with you a colada, the fruit and rum are both from Kuo Kuana. It's one of our most popular drinks." When the fuanus nodded, there was a quick scribble in a notepad. "You, miss?"

"Strawberry sunrise." Valkyrie provided at once, "Oo, the coated strawberries on the side!"

"I..." Pyrrha bit her lip, then glanced at the others. "I'll try what Ilia is having."

The team leader frowned a little as she bustled away with their order, glancing at Neo. "She didn't even ask for our school id's."

Neo shrugged, took a long drink of her shake, _amazing,_ and pulled out her scroll. _You wouldn't be in here if you couldn't drink, bouncers would have rolled you out. Why she guessed you were hunters._

"Ah." He seemed to accept that, looking around with interest. "They certainly do good business."

 _It's called 'The Club' for a reason. Most exclusive place in town._

Pyrrha blinked at that, "It... is? And they just let us walk in?"

Smirking, she sipped up some mixed alcohol and chocolate before responding, _It pays to be a Professor of Beacon. You could have strutted in too, if you'd looked like you._

The girl flushed a little, her newly blue eyes blinking. "I... it's strange, not being stared at quite so much."

 _You're definitely still getting stared at._ Neo shrugged, _Just not for the same reasons._

As expected, the blush worsened. "...I am?"

"I'm pretty sure every guy between the door and here checked you out." Nora nodded, grinning. "Couple of girls did too. Think they liked the tattoo... or maybe just the way your butt fits into your shorts."

Neo laughed silently, mentally upgrading the other girl from 'brat' to 'amusing brat'. _Don't worry, I'll make you look ugly next time._

"I..." Pyrrha seemed to slump and groan while Amitola patted her shoulder in support. "Must you all tease me so?"

"We wouldn't if you didn't blush so much." Her partner said, though her attention was quickly diverted when the rest of the drinks arrived along with massive plates being equally huge steak sandwiches.

The food was, of course, perfect. The steaks were medium rare and perfectly seasoned, the bread freshly baked, the vegetables on the side lathered in enough butter to remove any healthiness they may have provided. Even if his menu of actual food was purposefully small, Junior only employed the best cooks, and it showed in their work.

Valkyrie looked like she was having an orgasm as she ate, and the reactions of the others was nearly as approving. And, of course, there was just enough salt in the seasoning to make everyone thirsty... and the first drinks were quickly replaced by a second set, and then at a subtle sign from Neo, a third was brought over before the second round was entirely gone.

An hour or so in and Neo was entirely too proud of herself, and pleasantly entertained on top of that.

Nora, her face flushed, had dragged her partner out onto the dance floor. Ren had seemed to protest for a short while before being goaded into it, and he'd then shocked nearly everyone by being extremely _good_ at dancing. It had gotten to the point where an actual circle had formed around the pair of them as they held some sort of competition, each constantly attempting to out do the other as the crowed roared and the DJ obliged them with a fast beat.

Ilia and Pyrrha had spent a while cheering them on before falling back into the booth. While the fuanus was surprisingly holding her liquor fairly well, she'd paced herself better than the others, the same could not be said of her partner. Which was hilarious because Nikos had turned out to be a handsy, clingy drunk who was slumped against Ilia, an arm around her shoulders, and was babbling about how much she appreciated her, not noticing that the fuanus had turned bright pink and seemed to have _no idea_ what to do.

"Help!" The girl hissed as Pyrrha shifted away to finish off a drink, "Please!"

Neo smirked and gave her a thumbs up along with a kissy face.

"She's drunk! I-I'm not going to take advantage of her!"

Why not? She took advantage of Jaune all the time when he was drunk. It was pretty much a partner's prerogative. If the pair of them weren't around in the dorm tonight she was pretty sure Valkyrie might find a way into the boy's bed... or maybe would even if they _were_ still around. Now _that_ would be an amusing story.

Amitola didn't get the details but seemed to get the gist of the suggestion, "I... I think we should get her back to the dorms."

"...back?" Pyrrha shook her head, "But we're having fun! I feel so relaxed! Oh, should we dance too?"

Neo was about to nod enthusiastically, and pull out her scroll to record the hilarity of any such display, when a white clad young woman came bustling over to their table.

"Professor Neopolitan." Melanie Malachite motioned her over, and after a scowling sip from her second shake, and a 'wait a moment' gesture at the other two, she shifted so that the younger girl could lean and whisper in hear hear. "We've got a problem, Junior needs you, right now."

Neo's scowl deepened, and she pointedly flicked her eyes to where Pyrrha was smiling vacantly at her while Ilia continued to send her pleading looks.

"I'll take them to a VIP suite." The criminal muttered, "Let them sober up and keep them out of the way."

Because _that_ didn't destroy her good mood entirely...

She humphed and nodded, sliding out of the booth as the white twin turned to her friends, her voice becoming the syrupy drawl she used to make customers think she was nothing more than cute hired help. "You have The Club's apologies, our owner wanted to speak with the Professor in private. He was hoping that you might all accept a visit to a VIP lounge to relax and unwind, entirely complimentary."

Ilia blinked a few times, then caught Neo's eye when she twitched her chin in a 'go with it gesture.'

"Our friends..."

"My sister is talking to them now." Melanie smiled, waving a hand, "This way please."

Pyrrha needed a bit of help walking straight, but her partner got her up and moving towards the stairs, following their guide to where their teammates were already standing beside Militia.

Neo watched them go... letting her semblance drop once they hit the stairs. The girl in question didn't seem to notice, but her teammates quickly closed ranks and got her moving a bit more quickly.

That done, she set off towards the bar, her buzz fading as she considered what this might be about. Junior wasn't in the business of abducting or harming students, especially _Beacon_ students, and he would know she wouldn't come here without people being aware of where they'd gone. If he wanted them out of the way he wanted them out of the way to minimize a mess that was about to occur elsewhere.

The most enjoyable option was that someone was stupidly moving in on his club and he wanted an extra thug around to intimidate and-or beat them into a pulp. A far less enjoyable potential was that someone being Cinder, or Roman turning on his allies under pressure from Cinder.

Junior wasn't behind the bar, which made her eyes narrow when one of his grunts waved her towards a door leading into the back.

She tightened her focus on her aura, particularly around the back of her neck and along her spine in case this was some kind of effort to ambush _her._ A hand slid into a coat pocket, fingers wrapping around the small dagger she kept there _,_ ready to draw and fling it at a target if that proved necessary.

Neo kept her senses sharp as she slipped through the kitchen and then up the purposefully rickety spiral stair towards Junior's private office. The armored door was wide open, and she slowed her pace as she approached, entering the room cautiously.

A very frustrated and harried looking Junior was seated behind his desk, while a girl she didn't know sat in front of him. She was exceedingly tall for a woman, probably near Jaune's height, and had blonde hair tied back in a braid that had to be nearly two feet long. The woman turned as Neo walked in, frowned, and then stood up to face her.

She wore simple jeans and boots, and what looked like a brand new Vale University t-shirt... but far more concerning was the familiar bright blue eyes that narrowed down at her.

...ah.

 _There's always fucking something._

* * *

 _In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have teased anything in my note last chapter, will probably remove that for people reading it moving forwards. Regarding this chapter... well, Neo tries to unwind after the stress of the last few weeks, Jaune indulges her a bit, Cinder continues to plot, and Pyrrha finally gets a night out._ _Next chapter will obviously be dealing with the fallout from the end of this one._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 ** _ _Thanks, Kat__**


	34. Semester II: Plotting and Scheming

**Plotting and Scheming**

* * *

Sapphire Arc was... dazed and confused barely seemed to describe it, but it was the closest phrase that seemed to apply. Beacon loomed ahead of her, gardens and walkways lit by subtle lamps, while towering arches and overly large buildings screamed that this was a place of wealth. Even from a distance, at night, it made Vale's largest university look fairly pedestrian... especially when you realized that everyone walking around you was a Huntsman or Huntress.

She glanced down at the sheet of paper she'd been given at The Club once more, reading the instructions the silent little woman had written.

 _Take the ten p.m. bullhead to Beacon. Jaune will meet you there._ _Don't_ _say anything until you talk to him._

She'd thought she'd known how her reunion with her little brother would go. Yes, it had been three years, and she'd expected him to have finally grown up a bit, maybe gained some confidence... but he'd still be the Jaune she'd helped raise. The dreaming little brother who spent more time with his head in the clouds than on Remnant, who'd needed her and their sisters to look after him.

She had promised their parents, and their siblings, that she'd look in on him when she moved to Vale for college. After so many years of saving up her lien, working odd jobs as a personal trainer, as a waitress, even as a TA at the local school for experience... she could _finally_ get her degree, become the actual teacher she'd always wanted to be.

It had been... hard, to leave everyone, but she'd managed the tearful goodbyes without breaking down entirely, knowing she'd at least have her long-absent brother for company. She'd been looking forwards to surprising him, had even asked her mother not to mention it when Jaune had called last.

What she _hadn't_ expected was for her new roommates in the dorms to absolutely _geek_ when she'd told them her last name, and promptly began to bombard her with questions of how she was related to 'Professor Arc'. She'd had to frantically deny being his _wife_ of all things, and only barely gotten one of them to give her a news article about a White Fang raid that had been stopped by students from Beacon..

...and a man who looked a lot like her younger brother.

The same man who was slowing down from a fast jog as he approached the Bullheads, students on their way back from night's out moving automatically out of his way. He walked with a confidence that almost bordered on arrogance, the same purposeful stride their father and his Hunter friends always seemed to move with.

"Saph." He greeted. His voice was... hard to describe. Part happiness to see her, part sleepy exhaustion, part fear and concern. "It's good to see you sis."

Jaune closed the distance and hugged her before she could properly reply, letting her feel that he'd definitely filled out quite a bit while he'd been gone. He was still lean, at least compared to their father, but he clearly wasn't a scrawny, shy teenager anymore.

"Jaune..." Her brain was still trying to process everything, and she absently returned the affection. "...what's going on?"

He seemed to fight back a wince as he let her go, glancing around at the departing students and the crew attending to the airplane. "Why don't we talk in my office?"

"You have an office?" She asked, not really resisting when her little brother tugged at her arm, pulling her into motion.

"Office, apartment, they kind of go together." He shrugged, gently shifting her so that they hooked elbows, like a couple out on a stroll rather than estranged siblings. "Why didn't you call ahead? I'd have visited you in town."

"I..." Sapphire shook herself, trying to recover. "I wanted to surprise you, and I'm starting to think it was a good thing I did."

"Let's agree to disagree on that." Jaune replied quietly. "But it can wait until we're in private."

Considering that screaming and shaking him in public would be in rather poor taste, she forced herself to nod in agreement.

He guided her down several dimly lit paths, an evident side-route that let them avoid pretty much anyone else as they headed towards the central tower. There he used a small key to unlock a door, holding it open for her and revealing a stairwell. Their equally long legs let them take them two at a time, and he guided her out onto the second floor.

She stared blankly as he stopped in front of another locked door, reading the plaque beside it.

 _Professor Jaune Arc, GT &E, Student Counselor & Associate Professor Neopolitan. _Below that was a small, red display that read, _Not Available – After Hours._

A moment later he was ushering her inside of a moderately sized and fairly cozy apartment. The entry area was obviously intended to serve as a teacher's office, with a broad wooden desk occupied by roughly stacked paperwork, surrounded by comfortable looking armchairs. A couch sat nearby, facing a television that looked little used, and just beyond it was a small dining table and equally small kitchenette. Yet another closed door presumably lead to a bed and bath, but she didn't bother asking for the tour.

"Go ahead and take a seat." He sighed as he closed and locked the door behind them, "I'll get us each a drink. You still like whiskey?"

"Sure." She shook her head, walking over to the nearest chair and collapsing into it, spotting a rack with weapons resting rather close to the desk. "Jaune... what is going on? What have you done?"

"What I had to." Her little brother replied, removing the odd brown cloak he'd been wearing and tossing it onto his desk.

"Is... are those _burns_ on that?"

"Courtesy of Roman Torchwick and the White Fang." He said absently, pulling a cabinet open, "Haven't gotten around to buying a new one yet. I'm guessing you saw one of the news articles?"

"Something like that." She shook her head, "You... really fought them? How!? The last time I even saw you _trying_ to learn how to fight you knocked yourself out struggling to use dad's shield! You can't tell me you learned that much in a few months at that school, Dad needed most of a decade to learn to be a hunter!"

"Let's just say that it's been a long three years."

 _Please tell me that's not true._ "Tending to a coffee shop is that dangerous?"

"In Vacuo?" A brief smile over his shoulder made him look like her little brother again, "You'd be surprised, but no. Mostly it was training from hell with Neo, then killing Grimm, fighting bandits, more Grimm, the White Fang, Grimm, the SDC once... oh, and more Grimm."

Sapphire felt her brain start to fail again. "Jaune... what _have_ you done?"

He paused in the process of pulling glasses out, and when he spoke his voice was quiet. "I became a huntsman."

She reached up and rubbed furiously at her face, "...start at the beginning, please."

"You first." Jaune countered, carrying the glasses and a bottle of amber liquid over. He set them all on the coffee table and then got to work pouring. "What are you even doing in Vale?"

That made her blink at him in confusion before realization kicked in. _At least I know you're still you if you can miss the blatantly obvious._

She absently waved a hand at her shirt and shook her head, "Honestly little brother?"

"Vale University... oh. You finally saved up enough for your degree? Congratulations, I know you've been-"

"Don't try and distract me." She interrupted, "How did you pull this... oh gods, you got a forged degree or something from Vacuo didn't you?"

"No. Well, not entirely." He shrugged, settling back into the chair across from her. "I exaggerated my grades and how long I was at the Academy, as far as anyone here knows I was there from age thirteen, but rest of the resume is what got me the job even though I don't have a license. I told you I've had a busy three years, wasn't exaggerating."

 _Fighting half of Remnant from the sounds of it_. She quickly picked up her drink and threw some of it back, not really enjoying the obviously expensive drink nearly as much it probably deserved to be. Her little brother had been _fighting,_ actually out there risking his life against Grimm, terrorists, criminals... that was... _gods._

A second pull finished her glass, and she set about pouring herself more. "Why? Why risk your life, why lie to us? Is this still about that dream of being a hero?"

Jaune sighed and seemed to sink into his seat, sipping from his glass. "That's why I ran off to Vacuo, applied to the Academy with fake transcripts, but no, that's not why I kept doing it after the fall."

There was the tiniest bit of tension around the last word that got through to her. "Jaune... please tell me you weren't there when that happened. You told us you'd already left. You said you were fine."

Her brother went silent, and took an almost pointed drink.

"Jaune..."

His blue eyes suddenly narrowed, and his voice became a cool echo of their father's. "I don't want your sympathy, or pity Saph. I walked away alive, that's more than most of the people who were there can say. More than half my team can."

The big sister in her wanted to ignore his words and hug him, but something told her that would be an awful idea.

Jaune calmed himself after a moment, though he needed another sip of his whiskey to do it, and it was almost unsettling how quickly he seemed to cool down. "These days... I honestly agree with dad, much as that makes me feel uncomfortable. I'm not in the heroics business, I let that dream die a long time ago. That's pretty much why I'm here. Teaching is... I don't want these kids to have to go through what I did. I can do good here."

She lowered her eyes, picking up her glass again. Jaune had changed, but... she knew her brother. Gods, with how busy her mother had been, how many siblings she'd had, she'd felt more like a third parent than a sister at times. There was an honesty in his voice that she didn't think he was faking, but a few moments of extra thought made her think he wasn't telling her the whole truth either.

 _If you've been lying for three years to us... I don't want to think you're still lying. I really don't._

"You didn't have to fake a degree?"

"Huntsman don't need one." He shrugged, paused, then added, "Well, combat instructors don't, just field experience and approval of the Headmaster. Bart and Peach both have doctorates I think, and they're the only ones who teach normal classes."

Her chin moved in a nod, "What do you teach?"

"Group combat tactics, only to the freshmen. I spend the rest of the week pretending to be a student counselor." For the first time he looked honestly embarrassed, and far more like the gawky teen she'd known. "And no, I didn't lie my way into that. The headmaster asked me to take the job even though he knew I've got no experience at it."

She blinked. "That makes _no_ sense."

Jaune made face, "Neither does Ozpin, at least when he's drinking coffee. Don't ask... I've helped a couple of people, I think, mostly I give them someone they can vent to in peace. Seems to make them feel better."

Sapphire shook her head, reaching up to rub at a temple, still trying to work it out. Part of her was still furious with him for lying, for having gone off and done one of the stupid things she, Sable, and their parents had always worried he would. And lying his way into a Hunter academy with _no_ training was pretty much the textbook definition of stupid.

But... the Jaune who'd done that wasn't sitting in front of her. That Jaune had evidently seen something so horrible that it had killed a dream he'd nurtured even against his parents' disapproval for years and years. This Jaune looked... tired, but resolved in a way she'd never seen her little brother.

"That girl... the pink and brown haired one. She's your..." She searched for the right word, "Partner? Does she at least have real training?"

He gave her a somewhat arch look at the last two words, but nodded after a moment. "She trained me at school, every night until after midnight to help me start catching up, and we've been together since. Training, fighting, the works."

"Together as in...?"

Jaune sighed, "Yes Saph, we share a bed."

"I'm an older sister, I'm allowed to pry." She defended, "Just don't get her pregnant, with how small she is I can't imagine that being easy... and I am _not_ ready to be an aunt."

He quickly held up a hand, "That's really not in the cards right now, we took precautions."

"Good." That little matter resolved, she pushed on, "Now, what aren't you telling me?"

When he lifted an eyebrow, she blew out a breath and sipped more whiskey. "Jaune... look, you know how I feel about teaching, I think it's a noble task, and I'm really, really, _really_ hoping you are telling me the truth and not just trying to manipulate me... but why now of all times? If you've been in such bad places over the last three years, why did you keep doing it? Why not find a safer job earlier? Why... why didn't you come home?"

"After the Academy?" His voice turned slightly bitter. "After what mom did? I know it didn't end up mattering... but I was making it _work_ Saph. I fit in, I belonged, I'd just survived a real mission... hell, I _saved_ people's lives. I'd proven that I could do the job, and by reward was to get thrown to the fucking Grimm by my own parents."

She flinched at the curse. "Jaune-"

Her brother waved it away, "I know they had the best of intentions, but that doesn't change the fact that they nearly ruined my life. I wasn't ready to go back to that, and... yeah, there's something I'm not telling you. Something Neo and I had to do, something that... took a while to resolve."

A hand reached up, absently playing with her braid. "You're not going to tell me about it?"

"No." There wasn't any hesitation in the reply. "But that's not really the question. Question is are you going to try and get me in trouble with my boss, or tell our parents?"

 _That is the question, isn't it?_

She could well imagine their mother's reaction. The stunned and furious rant that had emerged when they'd learned he'd lied his way into a Hunter academy would have nothing on her breakdown if she learned that Jaune had in fact been there at the end... and that he'd gone off and been a huntsman for years after anyway. That he'd been risking his life and lying about it those rare times he'd called home.

 _He could have died out there, and we might not have known what happened for years and years... if ever._

Juniper Arc had been happier than she'd seen in a very long time when Jaune had told her he'd moved to Vale and gotten his new 'job', promising to actually call regularly and then actually doing so. To find out that she'd been lied to, that her only son had been engaged in who knew how many life or death struggles while she thought he'd been perfectly safe?

 _That would kill her._

Their father might be more reserved, especially if Jaune actually had skill to back up his declaration, and his evident desire to become a teacher after a mere three years would probably assuage most of his anger at being lied to. It was the safest job for a Hunter, at least that she knew of, and he'd be doing good without risking his life for people who wouldn't care on a daily basis.

He'd still be pissed at being lied to, but he could probably be persuaded to roll with it once he calmed down.

Then of course there was his boss, his job, and Jaune's life. He was still clearly carrying around a massive chip on his shoulder for what had happened three years ago, if she turned him in now... she didn't think he would ever get over a second 'betrayal'. Even if he somehow talked his way out of being fired or thrown in jail, he would want nothing to do with her or the rest of their family.

Sapphire couldn't let that happen. She just couldn't. They were family. That had to mean something.

She took a slow breath and let it out, "You've backed me into a corner, little brother. You know what this would do to mom... and I know what telling would do to you."

He nodded, not looking as concerned as he really ought to have, hiding whatever he was thinking behind a blank mask. "You'll help?"

"I'll..." Sapphire had to force the words out. "...cover for you, but I want you to think about telling dad. If you're serious about this teaching thing, if you really agree with his views on heroes and huntsman... he might be able to help calm mom down when the time comes. And it _will_ come."

"I''ll think about it."

"You better." She told him bluntly, "News comes slowly to Ansel, and mom might not really pay attention, but sooner or later Dad or one of his huntsman friends is going to hear about Professor Arc, if they haven't already. If you lied on your resume-"

"I know, Saph, I know." Jaune threw back the last of his whiskey. "I know I'll have to talk him down sooner or later, I was as just hoping it would be later."

She grimaced, "That's not what I meant. There are public records Jaune, you went to school in Ansel and..."

Her voice trailed off when he gave her an amused look.

"...you didn't."

Her brother shrugged modestly. "You can buy anything in Vacuo, two Grimm hunts paid for a hacker to clear those out. Honestly getting rid of my old fake transcripts was a lot more expensive."

 _Oh gods..._ "You just admit being a criminal like that!?"

"It's not like I hurt anyone." He chided her, almost smiling. "Don't be such a baby Saph."

"Baby?" She narrowed her eyes, "You know I think I still have pictures of a certain _baby_ in lovely princess gowns on my scroll."

"And I," Jaune replied as the smirk finally appeared, "Remember someone's first date. That was an eventful night at home, wasn't it?"

Sapphire glowered at him, then felt her own lips tug as the old threats and teases came back. "I missed you, little brother. Still pissed at you for lying to me, and I kind of want to smack you... but I missed you."

The smirk shifted into a almost embarrassed smile, "Missed you too big sis. If you want to stay the weekend, couch is free and decadently comfortable. We can catch up more tomorrow."

"Sure." She got up, then paused. "I'm going to slap you now, just so you know."

He sighed. "Go ahead, get it out of your system."

* * *

Qrow Branwen fought down the urge to groan as he shifted back into a human body. Even after close to twenty years he'd _never_ gotten used to the feeling, and didn't think he would if he lasted another two hundred. Not that he expected to make it even another twenty, at the rate he was going he'd end up killed by some power hungry psycho, eaten by a particularly nasty Grimm, or suffer from liver failure long before then.

Or maybe a miracle would happen and a jealous boyfriend would kill him in his sleep. He wasn't counting on it, but a man could dream.

"Qrow." Ozpin greeted from behind his desk, not so much as glancing up from a book. "You're late."

"Meh." He replied, pulling out his flask. Two other members of the Conspiracy, though Oz hated that term, were also present. Glynda, because of course, and then good old Jimmy Cyber Dick. "What's that asshole doing here?"

Jimmy's eyes narrowed, "I don't care for your tone, Qrow."

"Just strikes me that this is supposed to be a Valean thing." He shrugged, taking a quick belt of his drink. It burned, hard, just like he liked it. "Don't you have your own maiden to look after?"

Glynda, surprisingly, backed up her old fling. "Qrow, we invited him to review the candidates, and would you stop drinking for once in your life?"

He shrugged, capping his flask but pointedly not putting it away. She glowered at him for a moment, then shook her head. "What delayed you?"

"Caught your new blond teacher out for a stroll with a woman who wasn't the cute midget." Qrow reached back, shutting the window he'd come in through. "Figured I'd see what that was about."

Ironwood frowned, "An affair?"

"He came sprinting up to meet her, walked her arm in arm back to the tower." He waved at the floor, "Think he took her to his rooms. Blonde, tall, young, hot as hell... he's got good taste."

And if he'd wasted a couple of minutes circling them to try and figure out just how she'd gotten that ass into those jeans, it wasn't anything any other red blooded man who could turn into a bird wouldn't have done.

Glynda was already shaking her head. "Jaune wouldn't..."

"He is not." Ozpin cut in as he turned a page in his book, "Though I will admit that it is an odd time of the night for one of his sisters to be paying him a social call."

They all blinked at him before Qrow spoke, "His sister? How'd you figure that one out?"

Oz simply smiled as he carefully set a bookmark into place, then did his stupid mysterious wizard thing where he refused to answer the damned question.

 _Ass... you can't even explain the little things, can you?_

"Thank you all for coming, we have a great many things to discuss." Oz continued, placing his book in a drawer before settling his hands on his desk. "James, I believe you wished to start with the selection of a maiden? You had a third candidate for us?"

Qrow didn't bother fighting the urge to scowl. This wasn't the first meeting on the damned subject, and it probably wouldn't be the last. They'd already removed all of the young adult huntresses in the kingdom, either because they couldn't sure none of them was Amber's attacker, or because they didn't fulfill the stupid and convoluted rules. Likewise the older students had quickly been struck from the list for a variety of reasons.

Some he'd agreed with; weak or specialized semblances, low aura reserves, lack of dedication, that kind of thing. Some he'd argued more about, but by the end of last semester they'd come to a rough consensus on two potentials. Then Jimmy Oaken-Dick had shown up, and of course Ozpin had let the jerk get involved.

 _At least he's not Leo, gods knows what he's even doing right now besides rarely talking to anyone._

Jimmy gave the other headmaster a look, but nodded as he stood up. A toss of his scroll onto the desk started up a projection, several faces of young women appearing. "I do. To put it bluntly Oz, I cannot approve of either of your choices. I will admit that my own candidate is not ideal either, but I believe she has more potential long term."

Qrow uncapped his flask and sipped some of his whiskey. He'd need it for this conversation. Looking at the smiling faces of three young women... _I hate this shit_.

None of those poor girls deserved what they were about to get dragged into, he knew that as well as anyone, but Oz was right, and they'd all had to admit as much. Amber's condition just didn't leave them with another option right now. Twisted as this crap was, they didn't have much of a choice if they didn't want to just hand Salem a maiden's full power.

"Scarlatina has an exceptionally powerful semblance, and her team dynamics are strong." The Atlesian continued, nodding to the bunny eared girl. "But her power is limited to bursts of effort. She may be able to deal with small numbers of elite attackers without any issue, but any long fight or overwhelming numbers will exhaust her."

Oz lifted an eyebrow, "Something mitigated by her excellent team, in particular her partner."

"Perhaps, but by Glynda's own admission, the girl is quiet and withdrawn, she allows that partner to make nearly all of the decisions." Jimmy shook his head, "If Adel was killed, or if she became loyal to another, Scarlatina would go with her."

"Or it would mean that she would have someone she dearly cared for to think of in her last moments." Ozpin countered gently.

Qrow threw back his flask again, _fuck_ he hated that they had to think like that, "I know I've said this before, but you really fucking screwed that up Oz."

The wizard sighed, "You know as well as anyone that I didn't intend the power to pass on, or realize that part of my curse would go with the magic I granted those girls. I don't like that we have to consider the notion of a young woman dying anymore than you do, but we're in a position where we _must_ consider all aspects, distasteful as they may be. Your opinion on the candidates?"

He grumbled, shaking his head, returning to the main subject, "I hate to say it, but I think I agree with Jimmy. Just because Amber got hit by a small, fast team in an ambush doesn't mean our next maiden will see the same shit. Girl's good, her team's better, but personally she's got no stamina. I like Nikos."

"I don't." Jimmy countered, "Two of her teammates are orphans from Mistral, who we know little to nothing about, and her partner is a former terrorist of all things. She is a celebrity, her loyalty is utterly unknown, and your traumatized new teachers seem to have taken an unusual interest in the girl."

Glynda stirred, her eyes narrowing, "The same could be said of _your_ choice, James. Jaune openly considers Weiss Schnee to be among his favorite students, and her team likewise has a former member of the White Fang within its ranks, the daughter of High Chieftain Belladonna even."

"I'll grant you that." The General nodded, "But her loyalty is far more assured. Her father is likely in the process of burning any bridges between them, much as he did with Winter, and her dedication towards restoring honor to the Schnee name is well known; she could very well be her grandfather reborn in terms of personality and drive. Further, Weiss' semblance is powerful, versatile, and her control will only grow as she ages. "

"Yeah." Qrow muttered, "Because sending _two_ maidens to Atlas is such a bright idea."

"Who would think to look for Fall within a Schnee?" Jimmy waved at her image, "Let Salem and her pet queen run around Vale searching for a maiden who is long gone. You've said it often enough Oz, secrecy is their best protection. I'm not saying she stays in Atlas forever, just long enough for you to find and eliminate whoever attacked Amber."

Ozpin folded his hands beneath his chin in evident thought. "...what do you propose, James?"

"You've been pushing for an exchange program beyond the Vytal Festival for years, it's well known and publicly documented." Jimmy nodded to the image, "We transfer the powers to young Miss Schnee, and after the Festival she and team RWBY will return to Atlas for the remainder of the year. I will leave one of my teams behind to keep up appearances, and I'll have Winter remain as well to assist you in hunting Amber's assailant."

Qrow narrowed his eyes at the idea of his nieces going to that blasted tundra with an emotionless cyborg for company. "You can do that with any candidate, not just the mini ice queen. You want to hide it in plain sight? Give it to Nikos, at least the girl's got a proven track record of beating the crap out of other humans, and Yang says the girl is even stronger than she looks."

That got their attention, Glynda adjusting her glasses, "In what way?"

"Hell if I know." He shrugged, "Said it was private, but that if Pyrrha really wants to win a fight that there isn't a fucking thing she could do to stop her. Guessing its some kind of semblance."

Ozpin glanced at his deputy, "Glynda?"

"Miss Nikos is... certainly powerful." The woman allowed, "She is only struck by melee attacks in extremely unusual situations, and only those students with significant ranged firepower or specialized semblances have had any success in dragging out a spar against her."

"And her semblance?" The man pressed.

"I don't know. It likely has something to do with her ability to evade attacks, and her ability recover and direct her weapons." Glynda shook her head, "Possibly a variation of telekinesis, or perhaps polarity. In either case her usage is extremely subtle and low key, especially when combined with her extreme talent. It took me several weeks of observation to notice that she was doing anything at all."

"And that kind of crap is what we could use in a maiden." Qrow nodded, "If she's used to hiding her talent like that, she could hide being a maiden too. _Especially_ since her partner is a former terrorist. I met her over break, girl's a bit messed up but she's sharp, and knows how to fight dirty. Even took me by surprise once or twice... I like her, that's the kind of bodyguard a maiden could use."

Ozpin lifted a hand before Jimmy could offer anything, "Are you all in agreement that Miss Scarlatina will no longer be considered?"

After a few uncomfortable glances, the three of them nodded, and her image vanished silently when the wizard touched a button. "James, if we select Miss Nikos, would you still be willing to take her team to Atlas for training and security?"

The general let out a long breath, but nodded, "I would. I would still like to defend my candidate however."

"Let us wait on that, for the midyear missions." Ozpin suggested, "We will give both teams combat related assignments, and observe how both Miss Schnee and Miss Nikos perform. We can revisit the subject after."

There wasn't really any room to argue with that, so they all nodded and settled down while Oz got on with it. "For the other matter. Qrow, have you managed to catch her?"

He snorted, "Catch Raven? Of course I fucking haven't."

Jimmy made a sound like one of his robots was stuck in his throat, "You're certain she's nearby?"

"I'm certain that it's none of your business." Qrow countered, "Oz, this is family crap. No offense intended Glynda, offense intended Jimmy, but I'd rather keep this between us."

She stared at him without any real expression, then exhaled and rose from her chair. "James, would care to walk me to my room?"

The other man clearly didn't, but after a glance at Oz revealed no emotion what-so-ever, he dipped his head and then turned away. Once the two were in the elevator, Qrow shuffled over and collapsed into a chair, shaking his flask to check how much he had left before taking another swig.

"Qrow..." Ozpin spoke into the quiet, "I have respected your and Tai's wishes to not inquire after your sister for the past several years, but we are nearing a breaking point. Is she in Vale?"

He stared into the darkness of his flask, then reluctantly capped it. "When she feels like it. On and off since Yang turned thirteen and started learning to fight."

"Checking in on her daughter? Perhaps-"

"Checking on how _strong_ her daughter is." He interrupted, stabbing a finger at Oz. "That ain't the same thing, and trust me, Raven's only gotten worse since she bolted. Yang found a picture of her a few years back in my place that I sure as hell didn't just leave lying around. She _wants_ Yang to try and come find her, probably part of some stupid test to see if she's strong enough to."

And if she was, he didn't doubt that Raven would pull out every word game and trick in the book to try and get her daughter to stay with her, to drive a wedge between Yang and Tai, between Yang and him. Not out of some maternal instinct, he was damned sure she didn't even understand the concept, but because if Yang pulled it off she'd make one hell of an asset to Raven's precious tribe.

Ozpin's eyes narrowed. "Do you believe she's been within Beacon?"

"Once, at least that I know of." Qrow shook his head, "Saw her watching your new kid's outdoor classes, but she tore off before I could try and catch her... which her damned semblance makes impossible anyway. She's gotten better with it, must be bouncing between here and her tribe."

That made Ozpin sit up a bit, "Her tribe is on Anima, in Mistral. They have been for several years now. She is teleporting across continents? Regularly?"

"Yeah... I noticed that too." He exhaled, "Why I thought Tai going there to check things out was a good idea. Spring's semblance was some kind of aura amplifier, wasn't it? That might be how she's pulling it off. If she _is_ there... well, at least she's secure. Raven wouldn't let an asset like that get away."

Ozpin considered that in silence for most of a minute, then nodded. "We will have to await Tai's report. His last message indicated he was en route to Menagerie, so we will likely not hear more until he arrives in Mistral."

Qrow scowled, "Yeah. Why the fuck haven't you come down on Oakendick for not building a tower there?"

"I have, his hands are tied by Atlesian politics and you know that." Oz shook his head, "And please stop antagonizing him. We are all on the same side here, and his heart is in the right place."

 _Assuming he's still got one..._ But he had enough sense left to keep that to himself. "Fine, I'll leave the jerk alone if he does the same. What do you need from me? Please tell me it's not more pointless flying around looking for my sister."

"No, I need you to resume your search for the Queen."

"Of course you do..." He muttered. That task was just about as irritating and thankless. "...you got a lead for me for once?"

To his surprise, the old man actually nodded. "Yes, look into the White Fang, and Roman Torchwick. They're coordination of effort is... both alarming and unusual. She may be attempting to sow chaos in advance of the Festival, draw more of our resources into the city rather than around Beacon."

Qrow made a sound of agreement, "Cops got anything?"

"Perhaps, but I would also recommend you speak with Bart and Jaune." Ozpin suggested, "The former may have insights into his old partner's thoughts, and as James pointed out, Jaune has been working with both Miss Belladonna and Miss Amitola."

"I'll hit them up in the morning." He shook his head, rising and stretching his arms out. "Night Oz."

Ozpin simply dipped his head, watching him head for the elevator. Qrow turned as he got in, just in time to see Ozpin pull out a thermos of his own, raising it as if he intended to drown himself with the contents.

 _Yeah... I get that Oz. I get it._ His own flask was almost empty, which meant it was time to fly home for a refill or three. _Here's hoping the bad guys have to deal with as much shit as we do._

* * *

Roman hated being the man stuck in the middle. Oh sure, idiots liked to say that there wasn't anything nicer than being wanted, or having options... but they were fucking idiots.

When it had just been the kids he'd had an established relationship with them, and sure, Neopolitan could have probably stabbed him in the back, but so could a lot of his own men if they actually bothered to plan it out. Hell, if it had just been Cinder with no kids around, he was pretty sure he'd be able to make himself invaluable, or at least too valuable to throw away easily.

 _Now I'm stuck between them... and every damned conversation is a minefield._

He puffed on his cigar, watching as Cinder Fall strolled into an abandoned warehouse currently storing dust. White Fang agents were bustling around, guided by his people, loading the containers into trucks for shipment out of the city. _Where_ exactly he had no idea, and his efforts to follow them had led to nothing. Someone more competent than the usual animals went over everything just outside of the city, removing the devices he'd tried to slip in.

"Roman." Cinder purred, "So good to see you hard at work, dear thief."

"Cinder." He said, exhaling smoke, "No little minions today? Or are they behind on their homework?"

Golden eyes narrowed, though the sensual tones remained in her voice, "I see you're as well informed as ever."

He clicked Melodic Cudgel against the ground in reply, leaning on the weapon. "It's what kept me alive so far. I'm ahead of schedule on your deliveries, so I'm guessing this is a social visit. Related to a pair of other professors maybe?"

"Perhaps." She offered slowly drawing closer, stopping only when she was entirely too close for comfort. "I do not care for it when the hired help keeps secrets from me, Roman."

"You never asked." He replied simply.

Cinder's lips twitched, "Insouciance is sweet on you. Do you truly think they would protect you, that they could stop me if I wished to eliminate you here and now?"

Roman fought down the urge to take a step back. Showing fear was rarely a good idea... showing megalomaniac nutcases like this one fear was asking for her to react like the predator she was. "If I thought that I'd have already paid them to help me kill you, and you know it. I'm on a deadline here, and I've got a dust shop out in the country to hit, so can we skip the threats and get to the part where you ask me serious questions?"

Her eyes narrowed to slits, and the temperature seemed to rise several degrees... then she threw back her head and laughed. It did interesting things to her chest, things she made sure he noticed. Not that he was so stupid as to think she was offering him anything besides third degree burns, it was just another thing she did to try and keep him and everyone around her off-balance.

"Oh Roman..." She chortled, "You are entirely too amusing. And quite correct in your assumption that I cannot simply remove you, you are providing too valuable a service."

 _For now._ He tacked on to the end of her sentence.

"I want to know everything you know of them." She said, beckoning him with a crooked finger as she turned beginning a slow circle of the building's massive interior. "And I mean everything."

He exhaled and threw his cigar away, forcing himself to remain calm as he walked beside her. "Not much to say. They showed up about a year ago, trading help on jobs for weird favors. Usually other jobs stealing antique books, breaking into museums, that kind of weird crap. They're paranoid, clever, and hard to predict. It took me four months to learn their names."

Cinder hummed. "Nothing of their past?"

"Reached out to a few like minded individuals in Vacuo, but they all said they liked the kids better than they liked me." He shrugged, "Only thing I could get was that I shouldn't expect them to stick around, that they were constantly moving. Figured they were running from something... These days I figure that something was you."

"Quite." The woman replied, not really responding to the guess. "Their goal?"

He didn't have to feign the irritation in his voice, "From what I can tell, something old and something valuable that they consider personal."

Her smirk re-appeared, "Tried to convince them to run, did you?"

"Apart from that, nothing, no details." He elected not to answer the obvious question, so long as it went unsaid she would have less reason to be annoyed with him. "They implied it was the same thing you were after."

Cinder's eyes seemed to sharpen and glow for just a moment. "They questioned you about me?"

"They'd seen you bossing me around before." Roman replied, filling lies with bits of the truth. "They thought it was a dispute between two upstanding criminal masterminds and refused to get involved... then they saw you at school and had a bit of a freak-out. Demanded everything I knew."

"And what did you tell them?" There was just enough lack of emotion in the words to tell him his life was riding on the answer.

"Your semblance, that I didn't know you were going to Beacon, and that I have as of an little idea as to what you're after as to what they're trying to dig up."

Heels clicked across the floor as she seemed to consider his response, nodding very slightly. "My semblance, Roman."

He snorted, "Cindy, you threaten to incinerate or _actually_ incinerate damn near everyone you meet. You ain't subtle about it. Anyone of my men could have told them as much if they interrogated them, so could any of those useless animals you've saddled me with."

Cinder's lips turned down slightly, but she didn't seem able to deny it. Point for him. "In the spirit of reciprocity, what are their semblances?"

 _Poker face don't fail me now._ "The kid's is half-bullshit, half-fucking useless, and he even admits it. His aura's better at healing him than most people's, faster at it too, but it still costs him to use. All its good for is protecting him from an ambush."

Her eyes narrowed, "He simply revealed it?"

"Hell no." Roman snorted, "Got shot in the back by a security mech on a heist, never had a chance to engage his aura. Figured the idiot was dead and nearly blasted his head off when he got up and started swearing like a sailor about the holes in his shirt. Not sure if it hit his heart or not, but figure if he's got aura he can get up from almost anything."

She actually chuckled a little, "Limited, but of extreme use within those limitations. What of the girl?"

"More useful, and the reason I hired them all the time." He shrugged, "She can fuck with people's appearances, herself and anyone she touches. Handy as hell in my line of work."

"Interesting." Cinder mused, "You're sure she needs physical contact, and that it's limited to living beings?"

"If they've been conning me they've done it consistently for more than a year." He skirted what he didn't want to talk about by giving her more, "I've only ever seen her use it on people, and when she touches them. She can maintain it almost indefinitely, so long as you're nearby. Doesn't seem to cost her much aura either way."

His 'boss' fell silent as they completed a lap of the building, turning to watch as a truck pulled out, another rolling back to accept a load of fire dust. "I see. You hoped to conceal them, so that if you managed to evade me, she could aid and abet a proper escape."

Roman shrugged again, not bothering to deny it. The only step she was missing was the part where the kid teleported them as far away as she could... like maybe downtown Vacuo.

"You're being awfully informative, Roman."

"The threat of being burnt to a crisp will do that." He muttered, shaking his head. "Cindy, the kids were an asset so long as you didn't know about them. That plan is shot to fucking hell and you know it. You've made it clear the only way I'm going to make it to my next birthday is to stay useful to you."

"True, true." Cinder replied with a smug smile, "I do so enjoy working with a man who has a proper sense of self-preservation."

 _I just fucking bet._

"Have they contacted you since?"

"Just to remind me that there's a standing offer open for information on you and what you're doing." He answered, as somewhat honest as he'd been throughout the entire conversation. "Free advice, I'm not going to bother trying to feed them false intel for you. They already made it clear they don't trust anything I say if they can't verify it."

"It had crossed my mind," She admitted, "But I quite agree that it would be a waste. They are clever... paranoid. I want you to continue your excellent work here, and alert me if they attempt to contact you once again. Oh, and Roman?"

He knew that tone and tried to back away before she'd finished his name. The bitch was faster, she always fucking was, and seized his coat before hauling him close with impossible strength. Her other hand batted aside his reflexive swing of Melodic Cudgel before snapping up to his throat, pulling him down so that their lips were nearly touching.

This close the gold in her eyes seemed to shift, becoming a burning blaze as she whispered. "Do not ever think to reveal something about me again, no matter how obvious you believe it to be."

He flared his aura into his face as she pecked his lips, her mouth burning like a fucking branding iron in that single moment. "Do you understand me?"

"Yes." He hissed between clenched teeth.

She released him with a negligent twist of her body, sending him staggering to collapse onto the floor. Utter rage nearly had him raise his weapon to blow that smug look off of her face, knowing that everyone in the damned building had just seen her treat him like so much disposable trash.

It was only the same finely honed sense of self preservation that the bitch had commented on that kept him from doing it, that forced him to simply tighten his grip on his cane as he hauled himself back to his feet.

Cinder deliberately turned her back on him, as if daring him to strike her, and strode out of the building without another word.

 _This isn't the smart way to maintain a working relationship, bitch._ He exhaled, pulling a new cigar out of a pocket. _Not when I've got options._

Lighting it, and taking several fortifying puffs, he turned to find most of the warehouse still as everyone stared at him. "What the fuck are you animals looking at!? Get that dust moving! Rufus, prep the Bullhead, we've got a heist to run!"

 _And a message to send._

* * *

 _Just in case it wasn't clear, all three scenes in this chapter occurred at roughly the same time._

 _Sapphire is reasonably pissed at Jaune, but admits that revealing him might make things worse within the family. Ozpin and his conspiracy have a little meeting, I really wanted to show a bit of that to make it clear that they aren't just sitting around, and that lots of events that have nothing to do with Jaune are occurring. And of course, Cinder's leadership style doesn't quite work as well on Roman as it does on her minions, especially when he thinks he might have a way out._

 _Next chapter will get back to Jaune and the students, and no, he's not done talking to Sapphire just yet or done realizing the problems her showing up may cause._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 ** _ _Thanks, Kat__**


	35. Semester II: Weekend Recovery

**Weekend Recovery**

* * *

James Ironwood enjoyed his early morning runs. They were sometimes the only parts of his day where he could simply relax and think in some degree of peace, without meetings, paperwork, or various crisis interrupting him. Here there was nothing but the long track, the simple effort and joy of running, and the occasional other early riser.

His sole companion for the first hour had been Pyrrha Nikos, though the girl had looked distinctly unwell and settled for a slow jog for before she had withdrawn within the locker rooms.

While he couldn't condone drinking to excess, clearly just what she had done the night prior, he could at least respect that she had tried to maintain herself in the aftermath. Less pleasant had been how her presence had brought his mind back to the discussions from last night, and the follow-up conversations with Glynda.

Weiss Schnee was not going to be selected, he could already see as much. His old friend was humoring him with the idea of selecting her, but it was clear he preferred the other choice. And, if the comparison as solely between young Miss Schnee and Miss Nikos, he would gracefully admit defeat. The problem was that it _wasn't_ so simple a comparison.

There was also their teams to consider.

Both groups had a former member of the White Fang, which was something he could not in good conscience condone. He had no issues with the young women being given second chances to find a proper outlet for their skills, but letting them train to become huntresses was one thing. Placing them directly next to a Maiden was something else entirely.

Team RWBY at least had the advantage of its other two members being utterly above suspicion. Indeed, if not for her extreme youth, and her father and uncle's reaction, he would have suggested Miss Rose for the responsibility.

Of course... the ideal candidate in his mind was Winter. She was experienced, skilled, and could be relied upon utterly. The power could be transferred and she could be returned to Atlas to recover under nearly any excuse they wished. But if it had been a struggle for them to even pretend to consider young Weiss, he knew that even proposing his assistant would have resulted in an uproar.

 _But that is irrelevant now. As much as Ozpin may wish to hide it, his choice is made. Now all that is left is controlling the fallout and ensuring that the proper protections will be in place._

After the Festival that would be simple enough. They would put their 'exchange program' into action, after hinting at such a thing for several weeks beforehand, and remove RAVN and their new maiden from Vale. He would personally see to her training over the remainder of the school year in Atlas, and keep her safe and secure until Ozpin and his huntsman had eliminated Amber's attacker.

 _Simple, straightforwards, safe._

Of course, the Festival itself would be the problem. They were largely in agreement that it was the most likely time period for Salem to move her Queen to the attack, and that attempting to transfer Amber's powers before said Festival was extremely risky. What none of them could agree on was _how_ said attack would be launched, or even _when_ it would occur during the multi-week tournament. He and Ozpin leaned towards late, likely during the closing ceremonies, where Glynda and several others instead thought it might occur early.

He thought it likely a full scale assault of some form, involving the White Fang as a battering ram. Ozpin believed the Fang would never risk such poor publicity, and that it would be a commando raid of some kind. Glynda thought it would be some kind of combination, with the Fang assaulting noted anti-Faunus elements in the city as a distraction while the Queen went for Amber.

Qrow was the only one who wasn't sure about the attack occurring during the Festival at all. He thought it might occur after, when security would be light and attempting to calm down after the stress of the event.

 _We just don't know enough. We need more information... as we always do in this day and age._

The sound of another runner entering the indoor track shook him from his thoughts and concerns about Salem and her ilk, drawing his attention to a young lady slowly accelerating on the other side.

She was very tall for a woman, with exceedingly bright blonde hair tied into a long but simple braid, and while she was far too young for him, he could still appreciate her physical beauty. Oddly, she wore a dark red shirt from Vale's public university rather than the dark blue associated with Beacon, and it didn't take many laps for him to decidedly gain on her.

 _Not a student, likely not a huntress either._

She glanced at him perhaps twenty minutes later, once he had caught up, her cheeks a little red from the effort of running at a fast clip. Her eyes were shockingly blue, and she gave him a polite nod and a slightly breathless, "Good morning!"

"Good morning ma'am." He replied slowing to keep pace, "I know it is not my place, but I didn't believe this facility was open to the public."

"Brother... a professor." She replied, clearly noting that he was taking it easy where she was struggling to keep her strides long. "Said... I could."

Her brother? Given her appearance, there was really only a single candidate. "You are related to Mister Arc?"

"Sapphire Arc." The woman responded, holding out a hand for a slightly awkward shake as they continued to run. "Eldest sister, college student."

"Jame Ironwood, General." He replied, giving her hand a single firm pump. "Headmaster of Atlas Academy."

Those blue eyes widened considerably, and her pace abruptly slackened, "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to intrude sir."

"It's quite all right." Ironwood waved her concern away, "I don't mind the company, and please, we're on a track, not standing on ceremony. James is fine."

Sapphire Arc didn't quite look comfortable, but she nodded all the same. "All right James... you mind if I do a few more laps? Not all of us can cheat to stay in shape."

The wryness in her voice made him chuckle, and he slowly accelerated as she picked up the pace once more. "Is he the only Hunter in your family?"

"Dad is." She said, timing her words between deep gulps of breath, "Jaune's the only one of us eight kids though."

He nearly stumbled at that. "Eight?"

The woman gasped out a bit of laughter, "That's usually the response, yeah."

Ironwood shook his head, "I see... and you are the eldest child?"

"Yeah." Sapphire nodded, "Going to college a bit late... had to save up, and mom needed the help... raising everyone else."

 _I can only imagine._ He'd been an only child, and when he'd been young he had occasionally fantasized about what it may have been like to have a sibling or two... but he'd certainly never considered having seven other children around. Their household must have resembled a riot in progress on the best of days.

"There is nothing wrong with accepting responsibilities." He reassured her as they came around a turn, keeping his speed moderate. "What degree do you pursue?"

"Teaching." She replied, a wry smile trying to appear on her face. "Little annoyed with... my brother. Jerk beat me to it."

Even tired she managed to inflict a kind of fond indignation in her tone, and he couldn't help but chuckle. "Jealous, Miss Arc?"

"Little." She said, smile still in place.

James smiled back and fell silent, letting her concentrate on running while he considered the opportunity. Oz had made it clear he wasn't to question Arc or his partner directly, but a polite discussion with the man's sister on how he was settling in would hardly be out of place. So long as he avoided any blatant inquiries as to the man's stability, it would seem harmless enough.

Of course there was a problem with that: conversational tact was not one of his strong suits.

Huntress she may not have been, but he would admit the young woman had determination to spare. She continued her run past the point where he would have expected a civilian to cease, especially considering the speed she was attempting to move at. Eventually she simply exhausted herself, slowing and peeling off into the central oval, though she showed the good sense to walk and stretch rather than collapse.

He emulated her, though only stretching his natural limbs. Strictly speaking he didn't have to, but it was a lazy habit to rely on your aura for everything.

"So," She spoke after perhaps five minutes of silent company. "Not that I'm averse to handsome, older gentleman spending time with me, but... if you want to talk I think you should before this gets awkward."

"True, my apologies." He shook his head, "I was attempting to think of a polite way to inquire after your brother's state."

Sapphire Arc seemed to immediately go on her guard, her friendly nature vanishing somewhat. "What do you mean?"

"I am a soldier, Miss Arc. I know a fellow warrior with demons when I see one." Ironwood told her gently, feeling the weight of his right side even as he spoke. "And as a headmaster, I want to know that my students are going to be well taken care of."

"Oh." She appeared to relax, then abruptly tighten back up again. "Oh. You think..."

"I'm not sure what to think." He moved to sit on a bench while she continued to stretch out her legs, "I merely have concerns. By his own accounts the years since the Academy have not been conducive to recovering from such an event."

The man's sister bit her lip, letting out a long, slow breath. "I'm... not sure really. It's been a long time since I've seen my brother, and this is starting to touch on personal subjects."

Ironwood quickly lifted his flesh and blood hand. "If you aren't comfortable we can of course stop."

That seemed to reassure her somewhat, "No, it's just... Jaune's always kind of been the family's... not pride, our... focus I guess. Not because he's the only boy, but because of what he was like when he was young. We all tend to get defensive about him."

That made his eyebrows lift. "Unusual, considering his skills and record."

Sapphire openly grimaced, "Let's say he's come a long way, and I'm sure that aura and combat school helped a lot. When he was a kid... well, scrawny barely described him, his head was always in the clouds, and he was every juvenile bully's favorite target."

"That kind of thing can give a young man powerful motivation to improve." He noted, "And just as powerful a motivation to do so elsewhere. I take it that was a factor in your parents sending him to Vacuo, rather than to Signal or even Mistral?"

The grimace actually deepened. "Our parents... didn't really approve of his goal to become a hunter. Not because they disapproved of the choice of profession so much as they disapproved of his reason for wanting to be one. I don't think he ever really understood the distinction, and I'm not sure he even gets it now."

Ironwood frowned, "Fortune and glory?"

"Heroism and glory." She shook her head, "He wanted to be like our grandfather, a hero standing alone on the hill, holding back the Grimm all by himself. Being a hunter was a means to reach that goal, rather than the goal itself. He wanted to save people not because _he_ wanted to save them, but because he knew that what heroes _did_."

"I believe I understand." He nodded slowly, "You don't believe he understood the work, the risks, the sacrifices a huntsman must make. It is not an uncommon mistake made by young children, and why so many parents do not let them attend the preparatory academies at all."

"He really didn't get it." Sapphire agreed, rolling her neck and sighing before walking over, settling onto the bench next to him. "The rest... well, its rather personal to the family. If you're asking if he's a danger to your students, or to himself... I don't think he is. I think this job is actually really good for him, it's letting him help people without making him risk his life. It's something stable."

James considered that, leaning back. The young woman was more or less admitting that her brother wasn't quite mentally stable after what he had gone through, but that she believed that the job was a form of counseling and recovery in its own way. In other words she agreed with Ozpin's assessment.

And, if he was being honest, he couldn't fault the young hunter's lessons. He was very rough in his style, clearly new to imparting knowledge, but connected with the students and focused on practical lessons to drive home the reality of the job.

"What of his partner?" He asked.

"I don't really know her, we've only just met... but I do think that my brother has very odd taste in women." She replied with an almost amused smile, "Did you have any more questions, or is the rest of the interrogation going to occur somewhere else?"

"In a hurry to leave, Miss Arc?"

Sapphire laughed, "Hardly, I was just hoping I could try interrogating you in return. Not every day a prospective teacher meets an Academy Headmaster."

Her amusement was genuine enough that he couldn't stop a chuckle, and he obligingly waved for her to ask away.

* * *

Pyrrha felt awful.

Everything was too bright, her head was pounding, and her mouth tasted like Ruby's last attempt at making pancakes. Those things were bad enough, but waking up had also brought with the horrified memories of the night before. She hadn't thought you were supposed to remember being a complete fool when you were drunk... evidently she'd been wrong.

Not that it was all bad, she'd had more fun last night than she'd had in a very long time. Watching Ren and Nora dance, eating gourmet food, realizing just how good mixed drinks tasted, laughing as Miss Neo pointed out inebriated civilians trying to dance or eat or flirt...

Then she'd had one or two more drinks than she probably should have, and had spent the rest of the night draped over her partner babbling her inner-most thoughts. How she was her best friend, how she respected her so much for where she'd come from, how happy she was that Ilia had stayed, how proud she was of her self-improvement, and, of course, how she was debating whether or not she _liked_ her.

 _Gods..._ She collapsed into a seat in the gardens, rubbing at her face. _What do I even do?_

She'd woken up before everyone else, which wasn't unusual, though her emergency trip to the bathroom to throw up wasn't part of her normal routine. Being too mortified to do more than glance at Ilia's sleeping form, she'd dressed in her workout clothes and then staggered out into the dorm's lounge to look up what she should do to feel better.

Most of the 'cures' had struck her as... ill conceived, so she'd simply stuck with drinking plenty of water and then trying to go for her usual morning jog, where she had surely impressed Headmaster Ironwood with her slow speed and unsteady gait. She'd quickly given up all together and instead taken an overly long shower in the locker room.

That had helped, somewhat, but she'd still ended up here, collapsed on a bench in the gardens, wondering what in Remnant she was going to do now.

Physically she knew she'd feel better in a few hours.

Emotionally... she had no idea. Pyrrha guessed that she had a fifty-fifty chance of being confronted when she got back to the room. Ilia tended to either ignore an uncomfortable topic entirely, or to attack it directly without reservation. There wasn't really a middle-ground with her, it was... one of things she liked about Ilia.

She could handle ignoring it, or at least pushing it aside further. But if Ilia confronted her... she had _no idea_ what she could even say.

"Morning Pyrrha!" She winced at the Ruby's shout, looking up to see the young team leader wandering in her direction. "Woah. You feeling ok?"

"Headache." Pyrrha replied, rubbing at her temples. "Miss Neo took us out to a club last night."

Silver eyes blinked a few times, "A club... wait, like a club club? A _drinking_ club?"

"Yes Ruby. That kind of club." She sighed, "It was fun, mostly, but part of me is regretting it."

Ruby seemed to get the message and quieted her voice as she came over, sitting on the bench next to her. "Hangover? Did you drink water?"

"Plenty." It wasn't like her to be so short with her friends, but she couldn't help it.

The other girl nodded slowly, but still looked concerned. "You sure it's just your head? You look really down."

"I..." She hesitated before just letting it out. "...may have blurted things out I'd rather not have, about Ilia."

"Ohhh..." Ruby offered, "Did you tell her that you do like girls?"

"I told her that I don't know." Pyrrha buried her face in her hands as she felt her face heat up, "But... that I was starting to think that I like both. And her. As more than a friend."

"Is... that bad?"

"No! Well... maybe..." She huffed out a breath, "If it goes badly. She's my best friend, my partner. What if it turns out I don't? I don't want to ruin what we have."

Ruby seemed to bite her lip and looked down at her feet as she kicked them. "Maybe you're not thinking about it right?"

Pyrrha blinked and looked at her, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it could go bad, yeah... but what if it doesn't? I mean, look at Jaune and Miss Neo. They were partners too." She seemed to flush a little, "But they're totally together and they seem really happy about it. And my dad and mom were teammates too."

She frowned and tried to think about that through her aching head. What if it did go well? Pyrrha had never been in a real relationship, with anyone, so maybe 'well' was too optimistic. If it didn't go badly... she felt a little light headed at the idea, and she wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

"Then there's Ren and Nora." Ruby chirped, "I mean, they say they're not together-together, but they totally are. Especially after last night. They're probably going to make you and Ilia give them space sometimes, so would it be so bad if you two were together too?"

That... could be true, especially... wait. How had _Ruby_ known about last night? And why was she giving her relationship advice? Why was she even awake and in the gardens this early?

"Ruby..."

The girl's cheerful expression turned into an almost painful looking grimace as she tried and failed to keep her smile in place. "Yeah Pyrrha?"

She cleared her throat, "How do you know what happened with my team last night?"

"Um..."

"And it's not even seven. What are you doing up and wandering the gardens?"

"...um..."

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes. "Ruby."

"It wasn't my idea!" She protested, her cheeks turning red, "It was Yang's fault, all of it! I just think you and Ilia would be really cute together and happy, and I wanted to prove her wrong and win before the-"

Ruby abruptly slapped a hand over her own mouth, her eyes wide.

"Win?" Pyrrha felt her mouth open, her hangover getting shoved aside. "Ruby! Did you _bet_ on me and Ilia!?"

"Maybe?" The younger girl not quite squeaked.

 _Oh gods... I can't believe this._ No, wait, it was Yang. She could believe it, she just couldn't believe that Ruby was... "Tell me it's just between you and Yang."

"Um..." Ruby poked two fingers together. "It's just between me and Yang?"

 _Oh Gods._ "...who?"

The other girl coughed, "Um... well, it started as us, then Yang wanted Blake's opinion so she got involved, and then Meral heard and brought MINT so we thought it would be fair to include Weiss. She yelled at us for gambling but really thought that Ilia would be bold, and somehow Cardin heard about it so his team made bets too, and then Miss Neo heard us talking about it at dinner and she put a really big bet in and we all had to match it. Then-"

"I get, I get!" Everyone. Everyone was _betting_ on her love life. What... how was she even supposed to react to that!? "I... oh. You bet I'd ask her out, didn't you?"

"...maybe?" Ruby fidget again. "Well.. yeah, kinda."

She could only blink numbly. "Isn't this cheating?"

"Jaune said there's no such thing as cheating, and Uncle Qrow _specifically_ said there's no cheating in love or war." Came the reply, "So I'm definitely not cheating."

Pyrrha was fairly sure everyone else wouldn't see it quite like that. Wait, she'd said... _Neo_ was involved? If she was, why had she taken them out drinking... oh. "Miss Neo bet on the same thing, didn't she? And she's the one who told you to come talk to me?"

"If by that you mean she texted me last night..." Ruby said. "And again this morning, then yeah."

So not only were her friends trying to set her up, her _teacher_ was trying to set her up. And taking her out drinking to try and push things along. And they were doing so because they had bet on it. "Is... what did everyone bet on, exactly?"

"Mostly who would ask who out when." She replied, "Everyone else thinks Ilia's gonna make the first move, they're arguing about when, but Miss Neo and I think you'll ask her to the dance. Um... I really do think you guys would be cute together, not just saying that."

"Thank you Ruby." Pyrrha said absently, still trying to decide how she should feel. Should be be outraged? Amused? Mortified? Confused? Right now it felt like she was all four, and still hungover on top of that.

 _One thing is clear at least..._

She pulled out her scroll, flicking her thumb over the screen to locate Ilia's number. Ruby noted what she was doing and made a sound like a distressed puppy. "I... was just getting hungry, and I think Blake wanted to do White Fang research so-"

Pyrrha flexed her semblance, and the buttons and buckles on Ruby's uniform became immobile even as the girl tried to get up. She blinked several times, then began to flail and babble as she tried and failed to go anywhere. "Wait, no! Pyrrha! I wasn't even supposed to tell you!"

"I'm sorry Ruby." She tapped Ilia's number. It rang twice before Ilia's tired face filled the screen.

" _Oh, Pyrrha."_ She looked at least as awkward as Pyrrha had felt earlier. " _Uh, what's going on?"_

 _"_ Ruby has something to tell you." Pyrrha couldn't bring herself to repeat it, turning her scroll so that an increasingly panicking Ruby was visible. "Don't you Ruby?"

"...it's really nice out this morning?" Ruby tried.

Pyrrha frowned, "Ruby!"

She tried to evade for nearly a minute, then broke entirely and told her everything she'd told Pyrrha. Ilia turned a mortified shade of blue, then an angry red, and then had settled on a mix where her skin was blue but eyes and freckles were a blazing scarlet.

"Please don't tell Yang!" Ruby asked when she finished, "She said anyone who tells has to pay twice as much and I really don't want to give up those comics."

" _Don't worry."_ Ilia said in answer, " _We won't be telling her anything."_

Pyrrha blinked, "We won't?"

" _Well, not verbally anyway."_ The room behind her partner spun as Ilia started rummaging around in drawers with her free hand, picking out clothes and noticeably grabbing her weapon. " _Pyrrha, I need you to meet me at the Bullhead docks, we're going into Vale."_

"Of course..." She hesitated, "May I ask why?"

" _Not in front of our new double-agent."_

Ruby made another whimpering sound. "I don't think I'm comfortable with that..."

Ilia had looked right into the screen, " _You want me to tell Yang and Miss Neo? I could message Mrs. Belladonna as well, I'm sure she'd be happy to pass a note to your dad-"_

"I'll do it!"

" _Good to hear. You can start your new job by making a list of everyone involved and their bets."_ Ilia grinned. " _I'll be there in twenty Pyrrha."_

* * *

Jaune sighed as his sister bustled around the small kitchen, her scroll up as she talked with their parents. It had taken a little while to re-arrange things, to hide their weapons and make it look homier, but at least she was helping him out.

"I ran into him at a gym, he's in the city for negotiations with Vale over the new alliance." Sapphire grinned, "He talked with me for nearly two hours about the differences in teaching huntsman and civilians! It was incredible!"

Oh, and geeking out about running into Atlas' Headmaster this morning as she'd been doing _all day._

Neo rolled her eyes from where she was sitting on top of him, her back to his chest as they reclined long the couch. She'd been in a bit of a mood, mostly from the telling off he'd given her this morning. While she had at least gotten his sister calmed down enough to come up without accidentally revealing anything last night, the key words were that she had gotten her _up here_.

Saph was helping cover for them, true, but the new problem was he had _no_ idea how to keep her hidden from Cinder now that she was here. Taking the Bullheads up meant she was in the system, and plenty of students would have seen him rushing to meet her or escorting her back to the tower. Plus a few would have seen her around this morning when he'd let her go exercise before he'd been awake enough to realize the implications.

It was the same problem as if they'd tried to conceal their past from her; even if they managed it for a little while, sooner or later Cinder would figure it out.

Worse, they couldn't exactly tell Sapphire what was really going on. He'd tried to keep the lying to a bare minimum, she was his sister after all, but telling her that her life was in mortal danger just because she paid a surprise visit on her brother? No. Just no. That would lead to all kinds of questions he couldn't answer, and then probably to her going to their parents and Ozpin... or Ironwood apparently.

And... she'd probably be entirely right to do so.

 _Dammit._

Neo seemed to notice his mood because she shifted a tittle, not quite nuzzling her head against the bottom of his chin.

He let out a slow breath and slid his arms around her waist, holding her tightly. She hadn't quite apologized, Neo simply didn't do that, but she'd admitted that she'd been caught off guard and been more focused on keeping Saph quiet than she had been on considering all of the problems. And at the end of the day, he couldn't really blame her, if he'd run into his sister on the street he'd have probably had a few mental blocks himself. And Saph would have wanted to visit his place eventually..

 _It's something we'd have to deal with sooner or later. Neo's mistake just made it sooner._

The plan had been to get her back down to her own school around lunch-time, but Saph brought up the idea of calling their mother from here so she could reinforce his story a bit. He'd admitted that _would_ help deflect any suspicion, and they'd decided to call while Sapphire made them all dinner.

"I'll take her back after dinner." He murmured, "The less she's here the better."

Neo twitched her head in a slight nod, her hands signing where he could see them move. If or when Cinder found out, she'd probably threaten him by threatening her. They could stall by replying in kind, threatening her minions. She obviously needed them for something or she wouldn't have brought them with.

He fought down a grimace. _I hate that crap..._ "Yeah. Maybe... if Ironwood likes her, a transfer to an Atlas school?"

A slight shrug, and an admission that it was an idea worth considering. They also might be able to pay Junior to have someone shadow her in the meantime, since he already knew about her.

 _Which is another problem._ The arrangement with Junior had mostly been meant for his father, who could at least protect himself and who he'd thought would be the most likely person to show up and find them. _It seems like everything is going both right and wrong, and just wrong enough to screw with us._

Jaune shook his head and pulled Neo a little closer, letting out a long breath. Now wasn't the time to be stressing out, not with Sapphire here.

And besides, there were still the positives. His sister was here and being helpful, while Neo had gone out and unwound a bit. He was enjoying his classes, teaching students and doing honest work helping people, while rough checks of Neo's map compared to Beacon left them very sure that the entrance to Beacon's vaults was somewhere in the tower they were sitting

 _Progress... one step at a time._

"And of course I'm cooking while Jaune lazes on the couch." Sapphire wandered over, turning so that their mother could see him and Neo. "Some things never change."

" _Some things do!"_ His mother didn't quite scream with happiness but it was a close thing. " _Oh my goodness you're beautiful dear! It's much nicer to see you in a... calmer circumstance than our last call, but I have to ask; how did my son ever manage to find someone like you?"_

"Hey!" He protested as Neo let out a silent laugh, she signed quickly, letting him translate... "Hey!" An elbow promptly smacked into his gut, making him cough, "She says I looked so pathetic that she just _had_ to adopt me."

Juniper Arc laughed, " _Oh you'll get along with my other daughters so well, Coral will absolutely adore you."_

Jaune made a mental note to never let them meet. "How are things at home?"

" _Not nearly as interesting as things in Vale."_ She replied smoothly, grinning at his discomfort. " _What does she do for a living, and how did you really meet?"_

He sighed, "Huntress, she's a regular at The Club."

His mother glanced at something off of her screen, probably his father, but remained all smiles. So at least he knew where he got his habit of grinning through any topic. " _Well, at least neither of you will ever want for anything. My son is a prefect gentleman I hope."_

Neo craned her neck back to smirk at him, and made a so-so gesture.

" _Jaune!"_

"She's lying." He retaliated, glaring down at her, "You can tell because both of her eyes are pink, means she's enjoying herself a little too much."

An elbow promptly hit him in the stomach for revealing that, and he had to fight the urge to flare his aura to block it... so instead he coughed and groaned like he should have while Juniper tittered again.

"So, that's Jaune and Neo." Sapphire grinned, turning away and heading back to the kitchen. "I'm sure you can tell which one of them holds the whip."

"Saph!"

His sister just laughed and checked on their food, turning the volume up a bit so that they could still hear Juniper speaking.

" _To answer your question Jaune,"_ She said as Neo finally got off of him, heading for her chair at the dining table while he got up and started getting out plates. " _Things are normal. Sable had a boyfriend for seven whole days and two dates before your father and Coral drove him off."_

Sapphire whistled as she lowered the heat on the chicken, "A new record. How's dad doing?"

" _Grumpy."_

Nicholas Arc promptly shouted from the background, " _I am not!"_

" _Very grumpy."_ His wife emphasized, glowering at something off-screen. " _Old Mitch decided to retire for good, and the others nominated your father to take his place dealing with Signal and Beacon. So he'll be running a student mission next month, and giving a speech on Patch the month after... and I haven't heard the end of the complaints."_

 _"You make me sound like a teenager!"_ Thankfully the pair were too engrossed to notice Saph give him a pointed look, and for him to grimace and throw his hands up in surrender. He'd have to figure out something... with his luck Ozpin would assign him to liaise with his father due to family ties or something.

Juniper made a credible grunting sound, turning back to the screen just as his arms lowered. " _Because you are acting like one dear. Honestly, he forgets that the extra pay from those will be enough to send Sable and Coral to university as well. At least once we add it to what they've already saved, and assuming they're responsible enough to get jobs in Vale."_

"Coral is bothering with school?" He asked as he carried the plates to the table. "Figured she was just going to rely on her writing."

 _"She claims it's to give her options,"_ His mother said, " _But I think she just doesn't want to be separated from Sable. In either case they'll probably be joining you in Vale next year."_

Rather, they'd be joining Sapphire. He and Neo would be in Mistral, if things kept going according to plan, more or less. Jaune felt his guilty conscience squirm somewhere in his chest, especially with his mother's reference to Coral's dependence on her twin. He'd make it up to them all when he ended the stupid shadow war. especially to Sable, she'd be... he shook his head, cutting off that line of thought before it could started. It was too painful. "It would be good to see them again."

Juniper beamed at him from the small screen, and started making idle chat with his sister about how she was settling in, and what she thought of Vale. He ferried food to the table while she did, slapping Neo's hand when she went to start eating without the pair of them. That earned him a pouting huff, and a roll of her eyes, again to his mother's utter delight when she saw it over his sister's shoulder.

He'd have rather ended the call at meal time, but Sapphire instead just propped it up as if their mother was sitting at the empty seat at the table.

The pair of them thankfully monopolized the conversation, with he and Neo only having to join in once and a while, at least until his mother had to step out and gave her scroll to his father.

" _Son, Sapphire."_ He greeted, " _You must be Neopolitan. A pleasure to meet you."_

Neo dipped her head slightly and kept eating... which was, for her, the picture of grace and civility when meeting someone she didn't really care about.

Nicholas regarded her, then seemed to look at him, " _How's your job going?"_

"Overworked, underpaid." He said, not lying in the slightest. "It's a job."

His father made a low sound of amusement. " _When you find one that's different let me know, I'll gladly hang up my sword and join you. Speaking of swords... do you still have Crocea Mors?"_

Jaune jerked a thumb at Neo, "She uses it once and a while, when she wants a heavier blade. Didn't think you'd mind."

" _Of course not, just don't lose it."_ Nicholas answered. " _Has she modified it?"_

"I think she's done a few tweaks here and there, just to the shield though." He shrugged, "She agrees with your idea of uncomplicated weapons."

" _Good to hear."_ He nodded, looking at Neo a little more approvingly. " _She treat you right? Mindful of her strength compared to yours?"_

The sound of her fork settling onto her plate was the only warning he got before fingers grabbed his ear, hauling him around as he hissed in pain. That sound cut off when she gave him a sloppy kiss, her free hand grabbing onto his throat as it so often did.

Sapphire made a groaning sound while his father let out a bark of laughter, " _You've made your point little missy."_

Neo made sure to run her tongue over his for an extra moment, just to make it clear she was stopping because she wanted to, not because he'd told her to. She smirked, merrily switching between brown and pink as she leaned back, resuming her meal in a contented fashion.

Jaune sighed as he settled back in his chair, catching his breath, "She likes do that, make sure everyone knows that I'm her personal property."

 _"Did they kiss!?"_ His mother shouted from off-screen, " _Nicky, you better have recorded that!"_

He groaned and flushed as his father sighed. " _I'll let you three go, enjoy your meal. I'll let you know when I'll be in the city next month, we can do dinner."_

"Sounds good." Jaune said, reaching out to flick the scroll off even as Juniper berated her husband and told them not to end the call. "Gods..."

"Hazel and Jade both want to murder you for escaping." Sapphire informed him as she accepted her scroll back, "In case you were wondering."

"I wasn't." He shook his head, sighing and settling back in his chair. "Thanks again Saph."

"Well... you did give me an interview with Headmaster Ironwood." She smiled, "Even if it wasn't on purpose, I figured I owed you one. He pointed me towards a few classes I hadn't considered taking, but that might actually make Academies consider me as well."

Jaune huffed, "Trying to take my job already Saph?"

"If you can do it, how hard can it possibly be?"

His partner evidently thought that hilarious, almost hissing sounds coming from her lips as she laughed.

He could only sigh, "You ready to head back to your place?"

Saph blinked, "But I haven't shown your girlfriend humiliating pictures of you cross-dressing yet."

Neo froze, then her smile widened to nearly impossible levels as her eyes turned to a soft pink, her hands clapping together as if she'd just been told her birthday had come early.

 _This is going to be a long night..._

* * *

Weiss sighed as she stared at the screen, a pencil jotting down yet another date and address, hearing Blake doing the same beside her.

It had been a very long day, and didn't seem like it would end anytime soon.

She had been hesitant about the idea of researching White Fang activity, but had admitted that it would be a good exercise in investigating crimes for when they graduated. And, as Ruby had cheerfully pointed out, it would be an event in team building, and their leader had at least forced Blake to only do said research on the weekends.

Weiss must not have been thinking clearly on the matter, because it hadn't occurred to her until they started that the word 'research' did _not_ go well with the words 'Ruby and Yang'. Oh individually the two were smart enough, she'd admit, and surprisingly studious... but that was school work.

As much as they both obviously wanted to help Belladonna, they didn't have any real passion for the subject and had quickly gotten bored reading nearly identical news articles. On their first day Belladonna had promptly gotten snippy with the pair, as she did not think they were taking it seriously. That was in stark contrast to her, who even in Weiss' opinion was taking this _far_ too seriously.

It had taken Ruby and Yang reminding her that Professor Arc had said this wasn't to be a priority to get her to calm down even a little.

Today's research had started off poorly when Ruby had arrived several hours late, admitting that she'd lost track of time hanging out with Pyrrha. Yang had openly been jealous that she hadn't thought of that, and the blonde's partner had started to lose her temper again. In the end Blake had managed to keep it under control, albeit barely, instead politely asking that the sisters either help them research or else find something less distracting to do.

Ruby and Yang had apologized... and then betrayed her and left for the second floor.

 _I will not forget this the next time you two need something._

"Any luck? The other girl asked, taking a brief pause to sip from a cup of tea.

"Vale is evidently in the middle of a crime wave." Weiss reported back, "All of it aimed at dust... but it is hard to tell how involved the White Fang is compared to Torchwick."

"They're both involved." Belladonna insisted, "We just need to know how much of this is the White Fang, and how much of it is Torchwick.."

"Does it matter?" She asked, "They're clearly working together, I would think the _why_ they are doing it to be more important. Are they reselling it? Storing it? Shipping it to Menagerie?"

Her teammate's mouth snapped open at the last one, but she seemed to force herself to sit back instead of spouting denials. "...you're right. We need to figure out why as well as who... maybe we should be looking to try and find a pattern."

"Pattern in what?" A male voice asked, making both of them turn to see Sun and his handsome partner approach the bank of computers they were working on. "Ruby and Yang said you two could use some help looking up White Fang stuff."

"Sun, Neptune." Belladonna greeted them, "We're fine, just please don't distract us."

Sun spread his hands, "Not trying to distract you Blake, offering to help. Neptune here's a real geek, total genius on homework."

"Intellectual." The boy retaliated, stepping forwards and offering Weiss a hand a brilliant smile. "Don't think we've been introduced, snow angel."

The giggle came out before she could stop it, _get a hold of yourself Weiss!_ "Weiss Schnee. A pleasure."

He grinned more widely, and actually bowed over her hand rather than shaking it, though he refrained from kissing her knuckles. "Pleasure's all mine my lady. Looks like you're trying to find a pattern to what they're doing?"

"I.. yes!" She fought down the urge to stammer while Blake gave her an incredibly unimpressed look. "It's proving difficult, we have to open each article to check them and try and decide if they were really responsible... then we want to see when it all started."

"You could open them all, but there's a faster way." Neptune pointed at the top of the page, "Go the school's search engine, I'll show you how do to a news search by month for the words 'White Fang'. Then you can chart them and see how they've grown, and you'll know how many articles you really need to check."

She and Blake stared at him, then Weiss quickly shifted her chair over and waved him at the computer. He promptly started messing with it, typing away and pausing to jot down notes on her paper, while Sun sat down by Blake and started asking surprisingly relevant questions as to what they'd already discovered.

Fifteen minutes later Neptune was nodding, "Here we go. Before seven months ago, there was pretty much no mentions of the White Fang on VNN. Maybe once or twice a month. It rose up to a dozen, and it's stayed at exactly twelve headlines involving 'White Fang' along with 'Heist', 'Robbery', 'Burglary', or something like that per month since then."

Weiss frowned, considering that. "That's strangely even."

"Bizarrely so." He agreed, glancing over at Blake. "Any ideas?"

"I got one." Sun spoke up, pointing at the article Blake had assigned him. "This one says a dust shop was robbed by masked faunus of the White Fang, but it doesn't say that anyone got killed, or even hurt. That's weird right?"

Blake leaned over his shoulder, "Were the shop owners fellow faunus?"

"Human." He answered, scrolling back up to show a picture of an old man and young woman who might have been his daughter. "Totally fine."

Weiss felt her eyes widen, her father's ranting over the summer coming back to her. "Neptune, can you do a check on that specific store? How many times has it been in the news over those seven months?"

The boy got the name from Sun, did a few more things, then made a surprised sound. "Three... all of them robberies."

"They're hitting the same stores over and over again." Weiss shook her head, "My father was complaining before I left, said that insurance prices on dust was sky-rocketing in Vale due to crime. That's why... they steal the dust, wait for the insurance to replace it, and then steal it again."

"Sustainable thefts." Blake murmured, "That's... that's not how the White Fang operates. Especially not... not the Vale branch. What about Torchwick?"

Neptune shrugged, "I can try to look it up, but if he's any good they won't even know he's the guy stealing the dust right?"

Weiss grimaced. That had been exactly their problem during their own search. How could they tell what shops the legendary thief was hitting compared to what may just be normal crime in a city this large? But at least they had _some_ information to go off of, and Neptune and Sun proved to be immensely helpful and far more dedicated than Ruby and Yang had been.

Things went well, very well, up until seven o'clock rolled around and it came time to finish up for the evening.

"Blake." Weiss narrowed her eyes when the girl didn't so much as twitch a feline ear at the hour's bell. "That's seven, we're done for the day."

"We can't, we're making progress." She shook her head, not looking away as she clicked on another article, scratching down more notes. "Ruby will understand."

 _I doubt it._ "Sun and Neptune will be here next weekend, won't you?"

Both boys seemed to get it and quickly nodded, Sun going so far as to pat Blake on the shoulder. "We got your back, don't worry."

"But-"

A raspy male voice spoke up from behind them, making her jump. "Take a break kiddo, you're stressin' me out."

"Qrow." Her sister's voice dripped with disapproval, "At least pretend to be a respectable huntsman."

She whipped her head around to see Ruby's Uncle and Winter approaching, slowing to a stop nearby. "Winter, Mister Branwen."

"Weiss." Her sister's lips moved a micro-inch, just enough so that she knew she was smiling and pleased to see her. "I see you've been keeping busy. We heard the last of your conversation, it would seem you're making progress."

"We are." She tried not to notice how stiff her teammate had gone at her sister's appearance, or perhaps it was the uniform her sister was wearing. "But we still have a long ways to go."

Ruby's Uncle chuckled, "Well, I might be able to help with that next weekend. Old man 'Oz assigned me to the White Fang case... you think you can wait a week shadow-girl, and I might have a few actual reports for you to check."

Blake's ears perked up, "...you... would share that with us?"

"More sets of eyes on a problem, more likely you are to figure it out." The man drawled, "Why I let the ice queen here tag along."

Winter twitched slightly. " _Qrow._ "

"Shhhhh... library." Qrow replied with a grin, actually pulling a _flask_ off of his belt and taking a quick sip. "Don't want to cause a scene, now do we?"

Her sister glared at him, then flicked her eyes away as if dismissing him from reality. "Weiss, I would like to speak with you before you retire."

"Of course." She quickly rose and collected her bag, "I'll see you at the dorms Blake... and _do_ be there soon, Ruby meant the time limits." She started to turn, hesitated, then curtsied. "Neptune."

The handsome boy actually blushed faintly, and stumbled to his feet before giving her a quick bow. "Miss Schnee."

Weiss fought down a flush of her own and quickly followed Winter when her sister turned and headed towards the exit. Her sister didn't mention her actions until after they had stepped outside, and gave her a somewhat arch look. "Weiss, what was that?"

Thankfully, that had given her time to rehearse a reply. "I was merely returning the courtesy he extended when we first met, he acted as a perfect gentleman."

"I see." Winter clearly didn't believe her. "Do we need to have a discussion on the proper methods of courting for your age?"

"Of course not!" She replied, "I am well aware of the protocols, and we only just met today."

Her sister hummed, but thankfully dropped the subject, at least for now. It was likely merely a short reprieve, to be revisited if Winter ever caught her looking at a boy with interest again. "Very well. I wished to spend an hour on your summons once more, given that you have the remainder of the evening free."

Weiss inhaled and nodded sharply. "I am positive that I will succeed this time."

"That is the proper frame of mind, far better than your petulance in our last sessions." Winter lifted her chin, pride evident. "Let us see what you've learned."

* * *

 _And a few side plots move, the core plot twitches once or twice, and some fluff is thrown out. Hopefully everyone is still enjoying it. The last section turned out a bit shorter than I thought, but given their resources and time it seemed like about as much as the various kids could figure out just from reading news articles. The Vol2 White Fang plot - Student of Vacuo variation, will be starting in earnest from this point on... so consider the Weiss section a bit of a tease and a hint._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 ** _ _Thanks, Kat__**


	36. Semester II: Back to Work

**Back to Work**

* * *

Jaune watched as Winter went over the cliffs, CRDL, RWBY, and MINT all following her for the day's first and probably only eight on four match thanks to the time spent on Winter's lecture on the subject back in his actual, and rarely used, classroom.

He hadn't been surprised to find her lecture style a bit dry and authoritarian, but her knowledge of the subject had shown through enough to hold most of the students' interest. And she definitely had far more of an idea than he as to what larger groups of Hunters could and should do when engaging each other and the Grimm.

 _Something else to research._ Jaune sighed mentally. His best spot to improve people's teamwork was when at least one of the groups was fighting as a pair, which was why two on two was by far the most common in his class. It was where he had the most practical experience and where he could actually help the kids improve without needing to trick them into teaching themselves.

The other problem was that his usual fast start and stops didn't really work at this level. Hell, they didn't really work on the four on four level either, he usually had to let them go until about half of them had been reduced to his aura limit. That meant he had fewer opportunities to both teach and learn per class as each spar took up far more time.

"Can everyone access the cameras?" He asked, turning slightly so that the five remaining teams could all hear him. "No one's having problems? Good, I want you all to focus on team MINT and how Meral leads them. Think about what she decides to try and how well it works with two teams hunting them."

There was a chorus of acknowledgments as the kids huddled around their scrolls, pointing out things to each other as the initial moves were made. Normally he'd have welcomed their focus on what was happening... but the reason they were seriously paying attention was also the reason he was unusually nervous about his lack of experience.

Headmasters Ozpin and Ironwood were both standing nearby, sipping coffee and observing the exercise on their own scrolls.

"An interesting choice of venue." Ironwood noted as he wandered in their direction, feeling as if he was supposed to be nearby. "Though I can't help but feel that your team selection was somewhat imbalanced. RWBY is currently marked at the top of the year, and CRDL is third. The pair of them against MINT in fourth seems unusual."

Jaune shrugged, "The exact grades are a bit closer, MINT and CRDL tend to fight over third, and to be honest Meral is one of the best in the year at planning."

Ozpin glanced at him, looking interested. "I had thought Miss Rose was the best strategist in the year."

"It's her and Meral, but they're kind of opposites." He said, glancing at his own scroll which was tracking the various students as they moved deeper into the woods. "Ruby's only half-way decent at the pre-planning step, but she shines in adapting to what's going on and adjusting on the fly. You give Meral two or three hours and she'll come up with a plan that's practically poetry."

The Atlesian headmaster nodded slightly, "You're implying that has excellent battle plans, but struggles to deviate from them."

"Pretty much." Jaune agreed, "And the rankings aren't quite accurate. RWBY and RAVN are way ahead of everyone else, but CRDL and MINT are within a percent or two of each other, so that's an even fight."

Ironwood frowned, "Still hardly balanced with RWBY against them."

The man on his other side abruptly chuckled quietly, "I believe I see. This is going to be a cheating class, is it not? I saw you sending a message to someone shortly after MINT went over the side... I presume that was young Miss Meral?"

"Guilty." He admitted with an easy shrug, "I gave her permission, she picked the second plan she submitted last semester. Honestly I'm a little disappointed, I'd hoped she'd pick both. If you're not going to fight fair you might as well go all out with it."

Ozpin continued to smile, sipping what was probably mixed Nirvana and turning back to his scroll. "When will this plan go into action?"

Jaune checked the time, "Right about now actually." He raised his voice, "Who accepted team MINT's bribe?"

"Awww yeah!" Nora Valkyrie shot to her feet, the rest of her team following more sedately. "Team RAVN to the rescue, and free lunch at the mall for a week!"

"Not just you." A boy called, team BRNZ of Shade also standing up and drawing their weapons. "We've got a double-date riding on this."

The two Headmasters gave Jaune a look at the last, Ironwood's far more severe than Ozpin's, and he coughed a little awkwardly. "You're free to enter the forest and engage! Both team leaders are to alert Miss Schnee that you are doing so!"

Eight teens quickly got moving, throwing themselves into the air or simply dropping and slamming their weapons into the cliff facing to slow their descent.

"I trust you are going to have a word with team MINT about pimping themselves out?" Ironwood muttered.

"I will." _Dammit Meral, you better have been joking about that._ "I'm still going to give her credit for paying two teams instead of just one. Makes this far more interesting."

Or at least, it probably made it interesting for Winter to referee and for the students involved. The cameras that the school had in place to supervise the forest were mostly intended for initiation, and noting any large Grimm before they got too close to the school. An impromptu twelve against eight fight, with everyone moving in smaller groups at high speeds, wasn't something that could be easily tracked.

Things started off fairly clear, since Ruby and Cardin had evidently decided on an encirclement plan while Meral had taken her team back to what must have once been an old stone watchtower. That was nice and simple to see, everyone nodding and murmuring as the battle lines were drawn... and then it all promptly went to hell when Blake heard the incoming reinforcements from behind them.

Ruby, realizing they were about to be stuck between two different enemies, promptly got her team moving. Cardin worked out what was going on a few moments later and got his team into motion as well, the eight of them racing to get clear, but they didn't get out of the open space before BRNZ came flying in and forced them to divert off to one side.

MINT promptly charged out as well, and the orderly start dissolved into a twenty person running engagement towards the main ruins off to the east. About the only thing that was clear was Winter keeping pace off to one side, dealing with the few Grimm attracted by the commotion with absolutely no issues, barely even slowing down to do so.

It was naturally around then that his scroll rang with an incoming call, the word 'Melodic' appearing in the label.

Ozpin glanced over as he grimaced, "Someone you'd rather not speak to?"

"No, one of my other sisters," He lied, rubbing his hair as if exasperated. "It's just the awful timing of it... if you don't mind, it's got to be important if she's calling now."

His boss smiled and returned his attention to his scroll. Ironwood gave him a contemplative look as he walked back, probably not impressed that he was taking this in the middle of class, but was quickly drawn back into the fight as it came back towards them all. Jaune made sure to hit the audio only button, and to keep walking to open the distance from everyone else.

"You pick the worst times to call, you really do." Jaune said, keeping his voice low. "It's the middle of class."

" _Call it a gift."_ Roman replied, " _And this is important."_

"It always is," He muttered. "Don't be surprised if I cut you off."

 _"Whatever."_ Came the typically flippant response, " _I'm going to need your petite litter partner Thursday after next for a job."_

His eyes narrowed slightly, "She's rather busy."

 _"No shit,"_ The other man drawled, " _But I figure blowing up a White Fang recruitment rally would be worth a bit of her time."_

Jaune froze for a moment, then let out a slow exhalation. "You need a ride home again."

" _Got it one kid."_ He could hear Roman clapping sarcastically on the other end of the line, " _Setting up one of the idiots with a mask to be caught with the time and place won't be hard, but getting out of the police raid that's going to follow would be a drag without a cute little express ticket."_

And he obviously wanted Neo, in her disguise, for that job. "Will it set our friend back any?"

Roman was quiet for a few moments, and there was the sound of a lighter flicking. " _Hard to say. If nothing else it'll set off alarm bells, might limit whatever she's planning. Mostly I want her annoyed with someone that's not me while I work on something else."_

Jaune blew out a slow breath between his lips, picking his words carefully in case a student was close enough to hear even with his voice down. "Can you give me a time for the main show?"

There was a snort, " _I'm holding onto the deadline for now. No offense kid, but I'm not handing over all of my leverage just yet... and I don't want to hear any bitching, it's not like you're giving me everything either."_

Which was a fair point. Dammit.

Jaune ran a hand through his hair, glancing at the kids to make sure none were eavesdropping before lowering his voice further, "There's a huntsman assigned to check on the Fang, guy named Qrow. Might want to leave your bait where he can find it."

" _I'll see what I can do... and Neo?"_

That was a harder ask. Distracting and limiting Cinder was all well and good, the less time and focus she had to look for the Relic the better... but would this even do it? So far they hadn't caught her doing any searching at all, and she limited her trips into Vale for the weekends, where she had evidently been bullying Roman and checking on her terrorists rather than using the trips as cover to search the school.

A recruitment rally was worth screwing over, for sure, but... it wasn't worth risking revealing Neo's talents for.

"She's not really interested in that kind of thing right now." He replied cautiously, "But we might know someone who is. I'll get back to you."

There was a few moments of silence, broken only by quiet breaths that was probably Roman smoking, then, " _You've got until Monday. I'm not risking it without a way out."_

He ended the call before Jaune could reply, making him scowl and glance at his scroll as the screen shifted back to the images and tracking map. About half of the kids were now off to the west and moving slowly near the marker for Winter, they were probably eliminated, while the rest were still racing at a fast clip to the east.

Well that was just lovely. Now he had something else to worry about and try and arrange, on top of everything else.

Sighing, he started flicking through the various cameras to try and at least keep track of the rest of the spar, looking around to try and orient himself to where the fight was currently located.

 _It's always something... speaking of._ His eyes narrowed as he saw a bit of green in the corner of his vision.

Emerald Sustrai was draped across a bench in the far distance in her Haven uniform, looking for all the world like a bored upper-year enjoying the pleasant morning before classes. He might have even believed that if it wasn't for the fact that her spot gave her an excellent view of both the forges and where the first years were currently sitting, standing, or otherwise occupying themselves watching the spar.

Neo was convinced the girl was trying to get close to team RAVN, probably on Cinder's orders, as a way of getting more information on them. Personally he was less certain, but... then again, there she was. Maybe it was just her turn to be too tired to think things through clearly, sitting in the open like that.

He shifted his scroll over to the messenger program, firing off two short notes, then sliding the screen back to the video feeds.

Ruby, Blake, Weiss, and Russel were apparently all that remained of the original attackers, and had put their backs to the cliff. All three of the other team leaders were apparently down as well, but Pyrrha seemed to have taken charge, and they still outnumbered the others by close two to one.

"All right Ruby." Jaune murmured, starting to walk back towards the Headmasters. "Let's see if you can think your way out of this one."

* * *

Emerald wasn't sure if she wanted to sleep for a week out of exhaustion, or if she wanted to tear her hair out in frustration.

It had seemed like such an easy task, it shouldn't have involved much more than walking up and saying hello to a bunch of seventeen year olds and asking to sit next to them. Instead she and Merc had run into one problem after another.

First it was their own team's bickering. Dodger and Ray had started fighting about him looking at other girls too much for her liking, and the constant arguing had gotten to the point where she felt like a bitch for her own little spats with Mercury in front of Cinder. Since fixing that kind of thing was something she was supposed to do, she'd lost most of a week trying to get them both to calm down before going with Merc's plan and shoving them into a closet and locking the door for an hour.

She'd been half-hoping it was airtight, but eventually the arguing and yelling had quieted, and in fact turned into the two of them tumbling out half-naked when she'd opened it. That had been traumatic all on its own, but at least they'd calmed down enough for her to focus on her real jobs.

The add on problem was trying to patch things together so their team wouldn't bomb out of the Festival, or look incompetent and weak, had cost her and Merc some of the time they'd had to make up at night in terms of casing Beacon as a whole. Noting camera locations, finding the security room, figuring out Arc and his partner's schedules, doing a bit of covert poking around the medical wing to see if there was anything on the Fall Maiden...

She hadn't gotten more than four hours of sleep in the last five days.

Her second problem had shown up when she'd finally had the time to begin their 'friendship mission', kicked-off by Cinder idly asking what was taking so long to start. They'd gotten on it right away and promptly realized that unlike Haven, Beacon was very much self-segregated by year. The firsties had their table at breakfast, the sophomores theirs, and so on. The various groups simply _didn't_ mix during the very few common periods unless they had a compelling reason to.

Problem two tied into problem three; while the second and first years shared similar schedules, the third and fourth years had radically different ones. Their meal times didn't line up at all except for breakfast, and many of their classes were in fact later in the afternoon and evening... exactly when the first years were being released from their own.

So the only real time periods she had to try and approach RWBY and RAVN were either at breakfast, in between their morning classes, very late at night, or on the weekends.

 _All times I need to be doing other things... and even when I do find them approaching them was a total gods-damned bust!_

Emerald had tried to approach RAVN first, assuming that Nikos' celebrity would work as well as any other excuse and be an easy ice-breaker to get things started. Instead she'd gotten a polite but utterly distant response before the other three had closed ranks around the Invincible Girl and bundled her off, leaving her both confused and irritated.

She'd initially been worried that Arc had warned them about her, then she'd realized that Nikos and her little bodyguards did the exact same thing to anyone who called her by her moniker instead of by her actual name.

 _Dammit... just needed to wait and watch longer, got impatient._

That had still gone better than Merc's attempt to approach team RWBY by flirting with a few of them. The black eye the blonde had given him might have been hilarious but it had also meant they'd probably want nothing to do with him moving forwards... and she'd had to resist the urge to complete his set. Cinder had specifically wanted _both_ of them on this, but it seemed increasingly like it would all be up to her. While he was theoretically off thinking up a way to approach RAVN, she didn't have any hopes he'd succeed.

All of that had resulted in her sitting on a bench, watching the 'Group Tactics' class from a distance on a Monday morning.

 _Approach as a fan of Nikos failed... but I might be able to recover there._ She let her head fall back, breathing as she stared in the branches of the tree above her. A raven seemed to notice her attention, returning her gaze before ruffling its feathers and settling back while a pair of robins ignored her entirely. _Team RWBY is still the better option, but which way?_

The Professor Arc angle seemed like her best option. He was handsome enough, so approaching the students nearest him to ask if he was single or not seemed like something a school girl would do.

 _Other option is the weapon's nerd angle._ She mused. The pipsqueak leader of team RWBY was apparently a massive geek, and dragged her team to the Forges weekly from the rumors she'd heard. _If I can find out when, I can time a trip there, get close to at least one of them that way._

It would probably mean revealing more about her weapons than she or Cinder would like, but if it let her study the four brat's weapons in return... it might be worth it.

 _Hell, if the girl is that crazy about guns maybe I can get her to upgrade mine. That would be entirely too funny._

Conversation began to drift in her direction, and she forced herself to sit properly in time to see twenty plus freshman walking back towards school. They seemed excited about whatever had gone down in the forest, laughing and heckling at one another about something while their teachers and a pair of Headmasters followed behind them.

 _Of course..._ She grumbled, _Day I think about approaching directly, those two are around._

The younger teenagers' chatter was loud enough that she didn't hear any footsteps, and only realized she wasn't alone when the slight sun hitting her legs was obscured by a shadow. Emerald glanced to her left in annoyance and felt herself freeze on reflex as two pink eyes stared back at her.

Professor Neopolitan twirled her little parasol one way, then the other, making light and shadow play over them as the lace caught the sun.

"Can I help you, Professor?" She tried, keeping her voice even.

The diminutive woman regarded her without any real expression, then slowly moved in a half-circle, never turning her back on Emerald before pointedly sitting down beside her. Her parasol collapsed as she did, coming to rest across her lap. Emerald was just barely managing to relax herself when one of the woman's hands abruptly shot for a pocket.

She reacted on instinct, going for a weapon that wasn't there, only to freeze as her brain reminded her just where she was. _Beacon! She's not going to murder you in broad daylight!  
_

Her breathing came out harshly between her teeth as she forced her hands back into her lap, anger rising as the 'Professor' smirked at her. _Bitch... you did that on purpose._

The hand slowly emerged with a scroll, setting it between them before fingers played over it. A tiny display popped up, words filling in.

 _Children shouldn't look at things that don't belong to them._

Emerald inhaled slowly through her nose, "I didn't think you could own other people anymore."

Neopolitan's smirk widened, the words vanishing as new ones took their place. _Hilarious coming from Fall's personal pet. Do you wash her feet every night, or just skip to the part where your head is between her thighs?_

It took every ounce of her self control not to throw herself across the bench to strangle that cocky expression off of the little troll. "You don't know the first thing about me. About her."

A pale hand rolled in a decidedly bored fashion. _Why would I care? Tell your owner that we won't interfere with any plans for the second years or above... whore yourself out to them for all we care._

Emerald's teeth ground together, the anger distracting her to the point where she missed a slight shift to the parasol, at least until it end pressed against her side in a less than pleasant fashion. As it prodded her, the other woman's eyes slowly began losing their color... and kept losing their color until they were almost entirely white, with only her pupils visible.

It was creepy as hell, even to her.

 _But the first years belong to us._ She inhaled against a sharp jab of the ludicrous weapon into her side, _Tell her those exact words... and everything else I said, if you can manage it._

Her throat worked as she swallowed, fighting down both the anger and the creeping fear, her lips barely moving as she spoke quietly. "We're supposed to be allies. This isn't how you keep a good relationship with someone."

Neopolitan's smirk turned vicious and she gasped as the sharp prodding became an almost vicious push, shoving her against the armrest of the bench and pinning her in place. This was close to a worst-case scenario for Emerald, and she felt the wood groan as she grasped the bench to stop herself from reacting violently.

 _The arrangement was to respect one another's plans._ The typing continued, _They factor in ours. You factor in hers. Stop trying to intrude, and this conversation won't have to happen again._

The implied threat was rather clear, even as the weapon was slowly pulled away.

"What if they factor into our plans?" She said, somehow controlling her voice to be only a little lower than it normally would be. "You don't get to tell her what she can and can't do."

A click heralded the scroll being shut and picked up, the parasol rising with its owner as color flooded back into the woman's eyes. The one that became brown winked at her before Neo pointedly turned her back, making her opinion of Emerald's threat level to her clear.

She strutted away while Emerald could only glare at her back... wanting nothing more than to go after her, knowing that she'd be expelled and Cinder's plans could be ruined if she did.

"You're going to fuck up sooner or later." Emerald hissed, forcing herself to rise, turning away as well to start back to the dorms. She had a message to compose to Cinder. "And when you do... I'm going to be there."

* * *

"You don't think it's childish?" Ilia panted as her whip whirled, sparks flying as it collided with Jaune's sword. The professor set his feet and endured the attack before pressing forwards, his sword held neutrally before him in a two handed grip. "To want to get back at her for starting it?"

"You're a teenager, I think it's natural." He replied, biting off the last word as he came in swinging.

She backpedaled rapidly to avoid the strike, and kept reversing as he pursued. The two handed grip was a bit unusual, he normally went for fast one handed cuts, and even if they were a little easier to dodge those times when she had to block the impacts sent vibrations up and down her arms.

 _More proof he's trying new things... trying to improve, not just teach me._

Ilia ducked left, away from him as he surged forwards, and started to bring her whip up, then felt her eyes widen as she realized it had been a feint. Jaune twisted right, pivoting his entire body to drive his weapon right _through_ her guard and into her side. Unbalanced as she was, she was lifted a few inches clear of the floor and hit the ground hard.

Gasping, she whirled her right arm in a quick motion, making her whip spiral above her at knee level. She felt it connect with his legs and drive him back, his footsteps heavy as he faltered.

"Shit!" Jaune cursed as he backed off, giving her a moment to get upright. "Good move."

It had been something she'd come up with against Pyrrha, since being knocked onto her butt was an all too common occurrence in their own spars.

Flexing her core, she hopped up into a low crouch, retracting her whip and holding it in a ready position.

Jaune backed away a little farther in response, shifting his sword back into a one handed grip back and parallel to his waist while his free hand drew his sheath from his belt. She swallowed slightly as a kite shield expanded with a quiet whir of mecha-shift gears, lifting until she could just see his eyes above its top.

"Pyrrha's normally the only one you use that for." She exhaled, shifting a foot back to better brace herself. "Mean I'm getting better?"

"Let's find out." He said lightly, right before he became a blur of motion surging forwards.

When Jaune wanted to be he was _fast_ , and she felt like she had next to no time to react before he was on top of her. The professor didn't have Pyrrha's raw technical skill, though neither did Miss Neo when it came to pure blade work, even Ilia could tell that much. But he had experience to spare, and much like Miss Neo, seemed to be utterly relentless at first glance.

Then you realized half of the moves were little more than quick lunges and cuts, feints to lure you in for excruciating counter-attacks.

Ilia struggled not to fall for any of them, instead opting to retreat once more, parrying two high slashes and then a thrust at her stomach, then belatedly remembered that he had an extra weapon now when his shield swung across and slammed into her face. Staggering back, she barely caught an overhand cut, straining to hold him back one handed while her other dove for her belt and ripped a vial free.

He glanced down in time for her to throw it onto the floor, light and smoke flashing out as the mixed fire and wind dust created an impromptu smokescreen. Twisting away, she kicked at his side to buy space, knocking him back an inch or two, and then dove into the bit of cover.

"You're always clever." Jaune's voice carried easily, and she bit her lip in frustration as she realized he was staying in the smoke instead of getting clear and giving her space to work with.

A glance at her wrist showed her aura hovering at about thirty, one moderate hit away from the spar ending. Her only advantage was range, and his lack of dust... a second little smoke bomb was dropped at her feet before she was racing across the arena, cycling her weapon to a new dust chamber as she ran.

Jaune must have heard her because she about a dozen paces outside of the smoke occupying half of the arena when he exploded from it, coming right at her.

Her whip, cracking with dark purple energy, lashed out to collide with his shield. The gravity dust aided the impact, driving his arm back and nearly knocking him to a complete standstill. She quickly began to whirl the weapon, lashing repeatedly against his protection and his shoulders as she stepped back once, twice, keeping the range open.

A risky glance showed his aura dipping down, and for a brief moment she thought she might finally get him close to the red.

Then he did something unexpected. As usual.

His shield seemed to shift, he willingly took a crack from her whip to his chest, and then the shield was flying at her like it was an unbalanced disc. She threw herself to one side on pure, startled reflex, realizing a beat too late that it probably wouldn't have hit her.

Jaune's shoulder, however, _did_ hit her, right in the sternum. His sword pommel rammed into her stomach to keep her hacking for breath, then his free hand got her ponytail and hauled her along with him in a quick circle to build momentum before he flung her away.

Ilia hit the ground outside of the arena with a long groan, lifting her head slightly before just letting it fall back. "...ow."

"Fifty percent." Jaune said, walking away to pick up his fallen shield. "You're getting a lot better."

She tried to pump a fist in the air, but mostly just lay there gasping for air. "...ow."

He laughed quietly, though she did feel a little better to hear that it was fairly breathless as well. "You're going to focus on Yang?"

"She's the one... who started the betting." Ilia shrugged as best she could, focusing more on getting more oxygen into her body.

"What does Pyrrha think?" There was a soft whirring, then the sound of his blade being sheathed. "I'm guessing she's conflicted."

Ilia sighed. "Yeah... she's too nice sometimes."

"You mean all the time?" He suggested.

"I mean all the time." She agreed, groaning a little as she sat up. "Honestly I'm not all _that_ upset with Yang... even if it is kind of a jerk thing to bet about, but a good prank war might help Pyrrha open up a bit."

"And you're sick of the puns?"

"Oh gods... she's started on cat ones around Blake now that she's calmed down." A hand rose to rub at her temple, remembering the awful levels those puns had sunk to. "'She's not 'feline' it today', 'that's purrfect, right Blake?', 'I'm just 'kitten' around'. I think Weiss nearly had a meltdown yesterday."

Jaune shook his head, his voice solemn, "That kind of evil definitely deserves retaliation, even without the bet thing."

"Exactly." Ilia agreed, rolling her neck a little and blowing out a breath. He really hadn't hit her all that hard, and even if she was exhausted, it was a kind of honest soreness that felt good. "And I know how we can make everyone lose the bet, just need to convince Pyrrha to go along with it."

A blonde eyebrow rose. "Really now? How are you going to manage that?"

She opened her mouth, closed, it, and narrowed her eyes. "No way. You'd tell Miss Neo and she'd change her bet."

Jaune held a hand to his heart, "Ilia... you're one my favorite students, and we're in a counseling session. I even like to think that we're friends. Do you really think I'd betray that trust?"

"I think she has you wrapped around her finger, and that you'd fold the moment she glared at you." Or, if Yang and Blake's horror stories were to be believed, the moment she sat on his desk and started taking her clothes off.

He tilted his head, then couldn't stop a smile as he dropped his hand. "Touche, Miss Amitola. Should I warn her that she's about to be dragged into this?"

Ilia snorted and shook her head, standing up with a little groan. "I'm not stupid Jaune... we'd be traumatized and have to admit defeat within a week. Plus, Nora would kill me if I pissed off the person who promised to take us out again."

"Good thinking." Jaune shook his head, rolling out his shoulders in a slow stretch as the pair of them started shuffling towards the doors. "Well, we're about at time. Anything else you wanted to cover?"

 _Why you're taking training me and Pyrrha so seriously..._ "No, things are... going a lot better these days. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He smiled, clapping her gently on the shoulder. "I still don't think I do much... but I'm glad it helps. So, what are you going to do to Yang?"

"Well..." She smiled tiredly. "There's a few advantages to being an ex-terrorist. You learn to do all kinds of things... it's just a matter of finding the right moment."

* * *

"I'm really not sure about this." Pyrrha murmured as she followed Ilia. "Did you really have to steal that?"

Her partner spun Yang's scroll in her hands, shrugging. "Would you have rather scaled the side of the building and come in through the window?"

"Well... no." She admitted, "But do we have to break into their room at all?"

"We aren't breaking in." Ilia sighed, waving the scroll at team RWBY's door, the lock clicking open obligingly, "We're walking in, totally different. Do you have the bribe?"

Pyrrha sighed and nodded, the pair of them entering the dorm and hearing an almost cute little growl as they did. "Hey Zwei!"

The corgi bounced to his feet, his tiny nub wiggling back and forth as he trotted over, the growl fading into happy panting sounds. Ilia chuckled, dropping down into a squat and ruffling his little head affectionately, "Hey boy. Still giving Blake hell I hope?"

Zwei didn't bark so much as he puffed out his cheeks and made a muffled ' _woof_ ' sound.

"Good." Ilia nodded, "We have to get back at Yang for something she did," The strangely intelligent dog flattened its ears unhappily at that, "And we need a guard dog to warn us if they coming back. We've got a bribe for you, right Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha pulled out a small peanut butter filled bone from her bag, holding it out so that he could smell it. Zwei's ears perked up at once and his nub became little more than a blur going back and forth, his entire rear end moving from the force of it.

"Deal?"

He barked once, bouncing off of his tiny front paws to grab it, then happily trotted out of the dorm and into the hallway.

Ilia closed the door behind his adorable butt, while Pyrrha just rubbed one arm and tried not to feel as awkward as she did. She had thought that she and her partner might sit down with Yang, maybe tell her off, or settle things in a friendly spar... Ilia had sighed, called her too nice, and then dragged her out into Vale to buy the bone and various other materials now in her bag.

"Do... we really need to go this far?" She asked, trailing behind as Ilia walked into the bathroom and began inspecting it.

Her best friend sighed, giving her a disappointed look over her shoulder. "Pyrrha..."

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha said reflexively, "I just... this doesn't seem very mature."

"It's not." Ilia agreed, leaning into the shower and grabbing a bottle. "That's kind of the point... hm, no, this one is Blake's, that expensive crap has to belong to Weiss... ah." She put the bottle back and came back with another, much larger one. "Definitely Yang's."

"What if Ruby uses it too?" She asked, handing over the bag when Ilia waved for it.

"That's why we went with black." Her partner replied, pulling out the dye kit they'd purchased last Saturday. "She probably wouldn't even notice."

"But..."

Ilia sighed, setting her various contraband onto the sink, then turned and walked back to Pyrrha and gently took her by both arms. "Pyrrha. Do you want to get back at Yang for betting about us getting together?"

"I..." She hesitated. "Kind... of?"

Her friend nodded, "Do you want her to stop making those awful puns?"

Pyrrha winced, "I... well, maybe she could explore other kinds of jokes?"

"Gods... this is really hard for you, isn't it?" Ilia shook her head. "No one is going to get hurt, and Yang's a tough girl, her pride can take it. Relax and enjoy yourself, you want to be here helping me."

She blinked. "I do?"

"For all of your complaining, you haven't left yet." Ilia noted, letting her go and walking back to the sink. "You haven't tried to stop me either."

 _...I haven't... have I?_

Pyrrha puzzled over that while Ilia worked, mixing the dye into the shampoo, making sure to do so thoroughly. It didn't take her long, it honestly took her more time to clean up the bits of dye that had ended up on the sink and counter-top, and she passed the empty bottle and box back to Pyrrha so that they didn't leave any evidence behind.

Considering that everyone in their year, it wouldn't have surprised her if almost everyone in school, knew that even touching Yang's hair was a poor idea, she would have thought that was enough.

Ilia thought of it as a good start.

"Grab all of her left shoes and line them up." She instructed from on top of Yang's bed, carefully unscrewing the vent located directly above.

It was a horribly awkward experience to rummage around in someone else's closet, yet also... she felt her heart beating a little faster, though she wasn't really sure why. _Is it because we might be caught?_

For some reason a news headline popped into her head, 'Invincible Girl ~ Heroine or Petty Child?'. It nearly made her giggle for the sheer absurdity of it... here she was, four time Mistral grand champion, one of the most famous youth fighters in the world, and she was digging through another team's closet looking for shoes.

"What are we going to do to them?" She asked, setting them out. Yang evidently only had two sets of combat boots, then the school shoes she was probably wearing right now. "And what did you just put in the vent?"

"That battery powered alarm clock, set to go off at five am on Saturdays and Sundays." Ilia replied with a wicked grin, her eyes tinging orange. "I downloaded a special sound for her last night, her uncle's name gave me the idea."

Pyrrha blinked, "Her uncle... Qrow? And won't that wake everyone up?"

"This is war Pyrrha." Ilia waved her concerns away as she replaced the grill. "There's going to be collateral damage... and, yeah, Qrow. You ever heard a giant murder of crows talking to each other? Trust me, it's the next best thing to insanity inducing."

"Um..." Her slight enjoyment wavered at the idea of all of team RWBY having to go through that.

"And the shoes." Her partner grabbed her tools and hopped down to the floor, quickly steadying the unstable bed. She gave it a wary glance before walking over, "You have that glue?"

It was in the bag, and she handed it over. "Is it... safe?"

"It's fine, give me those sliding pad things we found."

Pyrrha did, watching as Ilia turned the shoe over, compared it to the little things they'd bought, and then started carefully cutting the small objects into shapes that would mostly fit atop the ridges of the shoe. "Will this be safe?"

"She'll be fine on carpet, or outside." Ilia shrugged, "Hardwood though... should be like having one roller skate on."

"Won't she notice that her shoe feels different?"

A shrug. "She might, but she also might be too infuriated over her hair to notice."

"Oh." Pyrrha said, shaking her head a little. "And... you said this was just the first step?"

Ilia shrugged, "Depends on how she handles it, and if anyone realizes it was us. And we still have to make sure that everyone loses the bet."

 _Right... the bet._ She swallowed, carefully taking the first shoe and returning it to where she'd found it. "Can we just not go to the Dance?"

"If we want Cardin to win, sure." Ilia didn't quite growl the boy's name, but her opinion made it clear she didn't consider that an acceptable option. "There's also two people who bet on us going with someone else or with no one."

Pyrrha bit her lip as she walked back, watching as she finished. "What _wasn't_ bet on? I didn't really look over the list."

"Well..." Ilia's freckles and eyes began to shift to pink, "Let's leave that alone for now, we can talk about it when we're not in someone else's room."

That seemed sensible, and it gave her more time to think, so she nodded without saying anything. It made it easy to hear when Zwei began barking outside the door, making them both freeze as Pyrrha's eyes widened.

" _Zwei! What are you doing out here!?"_ Ruby's shout was audible, " _And who gave you that treat?"_

"Window!" Ilia hissed, throwing the shoe into the closet without hesitating, grabbing everything and throwing it back into the bag. "Pyrrha!"

She started as the sudden grip on her arm, "Right!"

The broad window was already open, letting in a cool breeze, and her partner vaulted out of it without hesitating. Pyrrha followed right behind, her heart hammering as she flew several meters before crashing into the tree just outside. She scrambled down as quickly as she could, some vague instinct screaming that being caught was bad, and felt her left foot slip almost at once.

Pyrrha snapped an arm out to try and grab onto anything she could to arrest her fall, grasping onto a branch that promptly broke under her weight. She felt her feet impact the tree trunk and kicked off on reflex, throwing herself into a roll just as she collided with the ground. The championship fighter tumbled twice before her back smacked into the dorm building, leaving her to groan into the grass and dirt.

"Pyrrha!" Ilia landed beside her far more gracefully, quickly moving over. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." She tried to smile, though it probably came off as a bit pained. "...I'm sorry, that wasn't terribly graceful of me."

Her partner groaned, bending down to wrap her arms under hers and gently haul her up. "Pyrrha... only you could apologize to someone for _you_ falling out of a tree."

Pyrrha felt her cheeks heat up a little as she got her feet under her, her back resting against the building as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing!" Ilia gave her a light smack over the head, "We need to find a way to stop you from doing that."

She opened her mouth to apologize again, then saw her friend's eyes narrow and thought better of it. Pyrrha quickly averted her eyes, then felt them widen as she caught sight of something else... and realized that Ilia was still almost pressed up against her, while her back still up against the wall.

"Freshman..." The older girl smirked, lowering sunglasses from where she was sitting on a bench beneath the tree they'd just fallen out of. "Back in our day we at least pressed each other up against the wall in private, right Velv?"

The faunus beside her lowered the camera she'd just used to take a picture of them, and gave the other girl an arch look. "Our dorms don't count as private, Coco, and I'm pretty sure you pushed Fox up against whatever wall happened to be closest."

"At least I do that to him indoors instead of out where everyone can see." The woman, Coco apparently, grinned, "What? You two were confident enough to get handsy out here, not confident enough to kiss?"

Pyrrha's cheeks flushed and Ilia rippled pink as they quickly separated, looking anywhere but at each other.

"Boo... so much for our morning romance movie."

* * *

Neo didn't really care for the new routine. Sure, going back to their old levels of training had sounded like a good idea when she had proposed it, but she had forgotten just how annoying it all was. Especially the early morning mixed running and sparring that they did before breakfast.

Stupid Jaune... wanting them to train more. He was lucky he was so decorative.

"Neo." He sighed as they jogged down a trail, "You're the one who said we needed to train more."

She narrowed her eyes up at him. She certainly didn't remember it that way, as a matter of fact, she was positive that it was all his fault.

Jaune grumbled, "After everything I did for you last night, and you're still-"

Neo kicked his left foot just as it started to come down, making the jerk yelp before his face hit the ground. She turned her nose up and kept running, waiting for the lazy jerk to catch up.

 _Typical male... sleep with them and they think they did you some great favor._

Not that she really knew, having only Jaune to base the entire gender off of, but everything she'd heard implied they were mostly the same. And honestly, he'd only gotten her off twice last night, she'd been practically saintly in forgiving him for that to begin with.

"Someone's annoyed this morning." He noted as he caught up a few turns later, his stupidly long legs making it easy. "You'd normally tease me back with far worse."

She huffed out a breath, waving it away.

"Neo..." Jaune got an arm around her shoulders before she could dodge, slowing his pace and forcing her to slow along with him. "I know progress is slow, but we're managing."

Part of her wanted to shake off his concern, the rest of her wanted to lean against him... so she settled for just walking, her hands rising.

They'd been here for fourth months. That was longer than they'd stayed in any one place, dealing with the same people daily, in more than three years. It wasn't something she was used to, and actually having to help _teach_ was annoying her.

"I know." He squeezed her shoulder gently, "But you at least get plenty of sparring practice on your own now, Glynda thinks the world of you for training directly with the first and second years."

And the bitch was annoyed because she wouldn't do the same for the third and fourth years.

Jaune sighed, "She's buying the excuse that you can't risk losing, that it would ruin your authority over them considering our ages. You want to stop deflecting now?"

She tried to step on his foot, only for him to quickly get it out of the way.

"Neo..."

Neo threw her hands up in frustration. This just wasn't what they'd thought. It was supposed to be a simple, though probably hard, long-con and heist! They were stupposed to grab a Relic that would let them fight those assholes, then leave! Instead they were getting dragged into the same war they were trying to _avoid_ , and shit was getting complicated! She was starting to think that bailing would be the right move.

Her partner let out a slow breath, "What, transfer to Atlas or Mistral? Assuming they'd take us."

That or do what they were best at; be criminals. Mistral would be a good target, and they'd have a one in two chance of getting the Relic they needed there.

"Assuming it's not here."

She scoffed. He knew as well as she did that Cinder had probably been lying to them, it was either Creation or Choice here, and neither would do them any good without Knowledge to tell them how to _use_ the stupid things! They might as well leave this one for Ozpin and Cinder to fight over.

Jaune was quiet for several steps, then asked, "So you just want to leave Pyrrha behind?"

Her left foot hit the ground a little more sharply. They weren't supposed to make friends. That was against the plan, against Roman's very good advice.

"If things work out, we can still be their friends Neo." He pointed out reasonably. "If you're right, if Knowledge isn't here, we betray Cinder to Ozpin, tell him we want to continue being Hunters for a bit... hell, maybe convince him we'll do an every-other-year kind of contract so we have plenty of time to hit Haven. I'm sure he'd even give us our licenses, would make travel a breeze."

She eyed him. That sound great, sure, but did he really fucking think things would go well?

"Yeah, I do." He told her flatly, stopping and turning her to face him. "Her pet team stopped coming around the first years, our friend is about to set her back, we know what building the vault is beneath... maybe it's more complicated than we thought, but we _are_ getting close. We can do this."

Neo scoffed again, looking away.

"No." A hand caught her chin, forcing her back a she narrowed her eyes to slits. "We _can_ make this work. We'll get what we need, we'll get more allies, and when the time comes... we'll end this, and make sure everyone is safe."

She exhaled slowly as she looked at his sincere expression and strong eyes. That dream was his dream, not hers. She was in this for revenge, payback. Not for ideals.

"Yeah, but you haven't left me yet, have you?" He leaned down, kissing her softly. "We'll avenge them. Even if we don't find-"

A banshee shriek made them both leap apart, hands falling to their weapons as they looked wildly around for the source of the sound. Several other girls started shouting at about the same time, the noise carrying from the nearby dorms.

Neo blinked as a figure appeared in one of the windows, struggling as if wrestling with several figures, still screaming. "I don't care! I'll kill them! Whoever did this, I'll kill them!"

A red clad figure appeared a second later, noticed them, gave them an incredibly awkward wave, and then quickly shut the windows on the howling.

Jaune coughed. "Um... was that Yang?"

Neo just blinked a few more times.

"Was it just me, or was her hair... weird?"

Nope, it wasn't just him.

Jaune glanced down at her, his lips quirking on one side. "You wanted to corrupt Pyrrha, didn't you? I think Ilia is helping out a bit... she told me she was going to drag Pyrrha into this."

Neo felt her lips curl into a proud little smirk before she could stop them.

"Just think of all the pranks you could teach them." Jaune continued, sliding his arm around her again. "All the things Pyrrha could use her semblance for, all the places Ilia could get into with her camouflage and skills."

She narrowed her eyes and scowled up at him. Did he really have to be so blatant about trying to distract her, make her think about having fun at this school?

"Is it working?" Her scowl deepened, and his grin widened. "Then I'm fine with being obvious."

It wasn't working.

"I'll take the Friday night search shift so you can take them out drinking again."

...asshole. He owed her for this. Steak, ice cream, a massage, and _much_ better sex than he'd given her last night.

Jaune lifted an eyebrow, "I'm doing you a favor... and I owe you?"

Neo crossed her arms and stared back at him.

"...yes dear."

* * *

 _I know, sections are a bit shorter in this one, but seemed appropriate to pack in quite a bit of information into this chapter since events are now entirely in motion._

 _We touch on the white fang rally plot again, while Neo and Emerald have a lovely chat... mondays are just so much fun. We see Ilia and Jaune spar a bit, then have Ilia and Pyrrha keep up their part before jumping back to Neo who is starting to get... a bit conflicted about how things are going._ _Next chapter will have more run up to the White Fang Rally, plus Cinder, Jaune, and perhaps a pair of birds._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 ** _ _Thanks, Kat__**


	37. Semester II: The Great Games

**The Great Games**

* * *

Cinder Fall could feel the fire burning in her veins, the power of her semblance flowing alongside the power of the maidens. The heat of it burned away the cold all around her, filled the empty vacuum, made the tundratic landscape blur. At last she was strong, complete, whole. Something more than just another mere woman.

The whipping winds slowed, stilled, finally letting her hear a blessed silence. There was no baying of animals, no screaming of men, no howling of Grimm... just the heat within her breast, the cold air upon her skin, the certainty that she had done it, that what she had sought for so long was finally hers. No more was she chained and bound, now, at last, she was-

Her cup reached her lips, and proved to be empty.

Disappointing and cold reality returned at once, rolling back in as her eyes slowly opened. The teacher's lounge on a Friday morning was a quiet place, with most of the professors absent, preparing for their final day of lessons before the weekend. As she had no such classes, it was the only morning where she allowed herself a few hours of respite to unwind after the stress of maintaining her role.

And, if nothing else, it allowed her to fit with the others.

Today her only company was Arc, though the... unusual doctor had been in the room when she had begun drinking her coffee. Normally she didn't care for it, especially Nirvana... the fugue state left her feeling vulnerable and paranoid, but once in a while one simply had to enjoy the luxuries for what they were.

 _Otherwise what is the point in having them?_

"A pleasant blend today." She murmured, setting her cup aside. "I had feared that dear old Ozpin had left nothing but that mixed variation behind."

Her fellow 'professor' made a sound of agreement, his own empty cup resting beside his armchair. "It's rather bitter when he mixes it, I don't care for it either."

Cinder chuckled, slowly rising to her feet and stretching. Jaune's attention wavered along her body, but only for the barest of moments. Proof that he was alive, considering her beauty, but likely little else. "Would mind walking with me, Jaune? I had hoped to discuss your lesson techniques."

He regarded her without real expression for several seconds before nodding. "Sure, why not?"

The pair exited the room, entering the main hall, and he kept his strides short to match her relaxed pace as she headed for the nearest exit. She waited until they were outdoors, the cawing of a raven and chatter of children filling the air, then spoke quietly as the way walked down a side path.

"Your companion was rather rough with Emerald on Monday." Cinder murmured, "She was most upset."

"Apologies." Arc replied quietly, "But we had thought that we had all agreed not to step on one another's toes."

"We did," She agreed, "But I had also thought we had agreed to avoid uncouth threats."

He shrugged. "Neo's idea of polite could use some work, I'll admit."

Cinder's lips curled, "It had nothing to do with your lovely sister's presence in Vale?"

Arc was too good a player to let her see him flinch, but his voice came out cooler. "...perhaps it had something to do with it."

She looked away, still smiling, glancing around the beautifully sculpted gardens, the green trees and soaring columns stretching above them. What in the world was a man like this doing, allowing a sibling to enter the picture? An untrained collegiate student of a sibling, if the chatter she had heard from Ironwood and Goodwitch was true.

 _Are you simply so estranged you did not anticipate it? Or do they not know who you truly are?_

"You are a surprising man, Jaune Arc." She murmured, contemplating his puzzle.

To her surprise he replied in the same tones, "You are hard to read, Cinder Fall."

That made her laugh quietly, genuinely pleased. Dealing with him was so much more interesting than managing Emerald's temper tantrum and Mercury's teasing of the irate girl. She idly wondered if he would actually carry out his implied threat, if he would kill her disciple if he believed she was moving against his sibling or his evident own cabal of children.

 _I honestly believe that you would... perhaps you have some shreds of morality left, some desire to protect meaningless blood, but I do not believe that you would allow such things to stop you from doing what became necessary._

"Relax... I am not in the habit of indirect action." Her left hand rose, resting on his forearm, testing him once more. "I am much like you..I prefer to deal with problems directly."

From the slight exhalation that came from his nose, he felt the heat rising from her fingers, "I can respect that, but all the same I would rather not change my lesson plans."

"And I," She murmured, impressed by the lack of response. "Need free access to the student body. You are not the only one looking for more disciples, dear Jaune."

That seemed to startle him for a bare moment, and her eyes sharpened. "Do not think me blind, Jaune. You've chosen your teams well... you cannot blame me for wanting to keep tabs on them."

Jaune pursed his lips, then reached across with his other hand. She tightened her grip when his fingers touched her wrist, but rather than simply trying to pull, he twisted gently but firmly towards her thumb, her grip breaking at the weakest point without any real pain on her end.

 _A gentleman, even in a struggle. You are fascinating._

"I can understand that." He said quietly, "Just as you can understand my position. How about an addendum to our arrangement? Team EMRD is clearly the top of their year, they hardly need Neo's supervision anymore. If they want to make friends they have three other years to pick from."

It seemed a fair arrangement on the surface, but for the fact that two of the three most interesting teams at the school were freshman. But then again... she didn't really care, and this served as all the proof that she needed that he _did_ for one reason or another.

"Hmm..." She hummed, letting a frown appear on her face, as though she need to consider it for a few moments. "I suppose that is a fair arrangement."

"Thank you." Arc tipped his head slightly in her direction.

Cinder contained her amusement through long practice, simply smiling slightly as she returned the gesture.

The poor man thought he had scored a point, not realizing her apathy. Not that she could blame him, he was operating under assumptions that he wouldn't, _couldn't,_ know were wrong. Where Jaune believed they were in a race, trying to locate the Relic before the school year ended, before the Festival ended in her case... she knew that she was operating under no such deadline. Beacon would fall, either next month, during the Festival, or at its very end if she had to go to her final contingency.

He needed her distracted, diverted, not looking for hostages in his past... not knowing that she had more than enough time to do idle research. Her plans were in motion, and if Roman was a bit more rebellious than she liked... well, there were plans to deal with that as well.

 _You already belong to Salem, dear Jaune..._

"How have you taken to teaching?" Cinder asked, raising her voice to its normal ranges. She had the confirmation that she needed, that Jaune and Neopolitan were looking to expand their operations with new potentials, and even better, she had an arrangement for them to stop following Emerald and Mercury around.

Now was the time to relax, unwind... and to follow Salem's orders. "Your class seems very highly rated by the students."

Jaune blinked, visibly taken aback by the abrupt change in subject, then he seemed to shrug and accept it. "It's... been surprisingly enjoyable to be honest. Something almost fulfilling."

Cinder chuckled softly, a genuine smile curling her lips. "I know what you mean. Teaching the upper years advanced dust manipulation has proven to be... more informative than I had thought."

"It's amazing what you figure out when you have to look at the basics for the first time in years." He agreed, "Don't you also teach the lower years sociology and politics?"

Her smile faded into a grimace, "Please do not remind me of that course, I deeply regret accepting it."

Arc laughed at that, looking honestly amused. "It's that bad?"

"Worse." She shook her head, "Whatever preparatory school Vale uses taught them little or nothing about the subject, beyond the basic laws that apply to anyone with their aura unlocked. The Atlesians seems to be the only ones who even grasp my lectures."

Which was both a blessing and a curse. It meant that, when the Festival came nearer, and it truly came time to sow discord and animosity between the various groups, it would likely be all too easy. It also meant that, until such time, she was stuck teaching little brats _basic_ political theory and simple sociology... it was enough to make her want to tear her hair out.

True, she _could_ start on the more relevant subjects; the White Fang, Atlesian aggression, Valean hypocrisy on the notion of 'liberty', Mistral's horrible wealth imbalance, or Vacuo's... everything. But while such subjects would indulge herself, let her see the little children crack under the cruel realities of the kingdoms, it would probably also draw Ozpin's attention her way far earlier than she could afford.

So, until the opportune moment came...

"I vastly prefer the upper years." Cinder admitted, "Especially since the course is an elective, and I only have to bother with those who already familiar with the dust techniques in question."

"Tell me about it..." Arc sighed, "I've got one team, FRST, who just does.. not.. get.. it. Individually they're all right, and they're one of the tightest nit teams in terms of personalities, but _gods_ they just aren't improving anywhere close to the others."

"And I trust they are too arrogant to realize it?" She asked.

"Mostly." He shook his head, "They're going to get bounced in the first round of Vytal, horribly. I'm just hoping they all make it through their mid-year assignment."

They likely would, Ozpin would restrict such a weak group to something pathetic so as not to challenge them. _Still... perhaps an ideal first round target for dear Emerald._

"Not everyone is truly cut out for this life." Cinder rolled a shoulder. "Some realize that too late to change."

Arc waved a hand, "It's not that they're poor combatants or are awful hunters. They might be at the bottom of their year but they do know how to use their weapons, and they can kill Grimm as well as any other team... they just don't have the drive to do _more_ than that."

"They're _mediocre_." She couldn't stop the sneer from inflecting her voice. "Little more than exterminators... it's a common enough type of Hunter, as much as many pretend to be something more."

He glanced at her, lifting an eyebrow. "You make that sound like a swear word."

"I despite mediocrity." Cinder fought the urge to summon fire to punctuate her words. "What is it but a contentment with a pointless life? A lack of desire to make ones mark upon the world, to simply shuffle along like a baying sheep until it comes time for your death... to become nothing more than a memory held by a paltry few, and then little more than a statistic in a book somewhere."

Jaune was silent for several steps, "Is it so wrong to want a simple life, a peaceful one?"

She narrowed her eyes, "What is the _point_ of such a life, Jaune? We are given only the one, to waste it... especially for a _Hunter_ to waste it, is something I view akin to insanity. I would have thought you would agree with me, were you not just complaining of your team FRST, that they have no desire to become more than average, typical Hunters? Doomed to live an unexceptional life, all too likely to end in pointless deaths?"

He glanced at her, then sighed and looked away. "I... suppose I do, after a fashion. Remnant... maybe some day it'll be a place where people can all live quiet lives, but between the kingdoms, the Grimm, criminals, discrimination... some days it just feels like too few people even _notice_ how thin of a line we're standing on, and even fewer want to become strong enough to do something about it."

Cinder relaxed slightly, chuckling once more. "Now you understand my frustration with my class."

Jaune seemed to smile, "You're passionate on the subject."

"Everyone has their beliefs." She replied, "This matter happens to be one of mine. Would you be any less emotional if the subject was the Academy of Vacuo?"

The small smile became almost frigid. "...no. No I wouldn't, and I would appreciate it if _you_ ," there was a subtle but definite emphasis on the word, "Did not bring it up."

She regarded him obliquely as their paced slowed, allowing them to avoid a group of students heading from one building to another. _Ah... an unexpected downside._

Making Jaune believe that Hazel and Tyrian were her subordinates had been intended as nothing more than a throw away line to make it clear he needed to negotiate with _her_ , rather than with anyone else... but that also came with the implication that the attack on his Academy had been her plot, rather than Salem's.

Cinder briefly considered correcting that mistake, but... oblique and quiet conversation was not sufficient for _that_ level of discussion. Not in public, and likely not anywhere in Beacon for that matter. Still, if Salem wished for her to... ingratiate herself with him, to learn his tics and desires to that he could be controlled and drawn in, Cinder would have to reveal that she was not responsible, and do so in a believable fashion.

 _Perhaps Watts could be utilized... a video recording created? An idea, if nothing else._

"I understand." She injected as much compassion as she could into her voice, "I did not mean to bring up poor memories."

Arc didn't quite look like he believed her, and she sensed that their momentary camaraderie had come to an abrupt end.

Cinder continued before he could speak, "But, I believe that I have grading to attend to before lunch and my weekend. Thank you for the conversation Jaune, perhaps we can speak again another time."

He dipped his head slightly, "Likewise, Cinder... and I'll think about it."

She returned his node before lengthening her strides, noting that he turned away into the gardens almost at once. Probably to track down his partner and discuss what had just happened, much as she herself had a long distance call to make, and a report to compose.

...and grading to do.

Cinder Fall sighed, and once more reminded herself that all of this dreariness would be worth it, someday very soon now... so very soon.

* * *

Yang Xiao-Long splashed water in her face, looking up to glare at her reflection. Her normally vibrant and beautiful golden hair was now a dark, ragged black... which was a bitter improvement over what it had looked like when she'd first washed it, saw the black in her hands, and nearly blown the glass door out in her rush to get to the mirror.

She'd looked like she had a giant bumblebee attached to her head, and after an entirely justified interrogation of her team to make sure none of _them_ had been responsible... and thirty frantic minutes trying to wash the crap out, she'd been forced to summon up her backbone and finish the job.

Flat black may have been awful... but it was better than the alternative.

"Yang." Her partner poked her head into the locker's bathroom, "You already missed Port's class, Ruby says you can't miss Miss Goodwitch's."

"I know." She muttered, fighting to keep her eyes from turning red. Yang had seen that version of herself earlier the morning, and had nearly had a heart attack when she realized that she looked _exactly_ like the image of her mother she'd found at Qrow's place. "I'm coming... and I'm going to find out who did this."

Blake sighed, "We know Yang. You've promised us that about twenty times today."

Yang pushed away from the counter, paused to glare at her uniform shoes... "You don't mess with a woman's hair. You just don't. And you _definitely_ don't screw with a Huntress's shoes."

"Such things obviously demand vengeance." Blake drawled, rolling her eyes, "Come on."

Her partner just didn't understand... then again her priorities were generally skewed towards smut, fish, and terrorist activity. Don't get her wrong, Blake was a great partner and was turning out to be a good friend, but there were times where Yang had to wonder just what in the world had happened to make her... _Blake,_ especially when her mother had seemed so normal.

Yang stomped out of the locker room, noting her partner trailing just behind her, as if she intended to push her along if she tried to skip another class. "I'm fine Blake. I'm not crazy enough to skip this and piss off Miss G."

"Considering that we had to stop you from throwing yourself out of the window this morning," Blake replied dryly, "I'm not going to take any chances."

She glowered over her shoulder at the other girl before huffing, bracing herself, and finishing the short walk into the sparring arena. Everyone's attention was mostly on idle chatter, wondering which teams would get sent next door to work with Miss Neo compared to who'd be staying behind with Miss Goodwitch, and no one noticed her slinking into the back as quickly as she could.

Or, no one did until Sun Wukong saw his crush following behind her, and opened his damned mouth when she tried to get around his team to where Ruby and Weiss were sitting near the back.

"Hey Blake, Yanggggg-wow." he completely missed Blake's frantic 'abort' motions, "What's up with your hair?"

Yang felt a muscle in her cheek twitch as her eyes shifted colors. "Why? Is there something _wrong_ with my hair, Sun?"

"N-no! Of course not!" The boy backtracked as quickly as he could, desperately looking for help among this friends and finding them all wisely looking in other directions. "You... look great?"

Her hands reached down and grabbed his shirt. "Do I? You like dark haired girls do you... were you the one who did this?"

Sun blinked a few times, leaning back as best he could, "Um... I'm not really sure what you're talking about?"

Blake stepped around her, gently tugging at her wrists, "Yang, Sun didn't do it, you really need to calm down."

Calm down? Calm _down!?_ Her glorious mane was ruined! Nothing about this was worth being calm about!

"I'm sorry." Her partner continued, nudging her to keep going. "She was pranked this morning, and she's a little sensitive about it."

"Ohhhh..." He nodded slowly, "You ladies need help tracking them down?"

"No." Yang said flatly. "I'm going to deal with this myself."

Sun shrank back at her tone, chuckling awkwardly and rubbing the back of his head as she stomped past him and up the stairs. Ruby was shaking her head at her while Weiss checked something on her scroll, not so much as looking up before offering an amused, "So, you decided not to hang yourself after all."

Yang glowered at her, dropping onto the bench beside her sister with a huff. "I'm still not convinced it wasn't you."

"I would have used a color other than black." Weiss replied as she collapsed her scroll, "And I wouldn't have lowered myself to touch your man-shoes."

Her fingers twitched. "...Ruby, hit your partner for me."

Ruby groaned, "Yang, Weiss, please-"

The bell interrupted her, everyone falling quiet as it tolled. Miss Goodwitch didn't wait more than a few seconds after it ended before raising her voice, "Teams RWBY, RAVN, SSSN, and MINT please proceed to Arena Two with Professor Neopolitan."

Scowling, she hauled herself right back up to her feet, trudging along with the others. Her mood was not improved by a flash of light as soon as she stepped into the next room. She blinked furiously to clear her vision and saw Miss Neo lowering her scroll, smirking as she regarded the picture she'd just taken.

"Oh no..." Ruby murmured as she abruptly veered away from the stands, heading right for the tiny woman.

The tiny professor looked up at her as she approached, her head tilting in a silent question.

"Did you do this?" Yang asked, barely managing to keep her voice low. "I haven't even looked at Jaune's ass in at least a week!"

That seemed to amuse the hell out of the older woman, who simply smirked and shook her head.

Yang felt her eyes narrow as she thought about it. Miss Neo was always a bit of a troll, so she could have been lying... but if she had done it, she would have probably going for something way worse than basic black, and she would have done more than just the ineffective prank on her shoes.

"... but you know who did, didn't you?" She asked.

The smirk widened, and that was answer enough even if she didn't nod or shake her head.

"Who!?"

A petite hand waved and made a shooing motion as the professor turned away, heading for the console near the back of the room. Yang felt her fists clench before she forced herself to relax. _Right... didn't offer her payment._

Nora had gotten Jaune's lesson plans, such as they were, by buying her a bunch of ice cream... if she offered her a few bottles of booze, she could always steal them from Qrow, that would definitely be enough.

 _I just have to be patient._

That wasn't exactly her strong-suit, her uncle had nicknamed her firecracker for more than just her semblance, but it wasn't like she had to wait for very long. Just until class was over. She could survive that long... and she was definitely going into Vale to try and find _something_ to fix her glory anyway. She could swing by her uncle's condo and see what she could acquire at the same time.

Letting a heavy breath of air, she turned around and walked back to the stands, finding a spot between Ruby and Ilia. A sharp whistle from the teacher made everyone look up as the display started up, two spinning images blurring as she used a randomizer to find opponents for them. Not wanting to sit down and have to get right back up _again,_ she crossed her arms and remained standing until the images settled on Sage and Tealle, the two boys hefting up their heavy weapons before trotting out.

 _Damn..._

"Don't worry Yang." Ruby patted her arm as she sat, "You'll get to blow off some steam. It's a double today, so you'll get two for sure."

"I'd just rather it be sooner." She muttered, trying to ignore the eyes she could feel staring at her as another whistle signaled the start of the fight.

The men were pretty evenly matched, Sage with his heavy sword up against Tealle with his halberd, but even a few seconds in it looked like the guy from Haven was going to take the fight. He wasn't all that much more skilled than the Beacon student, but he seemed to already know how to counter the quick cutting motions and slashes from Tealle's weapon.

 _...oh yeah, Neptune uses a weapon like that. Probably trains against it all the time._

Yang exhaled, leaning back and wishing she was de-stressing via combat instead of being stuck watching Tealle trying to think his way out of his situation. That left _her_ stuck thinking as well, and she really only had the one thing on her mind. Her first suspects had been Weiss, because the Weiss-queen had gotten vocal about her lack of appreciation for her awesome puns, and then Miss Neo, because Jaune was hot and the other woman was possessive as hell.

She believed them both, which didn't leave her with many options as to who could have gotten into and out of their room, and who would have also wanted to prank her in such a vicious fashion.

"Come on..." Yang muttered as the spar continued to drag on, both guys fighting way too cautiously. "Get it over with, I want to fight."

"Impatient much?" Ilia asked with a slight glance at her.

"You know how much work I put into looking this..." She shook her head, "As good as I normally do? I look ridiculous."

"I don't know," The other girl murmured, turning her attention back to the fight. "I think it really brings out the red in your eyes, makes a nice contrast."

Yang glowered at her, "Don't start, I got enough of that from Rubes trying to cheer me up."

Ilia chuckled and shook her head, and sounded like she was fighting not to laugh. "Typical Ruby."

"It does though!" Ruby protested, leaning forwards, "I mean, it's not like it looks _bad,_ just different!"

"Thanks Rubes." Yang absently reached over to ruffle her sisters hair, making her promptly flail and bat at her hand, "Look, I'll admit it could be worse, but there's things you just don't do! And touching Yang Xiao-Long's hair is one of them!"

Blake sighed from Ruby's other side, "Dramatic as ever."

Yang glowered at her partner, and was about to respond when the fight ended at a piercing whistle from Miss Neo. A look back at the arena showed her hands on her hips and face tilted skywards, her default 'why did I get stuck teaching these idiots' pose. Tealle flinched, though Sage didn't quite recognize it until she strode back to the console and started typing.

 _The only thing I could learn from you two is how to imitate the speed and grace of rocks, and slow, fat rocks at that._ The woman paused, glowered at them both, and then resumed, _You two are going to fight Rose and Nikos once your aura is recovered._

If she'd been in a better mood, she'd have felt sorry for the two guys. Her sister and Pyrrha were some the most stupidly aggressive people in their year, excepting herself. Miss Neo's teaching style seemed to rely on her picking out your weakness, and then repeatedly hammering you over the head with it until you got better. It wasn't usually fun... but she'd admit it seemed to be making them all better.

Miss G must have asked her to go easy on them for at least one of the day's fights, because she didn't keep berating them, and instead of picking out two students the randomizer spun once more... and again, her face didn't come up. Instead Meral and Sun trotted out, the boy's staff and the girl's gunblade smashing into each other a second or so after the starting whistle.

"At least this one will be faster." She murmured before leaning forwards and raising her voice. "Nora! You want to volunteer for a brawl with me after this one?"

"Sure!" The other girl cheered from across Pyrrha and Ilia, looking as excited for a good fight as ever.

Yang grinned, feeling herself relax a little, then found her grin falter for a moment as she noticed something. When she'd learned forwards, both Ilia and Pyrrha had shifted slightly away, and seemed engrossed in the fight to the point where they didn't even glance at her. Her eyes narrowed, and she leaned closer to the faunus girl, getting into her bubble and finally making the other girl turn to look at her.

"You... want something?" Ilia asked. "I didn't think you swung my way."

The words were light and bantery, but where her freckles... a little orange?

"Pyrrha." She asked, her eyes closing to near slits. "What do you think of my hair?"

Pyrrha shifted a little, glancing at her for a bare moment before looking away. "It's quite lovely Yang, I don't think it's that bad."

Yang felt her eyes widen. "It was you!"

Everyone around jumped in surprise at her sudden shout, and from the cursing from the ring she'd managed to startle both of the fighters still going at it.

"I d-don't know-"

"You're stuttering!" She stabbed a finger at Pyrrha, "And all shifty, not looking at me, and _you!_ " Yang felt her eyes redden as she glared at Ilia,"You're acting all smug and cocky and trying not to laugh! You... you...!"

Ilia smiled, leaning back against Pyrrha's side while the champion flushed and looked anywhere but at Yang. "Ruby, I think you should look after your sister, she's getting paranoid in her old age."

Yang felt her jaw drop, then a whistle made her head whirl around as the fight ended with Sun's victory. "Professor! I want next fight, and I want Ilia!"

Miss Neo had been half-way back to he console, and turned to stare at them. She regarded them both, seemed to shrug and smirk, then beckoned them forwards.

Ruby tried to grab her, but Yang was already out of her seat and moving forwards, Ilia following more sedately behind after saying something to her partner. Meral and Sun edged around her, and it was only then that she realized her dark hair was shimmering with heat.

"You really need to relax." Her opponent.. no, the _vile fiend_ who had ruined her hair shook her head as she approached, "It'll wash out in a couple of days, week or three at the outside."

 _A week or..._ Yang shook her head, lowering her voice, "Why?"

"Let's just say Pyrrha and I made a little bet on how you'd react." Ilia's own eyes flickered to red when she blinked, her weapon coming up to an at-ready stance.

They'd made a... "You bet on... oh. _Oh..._ you, uh, found out about that? _"_

"Yes." The other girl stated flatly, narrowing her own eyes. "Consider this a formal declaration of war."

Yang exhaled and brought her arms up. That explained this, almost entirely, and she wasted most of a second wondering how they'd found out... Then she remembered that her hair was _black_ and that she was going to spending all weekend trying to get super-glued teflon pads off of her favorite shoes.

"You're supposed to do that _before_ you launch a sneak attack on someone." Ember Cecilia whirred as she flexed, expanding over her hands and forearms. "And usually after you, ya know, negotiate for a bit."

Ilia's own weapon shifted as she loaded dust, the lines of it filling in with a golden glow as the dust was drawn through the entire whip. "I've never really been one for rules."

Her lips twitched. "Yeah... me neither."

And then, without waiting for Miss Neo to tell her to go, or for Sun and Meral to get entirely clear, she flung herself forwards, leading with her right fist.

* * *

Normally Jaune's Fridays were fairly relaxed. He'd have a slow day finishing up his grading, perhaps a student or two would come by to complain about something, then there would be a meeting with Ilia in the evening, which usually meant a nice spar. After that, a pleasant dinner with Neo before she went off exploring, and he'd be able to get plenty of sleep before a busy Saturday.

He should have known that today would be different, considering it had started with a rare sighting of an introspective Neo, and it had followed it up with mixed messages from Cinder. On one hand, she'd been her usual criminal, threatening, arrogant self... on the other, she'd been almost relaxed, bantering with him like any other coworker.

It either meant she wanted something, was trying to manipulate him, or... she was just a woman delighting in being complicated for its own sake.

Still, Bart stopping by in the afternoon to have a pleasant chat over tea had seemed safe enough, and he'd welcomed the older man in without any real worries.

"No students this afternoon?" His friend asked as he settled into an armchair, Jaune gratefully leaving his desk chair behind to sit across from him instead.

"No, not today." He replied, groaning as he sat back in the far more comfortable seat. "An Atlesian girl with a crisis of confidence this morning, I let her vent about not being good enough for her boyfriend for most of an hour and she seemed to feel better after."

Oobleck chuckled, "Ah, to be young again. Still, I'm surprised, I expected more students to avail themselves to your services."

Jaune shrugged, sipping his hot tea. "I said the same thing to Ozpin... last week I think. He said he wasn't, that it was a pride thing. That he expected this to be a long term kind of build-up, letting me interact with the freshman and getting them to trust me enough to talk with me. Or... I think that was the gist of it."

"Dozed off again?"

"Spat coffee everywhere." He corrected him, with a small smirk. "We were in the library and he made the mistake of trusting another one of his hidden cups."

Bart snorted and shook his head, "And he still has no idea that your darling partner is behind it?"

"Doesn't seem to." Jaune said with another shrug, "So far as I know only you and Glynda have figured it out, and she's obviously not about to tell."

"He has been far more... alert without his addiction." Bart nodded, but there was a frown behind his glasses as he did. "Still, he is also far more... I suppose the word grim is the only word that seems to apply. He spends even more time in his office where he trusts the coffee without reservation."

Jaune blinked and then frowned as well, "You think it means something?"

"Ozpin has led a... long life." His friend shook his head, "And we all have our coping mechanisms, I believe he was merely a little too attached to his crutch. He'll adjust in time, so long as he isn't cut off entirely or allowed to over-indulge once more."

He hadn't really thought about it like that before, and it made him feel a little bad about Neo's pranks. Just because he was professionally opposed to the man for hiding the Relics in schools, and allowing people like Haley to run said schools, that didn't mean he wished him ill _personally._ Then again... some of the things that Ozpin had done in his coffee-induced hazes had been irritating and disturbing enough that it was clear he'd _needed_ to cut back. Maybe this was a rougher way of doing it, but at least it seemed to be doing something.

"But," Oobleck continued, leaning forwards almost eagerly, "I believe that's enough serious chatter. I believe it was your turn, was it not?"

Jaune grinned into his tea, taking another sip, "It was, yeah. Let me guess, the Tomb of the Fallen King?"

Bart nodded, "I still cannot believe someone your age made that trek."

"It's not all that far from the Krauf mines really." He waved a hand, "Actually... it was about the nearest place we could get to, since the White Fang didn't want us using the rail lines after that debacle. Neo and I told the others about it, and we decided to hold up there until a storm passed and we could signal someone in Vacuo for a ride."

* * *

 _"Here we are." Jaune exhaled through the cloth covering his mouth. The storm was still a ways off, but bits of sand and dust were already getting kicked up. "Right on time too."_

 _"Yeah yeah." Charcoal grumbled through her own makeshift mask, already moving past him, her bared arms covered in deathstalker-themed tattoos. "Brag about it later, get us inside now."_

 _He rolled his eyes, making Neo shake with silent laughter as they started after her. Rajah and Fusia trailing behind, the taciturn husband and wife quiet as ever, while Vest brought up the rear with his ax lazily held on a shoulder, his deep tones carrying easily, "Surprised the SDC hasn't staked out this place... or that the Fang didn't use it as a base."_

 _Jaune shrugged, "From what we read, the migratory tribes like to make pilgrimages here, and they don't much care for people trying to exploit it."_

 _The older man's voice turned dry, long salt and pepper hair whipping behind him as the wind kicked up another notch. "And you're leading us here?"_

 _"We're seeking shelter, not grave robbing." He flapped a hand at the approaching wall of sand, "And if you want to stay out here, be my guest."_

 _"Fair enough."_

 _The Tomb of the Fallen King, the last true ruler of all of Vacuo before the Atlesians, Valeans, and Mistralians had started carving up the resource rich but militarily weak kingdom for their own, was set against an ancient cliff facing. Recessed statues stood silent guard, all of them faunus women, the most ornately carved that of his personal bodyguard, the same woman who give birth to the dynasty that would go on to rule the increasingly constrained kingdom until the Great War._

 _"Fetish much?" Fusia muttered as the reached the entrance, having clearly noted the uniform nature of the statues._

 _"Everyone's got a weakness." Her husband shrugged. "What do you know about the tomb itself kid?"_

 _"Not as much as I'd like." Jaune admitted, pulling his scroll out for light. The first chamber was fairly large, but entirely open, kind of a reception area where priests would have met with pilgrims if he remembered the books correctly. "If you guys want to start setting up camp here, me and Neo-"_

 _"Neo and I." Charcoal interrupted._

 _"...Neo and I for the grammar terrorist." Jaune continued, earning a rude gesture from the huntress, "Can check the back rooms for Grimm or squatters."_

 _"Works for me." Vest nodded, glancing at them all before falling into his commanding role, much as he had at the mess they'd just left. "We'll probably be here until the storm passes, then I can call a friend for an airlift. Let's get a fire setup and some food cooking, and make sure there aren't any snakes or scorpions in here to bother us while we sleep. Rajah? Take a rest, you're taking first watch. I want..."_

 _Jaune stopped listening as he and Neo got moving into the only hallway, heading farther underground. It began to split off almost immediately, but they ignored those side passages in favor of the main run. They'd have to check them later, naturally... but it was the central chamber where they hoped to see if there was anything worth learning here._

And, _he admitted to himself,_ It'll keep our minds off of what just happened.

 _Even slightly thinking about it made him shudder and draw closer to Neo, then nearly stumble as he remembered exactly what they'd done in an old cot two nights ago. His partner noticed his distraction and smirked-_

* * *

"Jaune, please keep your focus on the archaeology." Bart sighed. "I don't need the details."

Jaune glowered at him, "One, I wasn't going to give you any. Two, this is my story, isn't it? Did I interrupt you once when you described that catacomb you found in Mantle, even when you went on the tangent about that Atlesian woman you were with?"

"I suppose you did not." His friend set his empty tea cup aside, "My apologies, do continue."

He sighed. "The tomb itself is... well, it's huge. Way larger than you'd think from the outside, and even from the inner chamber. He apparently had it built to hold his entire family, and all of the descendants that he thought he would have. Mostly it's just empty rooms with half-carved murals, except the area where he is and where he interned his siblings and parents."

Bart perked up, "They are still intact?"

"Mostly." Jaune shifted a hand back and forth, "Quite a few of them have been damaged, you can tell where raiders and bandit tribes have taken up residence once and a while to avoid storms or Grimm. But the core chamber itself is entirely intact, if missing any gold or valuables he was buried with."

Which had been good, in that it had let him and Neo look at all of the old artwork carved into the stone and try to find any hints of Relics. But it had also been disappointing, since aside from a few weird images of his wife with fire emerging from her eyes while she floated above the ground, probably a stylized picture of some kind of semblance, there hadn't really been anything of note.

"It' is incredibly well carved." He focused on what his audience would want to know, "I mean, they even chiseled out the writing on the scrolls that people are holding... and you can read it!It's also kind of depressing in areas though... they had scenes of him receiving diplomats from the foreign kingdoms. Their offers of technology and pieces of paper for dust, slaves, that kind of thing."

Bart sighed, knowing how _that_ story had gone. "And I'm sure it recorded his refusal, but not of the events after his death."

"Pretty much."

The other man lapsed into silence for a moment, then shook himself, rising to head to the kitchen. "More tea? Excellent, were you able to see the sarcophagus itself?"

Jaune nodded and described the intricacy of the stone work, and the fact that it had been made of solid stone was probably the only reason it hadn't been taken away with all of the gold that had probably once been scattered around it. Midway through Neo returned from her last class with Glynda, looking incredibly pleased with herself, even as she rolled her eyes and dramatically signed the word ' _nerds'_ before heading to the bedroom to get cleaned up.

"Ah, Miss Neo." Bart smiled when she emerged, "Jaune was just telling me about your visit to the King's tomb in Vacuo. Fascinating place, I hope to visit myself some day."

Neo shook her head, flicking her hands quickly while Jaune translated, "She hopes you like sand and Deathstalkers."

"There were Grimm inside then?"

He sighed and nodded, "Once you started into the side passages... yeah. Let's just say we had a more active two days waiting out that damned sandstorm than we'd hoped."

Oobleck sighed as well, "The Grimm, always finding a way to make history difficult to learn... ah, well. Thank you for the discussion Jaune, the same time next week? I don't want to intrude upon your time together."

Jaune waved a hand, "She's taking RAVN out clubbing, I'd appreciate the company for dinner if you're not busy."

The doctor seemed about to agree when there was a rapid knock on the door. Jaune glanced at his clock, grimaced as he noticed he had five minutes before he officially 'closed', and then raised his voice, "Come in."

His door promptly swung open to reveal Yang... who looked wildly different with raven-black hair. It was actually rather astonishing what that simple shift did, removing the almost soft glow and leaving nothing but dangerous strength behind. "Jaune, Miss Neo... sorry for the time!"

"It's all right." He shook his head, from the way she half-stumbled in and leaned on the back of his couch, she'd sprinted here after a fast shower that had left her hair still wet. "In a rush?"

"Yeah... wanted to catch you, before you let." She shook her head, reaching up to run a hand through her hair and wincing. "Um... can I borrow a towel? Sorry about the floor."

"Go for it."

Yang gave him a quick grin and slipped into the kitchen, grabbing a the two towels hanging from the small oven to start dabbing at her rough ponytail. Bart regarded her almost... strangely, shaking his head a little.

"You all right?" He asked, lowering his voice.

"Hm? Oh yes, just, startled I suppose." Oobleck shook his head, "With her hair, she looks almost exactly like... well, it doesn't matter."

Jaune frowned, shared a confused look with Neo, and was about to push when Yang returned, still working on her hair. "I need your help getting back at Ilia and Pyrrha for their sacrilege."

"Sacrilege... long word, and I'm not sure it really applies." He leaned back in his chair, "What could you need _our_ help for? This isn't something teachers should be involved in."

She held up her hands, "Woah, totally not asking for you, know direct help. Just supplies. I need... some of the you-know-what."

Jaune had to blink a few times before sighing. "Really? For what exactly?"

Yang glanced at Bart rather pointedly, "Uh... reasons?"

"Jaune..." Oobleck sighed, "Please tell me you haven't been giving students any of Ozpin's coffee."

The girl's awkward wince and even more awkward look of confusion gave it away before he could even try to lie.

 _Dammit Yang..._ "Very limited situations where I think they need to relax." He glared at Yang and got an apologetic grin and a shrug in return. "And again, what could you possibly need some of it for?"

"Well..."

* * *

There were advantages to being able to turn into a raven, though the sensation of transforming _back_ was never one she would get used to.

She landed lightly in the pretentious club's upper floor, behind some vibrating sound equipment and out of anyone's sight. Of course the cameras would record her suddenly appearing, but she hardly cared, and the nearby college teens were too high to even notice her as she strode past them.

All around, people, mostly civilians, most of them with more money than brains, danced, drank, drugged, and otherwise tried to pretend that they weren't on Remnant for a few hours.

"Idiots." Raven murmured as she removed her mask. It had its uses, its role, but tonight it would simply draw more attention to her.

Once it was secure on her belt, she cast a final glance around, located her target, and began striding down the stairs. They'd been designed to make it hard for two people to walk up and down without touching each other, but no one made the mistake of coming anywhere near her. The entire stairwell cleared out to make room before she was a third of the way down.

 _Thus proving that even idiots still possess some survival instinct._

The bartender and owner noticed her approach, as he should have, and motioned for his little twin goons to stay back. _A man who knows his strength, his limitations... rare, in this day and age._

"What can I do for you, Huntress?" He asked as soon as she was at his bar.

"Whiskey." Raven answered, "A booth, and a glass of your worst sent the moldy Hunter sulking in the corner."

The bearded man stared at her for a few moments, then frowned. "I know you from somewhere... someone was looking for you."

Her eyes narrowed, even as she felt a small stirring of pride in her chest. Yang was willing to come to an underworld bar for information? Perhaps her fool of a father hadn't quite indoctrinated her after all.

"Drinks and a booth, or should I emulate a certain blonde?" She offered, "I can assure you that you won't be re-opening once _I_ am done with you."

He flinched and spread his hands, "Take booth twelve, down at the end. Tell the kids to beat it. Drinks will be sent out shortly."

Raven regarded him flatly, then pulled out a card of lien and tossed it onto the bar. He picked it up, started slightly at the value, then seemed to get understand her message and nodded. "Good business, I hear you. She won't hear about you from me or mine."

She tipped her head before turning and striding away, a hand casually resting on the hilt of her weapon. More civilians tittered and drank, but even in inebriated ones could recognize a huntress when they saw one and none came near her. Aside from her fool of a brother and a few inebriated students dancing, the only true hunter within the building was the intriguing mute from Beacon.

The tiny woman noticed her at once, her back straightening as her hands vanished beneath her own table. Raven slowed, staring back as pink eyes tracked her movements. There was no spark of recognition in those eyes, but there was strength. She met Raven's gaze without fear, and was clearly ready to either fight or flee if she felt threatened.

 _Not tonight, little huntress... but soon._

Raven turned aside, moving beyond the girl's view before settling into the booth while a pair of startled, pimpled college boys stared at her from over drinks that even she could tell held nothing more than a light splash of alcohol. When they didn't get the immediate hint, she pointedly unbuckled her weapon and hefted it up beside her before leaning an arm on the table and stating without any inflection, "Get lost."

They nearly moved as quickly as Summer's brat in their haste to flee, and she settled back into the comfortable leather. She did not have to wait long before a waitress silently bustled over, placing a drink before her before retreating just as quietly and rapidly.

Bribe or no bribe, she still took a small tester from a pocket and checked it for toxins before lifting it to her lips, sipping the sharp alcohol as she waited. It wasn't a long one, her brother cautiously approaching, a hand on the hilt of his own weapon as soon as he spotted her.

"Raven." He didn't quite growl her name, tossing his drink onto the table. "What do you want?"

"A girl can't catch up with her family?" She asked with as much saccharine sweetness as she could manage.

Qrow snorted, "She can, but you're you. What do you want?"

"You to stop pestering me for one." Raven replied, "The screeching yesterday wasn't terribly manly, brother mine."

His eyes narrowed as he lifted the cheap drink, throwing the swill back without more than a slight grimace. "I'll stop when you leave Yang alone. Stop watching her in her outdoor classes."

Raven sipped from her glass, narrowing her own eyes in return. "She's gotten strong."

"Knock it off." Qrow's voice lowered further, his rasp becoming a snarl. "You lost your rights to her a long time ago, when you left Tai to raise her alone."

"Hardly alone." She spat, the old anger resurfacing. "And at least I didn't abandon my duty to the Tribe like you did."

"No," He retaliated, "You just left your daughter, your husband, me, Summer, Oz... for a bunch of murderers and killers. What do you call that besides abandoning us?"

"Leaving that old fool and his little cabal was an act of sanity. And the Tribe..." Raven countered, nearly rising before she caught herself. As pleasant as it would be to beat her little brother's smug face in... this wasn't the time or the place. "No, I won't allow you to bait me. I'm not here to talk about the Tribe, or about Yang. I'm here to talk about the enemy."

Qrow stared back at her, then visibly forced himself to sit back as well. "Since when do you care? I thought you were out."

"Out of Ozpin's control." She replied flatly. "Not off of Remnant entirely. It's not safe at Beacon. Neither is she, if she's even still breathing."

Her brother's jaw worked, he was clearly uncomfortable with her knowledge. "They're safe enough at the school."

She nearly laughed in his face. The old wizard had allowed not one, but _two_ different groups to infiltrate his fortress, his bastion, and if her guesses were anything like correct, neither wished him well. If anything he was lucky they seemed to dislike each other as much as they disparaged him, it was the only reason she was going to give him any kind of chance in the game that was unfolding.

Still... it didn't matter. His precious Relic of Choice was _anything_ but safe, and his naive fool of a Fall Maiden would be dead before the year was out.

"Beacon is going to fall." Raven informed him, stating the reality of it in as cold, blunt terms as she could to get it into his thick skull. "Ozpin is going to fail. If they are to be kept out of her hands, they need to be moved."

"Where?" He asked, sarcasm dripping so thick they'd need a mop to clean it up, "To the Branwen tribe? Maybe the Corrawen? How about we hide them in the ruins of the Academy, I'm sure the criminals squatting there won't sell it to the highest bidder."

"I don't _care_ where." She hissed. "Atlas, Menagerie, Shade, _wherever._ Vale and Beacon are doomed, what do you not understand about that?"

Qrow snorted, "Jimmy's little legion of airships... the army... me and the rest of Oz's hunters... take your pick sis."

"Tch." She looked away, throwing back the last of her drink. _Useless... as blind a fool as ever._

"You should come back."

"What?" Her head snapped around, eyes locking onto his.

"You should come back." He repeated, more quietly. "Look, you don't want to work with Oz, fine, but we could use your help all the same. You don't have to take his orders or be on our side to oppose that creature. If you know something that might help, we _need_ to know it. Yang still has her one save, doesn't she? Wouldn't this count?"

Raven scoffed, "If you're going to try and manipulate me, at least be subtle about it. This is insulting."

Her brother stared at her, playing with his empty glass, then shook his head and changed the subject. "You know Tai's looking for you? He make it to Mistral?"

She concentrated for a moment, focusing on her semblance, then shrugged. "He's landed on the southern coast, alive if you're so concerned that the White Fang would kill him."

And they'd tried. It had been nearly a guilty pleasure to watch him in action last night, seeing the dragon emerge, the little terrorists falling to its power. They hadn't even been particularly subtle about their following him, though they'd at least had the sense to wait until he was away from Menagerie. Not that it had helped them any, he'd treated it like it was a particularly droll warm-up for an actual fight that didn't have the decency to happen.

Qrow nodded slightly "You going to talk to him?"

In response she grabbed her weapon's handle, sliding out of her booth and rising to her feet. "Let me know when you come to your senses."

He caught her wrist before she could move past, turning to glare up at her. "Not yet Raven. I have more questions for you."

"And why," She rolled her arm, breaking his grip before reaching for her weapon. "Should I care?"

"Because I think you know where Spring is." He replied, lowering his voice. "Your semblance is good, but it's not jump across continents powerful, not at the rate you're using it. If you know where she is, I need to know."

Raven regarded him stonily, her hands automatically affixing her blades to her belt once more. "You need a lot of things today, brother. Maybe you should man up and actually do some legwork of your own for once."

"You have her, don't you?"

She ignored him, turning away. She had other things to focus on than a whining fool of a sibling, who had forgotten what it meant to be loyal to his own people, who instead followed a senile old fool who had spent millennia only barely keeping Salem at bay.

 _It doesn't matter, I warned him._

Qrow and Tai had chosen their paths, chosen to believe in Ozpin. They're strength had seen them survive that mistake, much as her own had once upon a time. But against what was coming...

Letting the Fall Maiden fall into Salem's hands was unacceptable, but something she didn't think she could personally influence. Not without being dragged back into the open of the eternal conflict. Her power could keep the Tribe safe, but it was a power she had to restrain and hide. They were only safe so long as Salem and Ozpin thought of them as nothing more than another group of bandits. So long as the two unkillable creatures disguised as something like humans were focused on one another, and not on her people.

 _But if we controlled not one Maiden, but two..._

It was a thought she hadn't truly considered until she'd seen a tiny woman appear out of thin air in Ozpin's office, and then vanish after rifling through his desk as though she'd never been present at all. Until she'd seen two new professors at the school, studied them, observed them... and watched through a window as they plotted out a map of the ruins beneath the school.

 _It's still a risk. I don't know their end game, their objective. They could very well be Salem's left arm, acting without total knowledge of the right._

She glanced at the booth as she passed it once more, and once more found two eyes locked onto her own as she strode by.

 _I won't make the mistake of blind trust ever again. Once I know your objective... know if you are truly your own masters... then we will talk, or I will abandon this place to its fate._

* * *

 _Thought we could get a little glimpse into how I view Cinder's head, and just what might be motivating her given her evident desires. Yang... well, we seemed to be a little overdue for a bit honest teenagers-going-to-teenager, and Yang and her hair seemed as viable a place for that as any. Jaune tells another bit of a story and drops some names while he and Bart discuss their hobby/passion. Then Raven is... well, Raven. We know she warned Qrow about Beacon falling at some point, and even if it probably happened between S2 and S3 in canon, this seemed appropriate given what she's observed while flitting around Beacon spying on people._

 _I know we were supposed to get White Fang business, but that got pushed to the next chapter, though there's a few minor hints to things in this one. Next two chapters will probably be hitting on the rally timeframe pretty hard, then we'll get a little break before the mid-term missions and... events... occur._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 ** _ _Thanks, Kat__**


	38. Semester II: Prepare the Trap

**Prepare the Trap**

* * *

Of all the things Qrow thought he'd be doing on a Saturday night, helping his niece wash black ink out of her hair hadn't been among them.

"And you haven't gotten them back yet?" He asked, leaning against the fridge while Yang dragged a chair over to his sink. "You sure you're doing all right firecracker?"

"Gimme a break." Yang replied, grabbing boxes out of the bag, checking out all of the things he'd bought for her. Not that he had any idea what any of them did, he'd just given her his card and told her to buy whatever she needed to get rid of the crap on her head. "I only worked out who did it _yesterday_."

"That's at least twenty four hours." Qrow replied, crossing his arms. "Tai and I would have already hit back twice as hard. Why didn't you grab Ruby and do something to embarrass the hell out of them?"

"Because Ruby was too busy gawking at some second year teams' weapons." His niece growled, "Then she was doing homework, and Weiss and Blake thought doing White Fang research was more important."

He scoffed, "What a team. You'd think they'd have been all for hitting back after this morning."

Yang paused, blinked, then turned around. "What about this morning?"

Qrow stared at her, then brought a hand up and dragged it down from his forehead. "For real firecracker? You said a bunch of birds started screaming at five in the morning right? At _exactly_ five in the morning?"

She needed a moment, then her eyes flared into a brilliant scarlet that made her look so painfully like his sister that he had to glance away. "My hair... my shoes... my _sleep_... is nothing sacred Ilia!?"

He coughed, still not quite looking at her, "...might want to check outside your window, maybe an air duct, see if she set up a scroll or something."

"Yeah." Yang exhaled, spinning away and picking out a box. Her fingers tore into it with more force than was necessary, but she seamed to run out of steam even faster than usual. "...Uncle Qrow?"

"Yeah?"

"You looked away, when I got angry." She said simply, not turning around, staring at a sheet of instructions without seeming to actually see it. "I really look like her, don't I?"

 _Shit..._

Qrow let out a slow sigh, then shifted aside so he could yank open his fridge. After a moment contemplation, he grabbed two beers. "Like a shorter clone of her really... at least until you open your mouth. Raven has a way of always sounding so smug you can't help but want to deck her."

"Yeah?" She asked, glancing at the drink as he set it beside her. "Dad'll kill you if he knows you're giving me beer."

"Not like I haven't held your hair back while you threw up before." He retorted, opening his and wandering back towards the fridge. "So... this the way overdue chat about dear old mom?"

Yang bowed her head for a moment, then pushed her removal kit aside, cracked open her own drink, and hopped her butt up onto the counter. "Well... Ren was surprised when he saw me at the dorms last night, asked when I'd gotten back. Said he saw someone who looked just like me at the club Miss Neo took them to, someone who got in a argument with you. Figured I either have another sister... or my mother was visiting you."

"I wouldn't put it past Tai, or my sister." He grumbled, glowering into his beer, "...but yeah, she and I had a few things to say to each other last night."

The girl's can creaked a little as her fingers tightened. "You weren't going to tell me."

Qrow took a quick swig, "No, I wasn't. Didn't think you're ready, still don't to be honest... but the law says you're an adult now Yang. You got questions, I'll answer at least a few of 'em."

Yang jerked her head up in surprise. He didn't often call her by her name, and when he did he tried to make sure it meant something. "You... will?"

"Tai might kill me for it." He admitted, "But... well, let's just say that Raven's been around, and pretending she isn't won't help anyone. Least of all you."

"She is?"

The mixed pain and hope in her voice made him grimace and drink some more. "She's been in Vale, on and off, watching you since you started at Signal. More often, since you started at Beacon, and no, you'd have never seen her. She's got ways of staying hidden."

And _that_ was a conversation that could definitely wait.

"Her semblance lets her create portals to people she has... connections with. Bonds she called them." He continued, "She had one to everyone on our team, and she has one to you."

Her mouth worked a few times, and she took an almost shaky drink. "She's... she's been around that long? Just _watching_ me? Never saying anything when she could just... show up whenever?"

"Raven's..." Qrow forced himself to not cuss her mother out in front of her, "Got a different way of viewing the world, it's a way I don't agree with much. She clung to the way we were raised more than I did. Summer and Tai tried to... I don't know what the hell you'd call it, acclimate us I guess, but she never really took to it."

"And that involves creeping around and never saying anything?" She demanded. "Never being there when I... when we needed someone?"

"There's a couple reasons for that, even before we get to her general attitude problem." He sipped more beer, it wasn't nearly strong enough for this conversation, but if he hit the hard shit he wouldn't stop and he knew it. "Your dad is a big one. The last time they met... well, words were said that can't be unsaid, and she and I almost drew on each other last night."

Yang bit her lip, looking down into her drink. "...it's that bad?"

"Yeah."

She huffed, taking a quick drink. "So why do it then? Why follow me around?"

Qrow shook his head, kicking the fridge open to grab a new drink. "Raven's screwed up, but... I think part of her still thinks of you as her daughter. She wants to see you become as strong as she is."

Yang scoffed quietly, "Way to show me that."

Grabbing another beer, he mostly finished off the first and tossed the can at the garbage, missed, and watched it make a small mess on the floor as he cracked open the new one. "Yeah, well, she's real mom of the year material."

Her fingers drummed on her can for a moment, "Where has she been?."

One of his eyebrows rose, "Figured you'd start with asking why she left."

 _The conversation Tai, Summer, and I dreaded from the moment you were old enough to understand that Summer wasn't your mom._

"No, I'm going to ask _her_ that." Lilac eyes shifted rapidly to red, "Soon as I can catch her and make her explain, make her tell me just why she was never there. For me, for dad, for Ruby, for Summer!"

Qrow winced, but this was definitely _not_ the time or the place to talk about Summer. "...that's not the best idea kid."

A finger stabbed in his direction, "You said you'd talk. Where does she go, when she's not watching me like some kind of stalker?"

He grimaced, already regretting letting this conversation go as far as it had. She might have had a right to know, but fuck it was uncomfortable to talk about, especially since he knew her emotions were going haywire right now. "You gonna calm down first?"

She blinked a few times, then seemed to notice that her dark hair was sparking. It took her a minute or two, and a quick drink of beer, a silence that let him hear the neighbors shuffling around outside. When she spoke again, she'd gotten her anger under control, and her eyes were back to normal. "Sorry. Just..."

"Don't apologize. Trust me, I can get just as pissy when it comes to her." He waved her off. "As for where she is, well, that's tied into where she and I came from back in the day."

Yang gave him a long look. "Don't tell me you're actually run-aways from a super-secret government program, and that she's _really_ a secret agent for Vale who left us to keep us safe from her enemies."

Qrow had to snort at that, "Hell no. She's the leader of one of the most ruthless bandit tribes in Anima, and we were sent to Beacon as kids to learn how to kill the huntsman Mistral was sending to hunt us down."

"Seriously?" She rolled her eyes, "If you're just going to make things up too I might as...well... wait. You're... for real?"

"For real, Yang." He tipped his can back again, taking down about half of it in one go. "You ok?"

"I..." Yang was blinking a lot, shaking her head. "I... think I need another minute."

"Take your time."

She ended up needing about three to get her head back together, finishing her beer but waving off his offer of a second. "That's really why you went to Beacon?"

"At first... yeah." Qrow sighed, "Not something I'm real proud of, or like to remember. Like I said, Tai and Summer did a lot to make me someone worth actually knowing. They made Ray a better person too, but she's a stubborn as you are firecracker."

"Wow... of all the things I thought..." Yang shook her head, "That wasn't... even on my list. She goes back to those bandits in... wait, Anima? Like where my dad just went Anima!?"

There were times he regretted helping Tai make sure she was smarter than she looked. "She's got to have someone in her camp that she can make a portal back to, and your Dad... well, he decided they were overdue for another chat. He told you it was a mission because he didn't want to get your hopes up and come home empty handed."

A hand rose to swipe black hair out of her eyes as she visibly fought to keep her breathing steady. "I... guess I can see that. My mom's... a bandit. A criminal. And she's been watching me, for years, without... ever saying anything."

"How about we take a break, let you process this crap." He suggested, "See if we can't get that shit out of your hair, maybe drink a few more beers and relax. You still want to talk once we're collapsed on the couch, we can."

"Yeah... that sounds good."

Naturally, that was when his usual luck decided to fuck everything up.

Gunfire erupted out of fucking nowhere, all of his windows exploding inwards as high powered dust rounds started tearing into his walls and furniture. He hit the ground on reflex, Yang following a beat later, both of them flaring their auras to protect from the glass flying all over the place. Next came a breaching charge on his front door, his spot giving him a good view as the entire thing was blown from its hinges and flung into the living room.

 _That was a brand new fucking door!_

"Stay put!" He snarled, scrambling to his feet and grabbing the kitchen chair just as men and women in White Fang outfits started pouring into his place. The one in front, with some kind of tusks hanging from his jaw, turned and charged towards him with a drawn ax.

Qrow broke the chair over the idiot before he finished winding up, the wood splintering along with the guy's collarbone and probably a few other things in his shoulder. He went down screaming, and the huntsman kicked the dropped weapon up into a hand before lifting it to meet a rush from a fox-eared woman.

She vaulted the asshole on the floor, holding a rifle like she knew how to use it... and his semblance guided her left foot onto the puddle of spilled beer from his first can. She slipped, banged her hip into the counter, and reflexively tightened her grip on her trigger as she spun around before falling on her ass.

The burst of fire from her gun cut down three of her own people as they tried to rush through the door after her, all of them screaming in agony and clutching at themselves as they went down. Qrow didn't give her time to do more than let out a yelp of horror before, rather gently, grabbing her and slamming her head into the ground.

Yang bounced to her feet, Ember Celica expanding over her hands just as the second wave showed up, two idiots diving through his already shot-to-hell windows while a third came in through the door. "I got the door!"

"Careful!" He shouted over the screaming idiots, already rushing towards the other two, "No aura!"

If she replied he couldn't hear it, already focusing on his opponents as one drew a baton, the other a sword. Easily parrying the first one, he decked the ass right in the jaw and snarled in surprise when white energy stopped him from breaking it.

"Hunter!" His niece screamed, evidently her guy had his unlocked too. Fucking great.

"I know!" He dodged a clumsy thrust, smacking the sword aside with his bare hand and not even needing to engage his aura to do it. They might have had their power unlocked but that, and the follow up attacks that he could have walked away to avoid, told him they were total amateurs. They had enough training to use it defensively, but they had no idea how to even hold their weapons, much less swing them.

"You'll pay for what you've done huntsman!" Sword-boy shouted, grunting and swinging his weapon around as if he intended to slaughter a pig with it.

Qrow leaned back, spun his new ax once, then slammed the haft of it into his wrist. The idiot managed to flare his aura, but it didn't do shit to stop the pain, his sword tumbling free from his numb grip. His friend brought his nightstick down on Qrow's shoulder, making him grunt in annoyance before snapping a hand up, simply ripping the thing away and throwing it into the kitchen.

The two had time to gape for the second it took him to fix his stance and wade in, the blunt end of the weapon and his fist proving to be more than enough to bludgeon the two into submission. For once his semblance acted only to his own benefit, letting the two slip on blood and glass, never really seeming to affect Yang as they wailed on the idiots who'd fucked up their evening.

"...well... now what?" She asked him in the aftermath, staring at the wounded and unconscious terrorists now completely ruining the décor. "...think I hear sirens. I... don't really know first aid, how do we help them?"

"We don't." He caught her before she could try and help one of the shot ones, a cat eared man who'd taken several rounds to his stomach and was making breathy, agonized sounds. "Guys like these can be fanatics, might try and take you with them if you get close. Leave them for the police."

Yang grimaced as the whimpering increased in volume, and she twitched a foot away from a growing puddle of blood. "...that cold, Uncle Qrow."

 _Yeah... welcome to the real shit. Fighting people is easy, dealing with the after is the hard part._

"Toss them towels, tell them compress it on their wounds." Qrow shook his head, "And make sure to kick their weapons away."

"...ok."

* * *

Glynda made sure that Yang had the cup of coffee secure in her hands before stepping back, "You're sure you are all right, Miss Xiao Long?"

"Yeah, I'm good Miss G." The girl replied, inhaling the smell of her drink while Tsune continued to check her for injuries. "Just... not really used to seeing blood like that, you know?"

"I know."

The first real fight against other people, against people without aura, was always hard for a young hunter. You became used to needing to deliver massive amounts of violence to cause so much as a bruise or a minor cut, and to treating gunfire as an annoyance unless delivered at point-blank range with massive calibers.

Realizing just how fragile normal Humans and Faunus could be, just what huntsman-level strength and weaponry could do to a body... it was never an easy experience.

 _Especially when it comes attached to an attempted murder of your family._

Glynda gently patted the girl's shoulder, watching as she took her first sip of Ozpin's personal blend, her pupils dilating almost at once as she relaxed. She observed for a moment more before glancing at her old teammate. Tsune gave her a quick nod and gently began to guide the almost comatose girl towards the elevator.

She watched them move, then turned and walked back towards the others. Ozpin was seated behind his desk, while Qrow and James stood nearby. "She'll likely need to spend official time with Jaune, just to be sure. Were any of them actually killed?"

Qrow shook his head, tones quiet as he watched his niece be steered out. "Nah, or at least, none of them croaked before the ambulances took them out. But one of those idiots caught a few fire dust rounds to his guts... wasn't a pretty sight. Or sound for that matter."

James gave the closing elevator, and its cargo, a sympathetic look, "Your semblance never ceases to amaze Qrow."

"Tch... fucking tell me about it." The other man drew his flask in sharp, irritated motions, throwing it back. "Only good news was that one of the cops knew how to play bad cap-sadistic cop, one of them broke when she started laying out the odds for how many teeth I could knock out in one punch."

Ozpin let out a slow breath, "That's the not the kind of thing I enjoy condoning Qrow."

"Yeah, well, don't tell Yang this, but two my neighbors didn't make it." Qrow said coldly in response, "Stray shots from when they shot out my windows got the old man across the way, and they cut the throat of the hot secretary who lived above me on her way back from her evening jog."

Glynda felt her hands clench, and had to force herself to relax. Anger would feel good, but it wouldn't bring those poor people back. The only way to do that was to stop these fanatics before they could do more. "What did you learn?"

"It was an assassination, for me specifically." The flask rose and fell again before being capped, "There's a big recruiter rally this Thursday, they thought I was getting too close and wanted me out of the picture before it happened."

James frowned, "That is hardly sound logic or planning. Three untrained men with aura and five without against a veteran huntsman?"

Qrow shrugged, "I got the feeling these guys weren't the brightest bulbs around Jimmy. Those three had their aura unlocked but they barely knew what do to do with it, and only one of the others even knew how to hold her weapon right. Figure it was a couple of low level types looking to impress the bosses after hearing something they shouldn't have."

"As motivation," Ozpin mused, "That is not entirely uncommon... and the fact that they knew you, specifically, are working with the authorities to locate them is worrying since we haven't made it public knowledge. They are either observing the VPD stations very closely, or have an insider who was aware I assigned you. You said they were all young as well?"

"Practically kids."

Glynda felt her eyes narrow in a scowl. _Young children, new to their power, attempting to impress their elders..._

It was a sad song that she had heard all too many times, and some part of her felt depressed to note that this was not the first time she had seen such an ordinary and base motivation lead to innocent lives being ended.

"Then your logic is likely sound." Ozpin shook his head tiredly. "Several new recruits, new to their aura, who overheard an intelligence briefing above their pay grade and sought to prove themselves. We'll have to wait and see if VPD's official interrogation will confirm something along those lines, but I believe it likely."

Glynda nodded, then spoke up, "What of the rally?"

"Supposed to be big." Qrow replied, "Bringing in new blood before some kind of big operation. I figured it might have something to do with the dust they've been stealing... and get this, the guy we questioned said he heard that Torchwick would be there as some kind of demented guest of honor."

James straightened at once. "You're sure?"

Qrow spread his hands apart, "Sure as I can be considering we interrogated the idiot at my kitchen table. Thursday, around ten or eleven, in the old mills. Probably at one of those big warehouses near the river. Cop lady said she'd kick up to the Chief Intendent, figure old Ash will be getting in touch with you by tomorrow Oz."

"If they can confirm the information," Glynda looked to her superior, "We could end the White Fang's threat to Vale, or at the very least cripple it, with a single raid."

"Agreed." Ozpin replied, lifting a cup of coffee but not actually drinking from it. "James, if I am reading the current political mood correctly, they will likely reach out to you for support on this."

The other headmaster had the decency to grimace, his shoulders moving as though restraining the urge to shift in discomfort. "Perhaps we can tone it down to some kind of joint coalition?"

Glynda had to fight the urge to grind her teeth in anger once again. Her position did not allow her to be ignorant of politics, as much as she dearly wished that she could be at times, and the last several years had made her increasingly embittered towards her own government. Ozpin may not have been perfect, and could be infuriatingly secretive, but at least he always had the best of intentions in mind.

The most recent electors to the Valean Council were simply power-hungry politicians terrified of anything they couldn't control or manipulate... and they were increasingly looking north, to Atlas, and liking what they saw as a 'proper' way to run a kingdom.

She and Ozpin had spent the last four years fighting off efforts to merge Beacon with Vale University, a move that would assuredly lead to his ouster, and an accompanying maneuver to create Vale's own version of Specialist Teams to replace the nominally independent hunter corps. Jaune's Group Tactics course, useful as it was, had been forced onto them by threat of even more budgetary cuts... and several of the mid-summer missions proposed by the Council involved little more than shadowing military drills.

Using Atlesian Specialists for a counter-terrorist operation instead of Ozpin's hunters or upper year students would be a massive political slap in the face, which meant it was all too predictable.

"Perhaps guides?" James suggested, "I have three teams with me, led by Winter. If you could provide a huntsman per team, and another to coordinate with the local police, we can frame it as my people not being familiar with the city."

Glynda nodded, "That would ensure it is seen as a joint effort, though we will need to manage the media to ensure it doesn't become a strictly Atlesian victory. "

Ozpin sipped his coffee, "I will contact Aero and his team, and reach out to a few people in the media when the time is right... but this will not be easy to coordinate. The VPD assuredly has more than a few sympathizers for the White Fang, especially as until tonight their actions had lead to few injuries and fewer deaths. They will likely have to begin the operation at the very last moment."

"Another issue," Qrow rasped, "If Torchwick is there, guy's going to rabbit soon as the dance starts... and he'd tear through any cops in his way. We need to be in the perfect spot to catch him, then squeeze him to see if he's working for the Queen or if the White Fang is just expanding their operations."

Oz's eyes narrowed, and he took a longer drink. "...an insider within the rally would be ideal then, would it not? Someone to identify the proper moment to attack, to warn us if they are alerted, who could pursue Roman if things are not ideal. Who could guide Winter directly to him, so she could lock him in place if he retained the mercenary who abetted his prior escape."

"Ozpin," She though she saw where he was going with this, and moved to head it off at once. "They are first years, this mission is beyond what we would give them. There are older students, or full hunters who could be used."

"Others with recent, working knowledge of the White Fang?" He asked in response. "Whose loyalty and motivations we can be absolutely certain of? Whose temperament and skills are well suited to this kind of infiltration?"

Glynda flicked her gaze to the other two men, and found Qrow rubbing at his chin. "I ain't happy about the idea Oz, but it's not a bad one either. If they want to volunteer once we explain it, could count it as their mid-summer mission or something. Not much more dangerous than what they'll be doing in a month anyway."

James shook his head, "I'm assuming I know who you are speaking of, and I am against it. Both are receiving counseling for poor judgment, and sending them unsupervised on this kind of assignment is simply asking for failure."

"Then we don't send them unsupervised." Ozpin replied easily, "Tsune has been complaining about a lack of excitement lately, hasn't she Glynda?"

"She has." She allowed, thinking it over. As unusual as her old friend could be, Tsune was reliable and fiercely protective of her students in her own way. And Qrow rather had a point, in a month they would be sending all of their students into danger, many of them on assignments far worse than this... though said missions were usually reserved for older students.

"If they volunteer, we will need to find work for the remainder of their teams." She said finally, "Perhaps they could liaise and observe the local authorities in action in the rear-lines, and be ready as support. I would still prefer it if they have close supervision, given their relative youth and inexperience."

Qrow lazily waved a hand, "I got it. Might need an extra set of eyes if both teams want in though."

"Jaune or Neopolitan would be available." Ozpin glanced at James as their friend looked distinctly unhappy at the options. "Assuming you wish to supervise your nieces' team, both have a strong rapport with team RAVN and could be relied on to ensure they do not charge in or do anything similarly foolish."

"I think we're getting ahead of ourselves." James said, crossing his arms. "Until we know if either of them will volunteer, we should restrict ourselves to preparing for a standard operation involving our hunters and the police."

"A fair assessment." Ozpin set his cup aside, bringing a schedule up on his desk with a few taps on his desk's keyboard. "I will request that the young women in question, as well as Tsune, join us tomorrow evening. I expect that the Council and VPD will have already contacted us by then, and we will have a better idea as to what we will be asking of them... I believe that is everything, but James? Do you mind staying a moment?"

"Of course."

* * *

Neo sat invisibly on the floor of the main hall, staring at the central tower's three elevators, wondering which one, if any, lead downwards as well as upwards. She'd checked the rest of the rest of the building's ground floor, rechecked it, and then checked it _again_ , trying to find a spot where another elevator could be hidden, only to come up a whole lot of nothing.

It hadn't taken as long as she'd feared, which was entirely thanks to the first several floors of the tower being almost entirely dedicated to the circular main hall, with just the teacher's lounge, a few conference rooms, and a couple of maintenance areas tucked in around and behind it.

Neo had even checked the hallways connecting it to the arenas and to the building with most of the classrooms, but all she'd found were several more hidden cups of coffee. She'd nearly grabbed them before noticing that they'd been put on top of pressure plates. Ozpin had finally gotten around to booby-trapping his precious Nirvana it seemed, and she'd decided to hold off on trying to acquire them until she had more time to look them over. Since it was a Monday, she didn't want to stay out overly late, not any later than she had to at least.

So instead of entertaining herself, she was sitting on the floor, glowering and trying to think things through. Even if she could figure out which one it was, or if she just guessed, what was needed to get it moving? None of them had extra buttons or key slots that she'd seen, so it had to be a scroll command of some kind. That meant her options were going to be very limited; neither she nor Jaune knew anything about hacking the things.

She _could_ simply pry the doors open and look down, but that could trigger an alarm and the unusual sight would be recorded by at least one of the main hall's few cameras. Or maybe she could try to pick the lock for the maintenance room and hope there was some kind of access in there, and hope _that_ didn't trip an alarm.

Neo huffed quietly, glowering at the elevators as the central one's display showed it was coming down from Ozpin's office.

 _So annoyingly close... so frustratingly far._

She watched as the spinning number slowed down until it reached the first floor, the doors quietly dinging open to reveal Goodwitch and a scraggly man who was supposedly the blonde... heh, the _black_ haired girl's uncle. Something bird related... Caw...no, Qrow... that was it.

"...saying there's too much shit going on." The man grumbled as he walked out, a flask in one hand. He seemed to pause, taking a long look around the room, and only then continued in a voice pitched not to echo, "The White Fang, Amber, and you can't tell me Raven showing up again doesn't worry you."

Neo perked up at that, quietly getting to her feet and paying closer attention. Maybe this wouldn't be a wasted night after all.

"It worries me a great deal." Goodwitch replied, crossing her arms, keeping her tones low as well. "But she may be trying to manipulate us into something. Your sister is not the type to give out warnings for free, not to us, and especially not to Ozpin."

Qrow took a belt from his flask before rasping back, "No, she isn't. But... shit, she knows where Spring us." Neo's eyes widened, "I still think he should let me go meet up with Tai. We might be able to find her, talk some sense into her."

"You're needed here," The blonde woman replied, shaking her head, "And you know it. Ozpin has already called Taiyang, and when he finds her tribe he'll keep his eyes open."

There was a scoff. "He won't see anything Raven doesn't want him to see."

"Maybe not," She admitted, "But Tai is more observant than most... and let us be frank, Qrow. _If_ Raven has her, she would hardly let her go without a fight, and _if_ she is there... as much as we may disapprove, that is likely a safe enough place for the moment. Her situation can wait until the winter break, when we have the current mess resolved."

Qrow swirled the liquid in his flask a few times, sighing and started to shuffle along, the other teacher following... and being followed by Neo in turn. "Yeah, I get that. But with Amber down... it just feels like we're still missing too many pieces."

Goodwitch exhaled, "James said much the same thing this morning."

"Well, much as I hate old Jimmy's constant erection for all things military," Neo let out a huff of amused air, "He ain't wrong. I know that's my job and all, but I'm one fucking guy whose got too much shit on his plate already."

"Perhaps." The woman allowed as they descended the short steps from the back platform, "But you hardly needed to spend all of today in Vale trying to find hair products for your niece."

"I ain't sacrificing family for this job, not after what happened. And besides, have you seen her?" Qrow demanded, "Yang got pissy and let her eyes go red when we were talking, and it nearly gave me a damned heart attack she looked so much like her."

Neo almost dropped her semblance as she made the connection, and nearly fell down the stupid stairs to the floor.

"...you told her that her mother has been present, did you?"

"One of her friends saw Raven last night at the club she tracked me down at." Qrow pulled a flask off of his belt, glaring at nothing in particular. "He told her this morning, and she confronted me about it. Couldn't exactly avoid the topic... shit. I'm guessing Raven _wanted_ to be seen."

Glynda exhaled as they continued moving, Neo cautiously following in pursuit. "You don't believe that she will kidnap her own daughter, do you?"

"Hell if I know." The man answered, "I want to say I doubt it, but she's been with her precious tribe for close to sixteen years now... That can change a person, and not for the better."

"Then what do you think her involvement is here?"

Qrow slowed a stop near the door, Neo finding a spot near the wall, just close enough she could make them both out through the gray haze her semblance threw over everything. "...I think something scared her, scared her enough she's looking for more fighters, scared her enough she actually warned us, told us that she thinks we're in trouble."

The blonde shook her head, nudging his elbow as the two headed out into the darkness, evidently to continue talking outdoors. Neo could only glower after them as they vanished into the pitch black just beyond the tower... there just wasn't enough light for her to see much of anything, she'd have practically be hanging off of them to see them.

 _Dammit..._

Pouting, she turned and strode for the small bathroom, slipping through the partially opened doorway. Once she was inside, she listened for a moment to make sure no one was around, then allowed herself to become visible before focusing on being back in their rooms.

Jaune glanced up from where he was laying shirtless in bed, his copy of ' _The Great Women Theory_ ' resting in his hands as she walked out of their bathroom. "You're back early. Productive night?"

She shrugged, pulling her coat off and stretching before signing words at him, telling him what she'd found, and more importantly, what she'd overheard. He'd closed the book by the time she was done, frowning in thought while she changed and got ready for bed.

"So you think that Huntress you saw on Friday, at the Club, the one you thought looked familiar... was Yang's mother." Jaune said after a few minutes, "And that she _might_ be in possession of the Spring Maiden, the maidens we still don't know much of anything about, and that she _might_ not be all that friendly towards her brother and Ozpin."

Pretty much.

"That's really thin Neo... but it's more than we've had so far." He ran a hand through his blonde hair. "You said you had a name as well?"

She nodded. Amber, someone who was apparently 'down', and them being gone was making Qrow nervous about something.

"Raven and Amber." Jaune murmured, "Right, can you make a run to The Club tomorrow, see what Junior can find on them?"

Neo gave him a thumbs up, wiggling her hips a little as she pulled some shorts on before waving a hand at his book.

He shrugged. "Not having much luck here. It's about a theory of history, what the author calls the 'great women cycle'. Evidently there's 'one to four superior huntresses' every fifty years or so."

She lifted an eyebrow, _only_ one to four? The author was obviously male.

"Ha." He replied deadpan, scooting over as she climbed into bed with him. "Ha. Ha. No, it's a woman, and she's pointing out that this... cycle makes huntresses more historically likely than huntsmen to be political leaders, rulers, generals, warlords, that kind of thing. She's got a lot of research backing it up, at least in terms of historical names, but she's mostly just hammering you over the head with it. Not really drawing a conclusion or even inferring one."

Because the conclusion was obvious, women were the superior sex and evidently there was historical evidence to prove it.

Jaune snorted, reaching over to flick the end of her nose. "We can discuss gender superiority later. What I don't get is why Ozpin was reading it, and why he was taking notes on it."

Neo frowned at that, batting his hand away. It could have just been a hobby or coincidence, but she doubted it. Had Junior gotten back to him on decoding the cipher?

"Just that there is a repetition." He shrugged, "At least in the notes stuck to his copy of this. Four words in specific in the sections you had good pictures of, maybe two more in the front piece where you didn't get a solid image. You can ask him again tomorrow."

She nodded, kicking the blankets back, then frowning at the pillows before glancing at his bare chest.

Jaune noticed her attention and gave her an amused look, "Am I done reading for the night?"

It had been a long, mildly frustrating night of pointless searching... she deserved something relaxing. Neo yawned, kicking the sheets the rest of the way down before pulling her shirt off. Stretching out on her stomach, she buried her face in her favorite pillow before permissively waving a hand in his direction.

He could start the massage anytime now.

* * *

Jaune draped his towel around his neck as he exhaled, feeling his shirt stick lightly to his skin. Sunday morning workouts were usually pretty light since he and Neo often spent the night trying to explore the ruins, or in the case of last night, occupied with... other things, but they still made sure to go all out at least once.

Trying to imitate some of Pyrrha's sword technique was proving to be a bit harder than he'd thought. He'd gotten a little too used to not really bothering with his shield, focusing on quick attacks and dodging, or going all out with the heavy upgrade... which he also knew he needed to work on.

All those stories about people keeping hidden techniques had made it seem so easy... it was damned pain in the ass. You didn't get better with something unless you used it, but using something _and_ keeping it hidden was almost a contradiction.

 _One step at a time Jaune..._ He reminded himself as he and Neo left the arena they'd been using, taking the exterior exit into the early morning sun. _Get better with the sword and the shield, then move on to the next thing._

"What are you thinking for today?" He asked, stretching out his arms a bit.

Neo shrugged, not bothering to cover a yawn. She had the trip to the Club later, but until then... a nap sounded good.

"Really?" Jaune groaned, "We've been awake for what, four hours? It's not even ten yet."

And his point was...?

Chortling softly and shaking his head, he nudged her with a hip and got a playful elbow to his side in response. "Fine, fine. Sleep the day away, but I think I'm going to stay outside for a bit. Too nice out."

She glanced at him, flicking a hand to ask if he was going to finish that book.

"That was the plan, yeah, brought it with." He nodded, "Maybe I'll hit the library after, see if there's anything else on the same subject."

So long as he didn't slack off, and was ready to head into town with her by seven, she was fine with that.

"... _you_ are the one who's going to be napping all day, and you don't want me to slack?"

Neo stopped, glowering up at him before reminding Jaune that _she_ was the one still ghosting around at night trying to find the stupid entrance to the Vault.

"And didn't I make that up to you?" He asked reasonably.

Just because he'd finally let her hand-cuff him didn't mean... her hands paused, and her head tilted as she looked at something farther down the lane. He followed her gaze to see Pyrrha, Yang, and Blake sitting on a bench. Or, rather, Pyrrha was sitting on a bench, holding something in her hands, while a once-again blonde Yang and her partner were busily doing something to the other girl's hair.

"...I see they tricked Pyrrha into drinking the coffee then." Jaune noted. "That girl really is too nice for her own good."

There was a harrumphing sound from his partner, arms crossing beneath her breasts. Her expression was torn between annoyance and amusement, and after a couple of moments she started prowling towards the event.

He followed more slowly, watching as scarlet hair rapidly began to turn colors he'd only ever associated with cotton candy.

"Jaune, Miss Neo." Yang greeted as they approached, her voice quiet as she focused. "Be with you in one second. Blake, how are we looking?"

The faunus glanced at the mug in the champion's hands. "Half-way, at least five more minutes."

Jaune shook his head, "Having fun there?"

"Well..." The blonde replied, "I was going to just cut their pony-tails off, but someone convinced me that was a bit much to start with. We didn't manage to catch Ilia at breakfast, so we had to go with the back-up plan for her."

Meaning the girl's combat uniforms had been thrown into the wash along with a few tie-dye packets. "You're a vindictive woman, Miss Xiao-Long."

Yang gave him a fierce grin that became plastic when she saw Neo negligently left her parasol and aim it at the coffee cup. "...I will pay you anything to not do that."

Neo tapped her lips with a finger, smirking and bringing it a little closer. Even in her fugue state Pyrrha seemed to realize the threat to her ambrosia, turning a little away as if to shelter the cup, making Blake freeze as well, ears flattening in concern.

"Booze? Ice Cream?" Yang offered, her eyes not moving from the parasol. "Lien?"

"Neo..." Jaune sighed, reaching out and firmly pushing the weapon down. "We can't take sides. And no taking bribes from students either."

Her lips twisted in a pout, a little huff coming out before she waved at him, telling him she was going to go find out just what Ilia was going to do to escalate the situation further. He could only rub at his face as she strode off, not really wanting to translate that... not that either Yang or Blake was paying attention anymore, as they'd quickly gone back to painting Pyrrha's hair.

They were quick about it, he'd give them that much. By the time the coffee got low they'd made sure her hair was split between sky blue and bubble-gum pink, with bits of scarlet still visible for extra ridiculousness.

He waited until they were done, and obligingly let a giggling Yang drag him away as Blake took a quick picture before darting after them. "That's a good first step, right Jaune?"

"First step?" He glanced at he as they got around a hedge, moving down a side-path. "You're going farther?"

Blake spoke up at that, "Ilia hid an alarm clock in our vents, set it to birds screaming at five in the morning."

That definitely explained why she was helping, and why both of the normally immaculate girls had bags beneath their eyes. Not that he was about to point them out, Neo and his sisters had taught him very firmly that you _never_ said anything bad about a woman's appearance. "I'm guessing Weiss and Ruby were running interference with Ilia?"

"Weiss is." Yang nodded, "Ruby was handling Nora and Ren."

"Ah." He nodded, "Well, I don't mean to a third wheel for your plotting session. It was good seeing you both having fun, even if I probably should have stopped you."

"Aww, tired of us already?" Yang started to smirk, but the smile flickered when Blake gave her a slight nudge with an elbow. "Um..."

Jaune tilted his head and frowned a little. "Something up?"

"You..." Blake glanced at her partner, "...don't know? It wasn't on the news?"

Jaune felt his back tighten a little, "I don't really watch the news, and I didn't hear anything before Neo and I went to work out this morning. Is something wrong? What happened?"

"The White Fang kind of... tried to kill my uncle last night." Yang offered, then quickly rushed to continue before could interrupted, "He's fine! Totally fine, they didn't stand a chance! But I was kind of with him, and it got a little bloody."

Blake, in what he thought was a rare show of emotion, gently put a hand on Yang's shoulder. "I'm actually the one who pulled into her the prank this morning, thought it might help."

He needed a moment to process that. The White Fang had... shit. Roman had sent his patsies out to get caught, to set the bait in advance of the rally on Thursday. It was just bad luck that Yang had been visiting her uncle when the idiots had... oh gods. _He'd_ been the one to tell Roman to send them to Qrow, hadn't he? Was he responsible for this?

"...yeah, routine, bit of fun, that can be good." Jaune managed after a moment, shaking his head, trying to clear it. "When you say bloody...?"

"No one died." Yang shook her her head, bit her lip, then amended her statement. "I don't _think_ anyone died. I only fought one guy with aura, but a bunch of them got shot by each other when they tripped or something, didn't really see it. But Miss G said I was going to get mandatory sessions with you to talk about it."

As if summoned by her words, he felt his scroll vibrate. Holding up a hand, he pulled it out with his other one and glanced at the message. "...you are to schedule counseling sessions for Miss Yang Xiao-Long in regards to a White Fang attack on her uncle that resulted in numerous injuries to civilian level terrorists. And a full mail with some kind of report attached. Perfect timing I guess."

Yang rubbed at her hair for a moment, "I don't really think I need it to be honest. I mean, it was kind of surprising last night, but I'm totally fine now."

Jaune eyed her, then glanced at Blake. The other girl shook her head, "She needs it."

"Blake!"

He smiled a little, turning and beckoning for them to follow. "Come on, we can chat in my office."

"It's _Sunday..._ " Yang protested.

"Which means we're both totally free." Jaune made the come-along motion again, "If you'd rather, I could schedule it for Friday and Saturday nights."

"...you're the worst sometimes, I don't care how cute your butt is in those jeans." She muttered, stomping after him.

Blake followed a third gesture from him, and the three of them ended up in his office after a short walk. He got them settled onto couches, pointedly _not_ serving them coffee to Yang's vocal annoyance, and opened his window in time to see Pyrrha, her new hair trailing behind her, sprint down a side path before skidding to a halt on the main walk.

Ilia and Neo emerged from another, quickly shepherding the obviously embarrassed girl into the gardens, and for a second he thought he saw Ruby emerge from behind a tree, a bag in her hands as she chased after them.

 _Huh. Weird... no, dammit man, focus!_

"All right." Jaune managed as he took one of the free arm chairs. "Want to tell me what happened?"

Yang sighed, kicking her feet up onto his couch and stretching a bit, but she started talking quickly enough. Evidently her uncle had been helping get her hair cleaned up, and they'd been talking about family business when eight White Fang members had started shooting his place up. Three of them had gotten shot by one another, and her uncle had put down two of them almost instantly.

"I got to deal with a girl at the door while he took two others." She twitched a foot as she spoke, "It wasn't really a fight. She had aura but didn't have much of an idea what to do with it. Mostly she just kind of let me keep hitting her until I knocked her out. It was the aftermath that sucked."

He could well believe that. Fighting Grimm? Easy, they turned into a slowly evaporating black sludge when mortally wounded. Fighting people? Lots of blood, lots of screaming, lots of nightmares. "Did it make you queasy?"

"It almost made me throw up." Yang grimaced. "If I'd gotten any closer to them I probably would have. And the sounds..."

Blake stirred, setting her tea aside. "The sounds... are always the worst. You don't think that people can make those kinds of noises."

 _Right... former terrorist._ "I'm not going to lie Yang, that kind of thing might haunt you for a while."

Her grimaced deepened. "Way to make me feel better prof."

"But," He continued, "I can say that it'll fade, and you'll get used to the memory."

"I'm not sure that's a good thing." Yang muttered.

"It is," Blake spoke again, "So long as you remember that what you saw is not a good thing. People can adapt to all kinds of things, but... I think that it's the reason why you adapt to it that matters. Did you like seeing them in pain like that?"

Purple eyes widened. "Of course not!"

"Good." Jaune said dryly, "You're not a psychopath or a sadist."

"Yay." Her head shook as she rubbed at her face, "Ugh. Can we stop talking about it now? I was totally fine then you guys had to start this."

Blake looked like she wanted to keep pushing, and he quickly spoke over her, "We can stop whenever you want to Yang. You want to plot out your next move against Ilia and Pyrrha? I won't help overtly, but I'll act as a sounding board for you if you want."

If nothing else, he'd give the girl credit for resiliency. She bounced back into the conversation after just a few minutes, bantering ideas back and forth with Blake. Everything from copying their alarm clock trick, putting itching powder in their socks, the water bucket prank, and giving Nora a shot of espresso right before bed.

He wasn't sure how the last one was a prank on Ilia and Pyrrha, it seemed like it would equally affect everyone in the dorms... but he was just a mere male. Maybe it was beyond his comprehension.

While they were debating, Jaune made sure to set aside a time on Wednesday to speak with Yang again, just to make sure she was doing all right. It sounded like this was the first time she'd seen a bunch of normal people shot up, and even if none of them had died... best to make sure.

Especially since it may have all been his fault.

* * *

Blake walked with Yang out of Jaune's rooms after lunch, the professor having let them have some leftover pasta he and Miss Neo had made the night before. "I told you talking about it would help."

"That didn't mean you needed to throw me at Jaune soon as we saw him." Her partner complained. "Jerk."

"But you feel better, don't you?"

"Jerk." Yang repeated, but she also gave a relaxed shrug. "Maybe a bit. I mean, I still don't think I need _counseling,_ it's not like it was my fault, and I didn't cause any of the injuries... it just sucked."

Blake wasn't sure she really needed counseling either, but considering the state of their bunk beds and the fact that she slept beneath the brawler... she thought it best to be prudent. Not that she was about to say that, for someone who was quick to try and act like everyone's mother and guardian, she'd started to realize that Yang was _very_ averse to talking about her own emotions.

Even just the couple of sentences about it had been more than she was comfortable with, and Blake wasn't sure that Jaune had done the right thing in letting the subject go so quickly.

 _Then again... he's the one doing the counseling, and he definitely helped Ilia._ Normally she wasn't one to trust authority figures, of any kind, but... he was starting to be the exception to that rule. _I'll follow his lead on this, for now anyway._

"So." Yang asked as they hit the stairwell, trotting down them. "Please tell me we can enact the new pawesome plan instead of doing more White Fang research?"

Blake eyed her. "...you're really asking that when you made a pun in the middle of the question? And I refuse to help in any plan involving that thing you call a dog."

"Don't get catty about it." Yang grinned when her ears flatted in anger. "Come on... you know you want to do it. It'll be fun!"

"Strangling you would be fun." She noted darkly. "I don't think anyone would blame me either."

Yang opened her mouth as they reached the bottom, but an older woman's voice beat her to reply. "I would. You have no idea how much paperwork that would cause."

Blake blinked, then took a step forwards to look outside the landing's doorway, and found the rarely seen school Doctor leaning against the wall. The tall faunus woman's tail twitched a few times in a lazy wag as she continued, "But if you just wanted to maim her, feel free. I'd be happy to stitch her back together for you."

It was probably supposed to be a joke, but the way it was delivered came off as... a little creepy. "Professor... Chan?"

"Tsune." The older woman corrected as Yang slipped out of the doorway behind her, looking down at the pair of them. "Let's see... that two of you, do you know where the rest of your team is? I'm supposed to round you up and drag you off to see Oz."

"You are?" Yang glanced at her, saw her shrug helplessly, "What about?"

"A mission." Professor Tsune's grin widened, showing plenty of teeth. "You girls have a history with the White fang don't you? How would you feel about shutting them down?"

Blake felt her heart skip a beat. "...you're serious?"

The tail began to wag lazily, "Oh yes. Now come on, take me to your leader and the little Schnee. Sooner we find them, the sooner the fun can start."

* * *

 _Apologies for the delay... I had to finally get off my ass and write an AR chapter, and then this one proved to be stubborn and needed an extra two days of work. The Neo section was originally the start and vastly different, but after re-reading it a couple of times I just did not like the places it was going to leave me stuck going. So we got about a third of the Raven conversation moved up a few chapters, a tiny bit of the prank war, and plenty of setup in regards to both the White Fang raid and future events._

 _Also, for as vague as it is, Qrow's semblance is fun to consider and mess with. Don't expect any planning sessions or such things, we'll be jumping right into the thick of things next chapter._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 ** _ _Thanks, Kat__**


	39. Semester II: Spring the Trap

**Spring the Trap**

* * *

Blake carefully adjusted her mask as she walked down the alleyway between two old buildings, her new outfit matching it in an almost depressing way. She'd stuck with the smaller version, something to just cover her eyes, where Professor Tsune had gone with the full half-mask... and the sight of it made her feel a pang of regret that Ilia wasn't along with for this part of the plan.

Her friend had wanted to be, but had admitted to Professor Ozpin that her rather distinctive faunus trait wasn't the kind of thing that people forgot. If anyone in the Vale branch knew that she'd deserted, they wouldn't need to see her face to know who she was. As a result she was with the rest of RAVN and Professor Arc, helping the police set up a wide cordon around the area, ready to back them up if, or when, the White Fang didn't surrender.

"Here..." Blake murmured, noting three scratches against a wall, glancing down the next run. "And there's the doorman."

"Good." The Doctor replied, "Remember, we're innocent young women ready to be seduced into joining a cult."

... _did you really have to call it that?_

She kept her gait as steady and confident as the older woman's as they walked forwards, joining a few other faunus who looked as if they'd just left from jobs as janitors and waitresses. The sentry, dressed in an old worn suit rather than an actual uniform, glanced over her ears and then the Professor's tail before waving them past.

The real test came when they entered the warehouse proper, and found themselves in a confined space with several armed White Fang members waiting in a half-circle. The paranoia was offset a little by a handsome, smiling man with floppy canine ears, who ushered them forwards one at a time to have them tell him the pass phrase their local recruiter had given them.

"And who sent you here, my dear?" He asked, leaning far closer to her than he had to the older male just ahead of her.

"Mister White." She replied flatly, fighting the urge to deck him when his eyes drifted downwards. "He said Mister Red would help avenge my parents."

"That you will, that you will." He smiled, waving her past.

Blake moved on, not relaxing until she was in the warehouse proper and the professor had rejoined her. The place was crowded, far more so than she'd thought it would be. There was at least a hundred, maybe more, maybe a little less, in full uniform, and at least half as many more in casual dress. Even as she watched a White Fang banner was lowered from the rafters to form a backdrop to whoever would be speaking, and several others were using construction equipment to carefully move shrouded containers around.

It was almost painfully familiar... though she would have been up by the stage, helping direct the preparations before the speaker came out to rally the crowd. Usually Adam, Sienna, or one of a few members who were trained in public speaking.

"Packed house." Tsune noted quietly, her hands on her hips, the pair of them following the other potential recruits off to the right.

"Yeah, there's a lot more people here than I thought." Blake admitted, the pair of them ending up about halfway back.

"Right?" One of the nearby waitresses had evidently heard them, "But, I mean, it's really not surprising when I think about it. Humans have been awful lately, so much graffiti and leaflets telling us to go home, calling us just the worst names!"

There was a rumble of furious agreement from everyone else around them, to which she made a bit of noise and a show of nodding as well.

More motion on the stage caught her attention, and she stepped up a bit on her tip toes to get a better look while the chatter continued. No Torchwick yet, but a towering figure had stepped out from behind a crate, a full-helm covering his face as he directed the activity. She sucked in a breath and gently fell back onto her heels.

 _Gray is here... that's not good._

Adam's right hand was a vicious fighter, a veritable mountain of muscle and power that tended to batter through anything that got in his way. He was what young men like Cardin wished they were... and if he was present, that meant that Adam probably was as well. That was bad. That was very bad.

"Friend of yours?" The professor asked, leaning down to whisper her into her left ear, her breath making it twitch a few times.

"Not really." She whispered back, trying to think of a mostly covert way to warn her about Adam. "He's dangerous... and he works for someone even more so."

"Good, we'll have fun then." Tsune purred, and Blake felt the woman's tail lightly hit her left hip as it wagged. "There's someone else back there too, in the shadows on the left."

Blake bit her tongue, not sharing her confidence, getting back up on her toes and looking that way. It took her eyes a bit to find the form against the contrast between the spotlights and the shadows, but there was definitely a figure leaning against a crate just off stage. Someone in all back, but with silver on their waist and something metallic wrapped around their left arm.

"That your old friend from the dockyards?"

It was hard to tell from here, but... she'd put good lien on it being the same person who'd gotten Torchwick away from the docks. "Think so."

The professor made a less happy noise than she had before, clearly registering the problem. If the thief and Adam already had someone who could help them escape right in here with them, that made this entire thing far harder.

Letting out a slow breath, she settled back once more. Behind them more new potentials continued to pile in for ten or fifteen minutes, though from her place among them it was hard to count how many there were. At least seventy, maybe more. Beside her, Miss Tsune continued to glance around curiously, her fingers twitching out a rhythm.

It took her a few moments to realize that the odd doctor was counting the number of guards up on the catwalks, and she sheepishly remembered to look up as well, doing a count of her own. Fourteen... twelve with rifles, two with what might have been sniper's weapons. They were definitely ready if anyone in the crowd tried to pull something, and she tried to focus her aura a bit just in case.

The doors around the place closed at about ten to eleven, everyone's attention turning to the stage as Gray lumbered forwards, his deep, growling voice booming as he tried to make it as polite and welcoming as he could.

"Thank you all for coming tonight! For those of you joining for the first time, I assure you that your faith will not be misplaced!" His arms spread, "But you did not come to hear me speak. All me to introduce a very special friend, leader of the Vale Branch of the White Fang, Adam Taurus!"

Blake felt her heart clench, the rest of her wavering slightly as Adam strode out from behind the banner. Six faunus in the rarely used, fully ornate uniforms, all armed with halberds, came with him, falling into guard positions behind as he took Gray's place on the stage. The symbolism would go over the recruits' heads, but any veteran who had seen High Leader Sienna would get his message clearly enough.

Adam was setting himself up as her peer... as someone who could, maybe even should, be High Leader instead.

 _Mom... I really hope you manage to convince her that something is very wrong here._

"Welcome, old friends." Her former partner called, his voice carrying easily. As usual he wasted little time with build-up, trusting the regulars in the crowd to respond at once and carry the recruits along. "Welcome, new friends. Welcome the movement that will finally grant us everything that we deserve! The movement that will grant us everything that we've been denied by humanity! Will let us deliver justice to everyone who has ever harmed one of us, harmed our friends, our families, our loved ones!"

As always, his anger and passion carried through his words, and he began to pace slightly, using his body and fists to emphasize his speech. "How many of you have seen a Human kick a lost Faunus child? How many of you have been called an animal? And how many times have you seen a hundred other Humans just stand there and _watch_ it happen!?'

There was a rumble of angry agreement, mostly from the left side of the room, but the recruits around them made their own noises as well. "We've all heard Vale's promises. That this city, this kingdom, is a beacon of freedom! That faunus are welcome here, even if they aren't in Atlas or Mistral. Tell me, brothers and sisters, how many of you feel welcome when you wake up and see the words dog-fucker spray-painted on your homes!?"

Tsune made a quietly amused sound that was half-lost in the angry shouting, and Blake didn't need to be a psychic to know what she was wondering.

 _How many of those messages were left by Humans... and how many did you order put up, Adam?_

"Humanity will never accept us! Not if we don't fight to prove that we deserve our place in this world!" Adam continued, "That is why we're here! That is why we're all here! To make Vale realize that _we_ are strong! That we are superior! That they cannot abuse us and just expect us to sit back and take it! That every time they hit us, we'll hit back twice as hard!"

The familiar words and old beliefs made her tighten her fists, especially as the crowd became increasingly vocal in their support. Blake had to bite her tongue to stay silent, and the Professor gently rested a hand on her shoulder to either support or restrain her... she wasn't sure.

Adam visibly basked in the combined outrage, and she didn't need to see him up close to know he'd be smiling as he lowered his arms. He continued in that vein for several more minutes, working the anger up and then letting it ease down a bit, always keeping control even as he brought them along to agree with whatever it was he was saying.

 _You haven't changed..._ Blake forced her hands to relax, though she knew her ears would still be flattened backwards in anger. _Still obsessed with control, still nothing like what I thought you were._

"Now... we're not alone in this fight." He finally slowed down after perhaps five or six minutes, "Your brothers and sisters across the world fight on even as we speak... and there are a few rare Humans who know how righteous our cause is. One of them is here tonight, and he comes bearing gifts for us. Gifts that we will use to defend our people!"

Blake locked onto the cocky form as Torchwick emerged from behind the largest shroud, twirling his cane and smugly waving to the crowd. Adam hadn't quite timed the reveal right, the simmering mood cooling a bit, but the thief picked things up before the moment could be lost.

"Thanks for that introduction," He waved his lit cigar as he spoke, his teeth visible as he grinned. "Now, I'll be the first to admit... humans are the _worst._ Case in point. But you and me? We can agree on that... we can agree we've got a common enemy. The dirty rotten Humans who run this kingdom, the ones responsible for all the shit you've had to live through."

Torchwick paused for dramatic effect, puffing on his cigar, then continued, "How many faunus Councilors are there? How many lies have those fat politicians sold you all for votes? I bet you've all heard the promises, that _this_ time things'll be different. That equality will reign... how many times has it turned out to be true?"

"Never!" Someone off on the left, probably ready for just that line, shouted. He was quickly joined by several others who raggedly picked up, "Never! Liars!"

Torchwick shifted, leaning forwards as he continued, "Exactly... and wow many times have your kids come home from school with bruises, and told you that the teachers didn't say a word? I bet you're all real tired of having to teach your kids your own history, remind them that Menagerie is the fifth kingdom."

Another louder rumble of agreement ran through the crowd as the emotion started to come back, and she shared a glance with the professor only to see her shake her head slightly.

 _Not yet._

"Now, your fearless leader said I was bringing gifts... and he was right." At the cue, the heavy tarps were pulled away, revealing crates upon crates with the SDC logo, weapons laid in neat rows or leaning against the boxes of dust. "Dust, guns, ammunition... enough weapons for you all to defend yourselves for years to come. Now, that would a princely gift, but I'm the _king_ of the thieves, and I didn't want to disappoint you all with toys and colored sand. Perry, show the kids the _real_ gift."

The last cloth was pulled away from the large object on the stage, and she felt her breath catch as a massive combat mech was revealed. "The Atlesian Paladin, Atlas's newest line of defense against all of the scary things in the world... I thought you'd all appreciate the irony of fighting racism with the greatest weapon made by the most racist kingdom around."

Laughter and dark amusement ran back and forth through the room, quickly followed by cheering.

Adam took that as his moment to step forwards, pumping a fist in the air. "This is just the first of many! With these weapons-"

"Cops!" The interrupting scream came from behind everyone, a hundred plus heads snapping around as the suited lookout sprinted into the warehouse, the ranks parting to let him through. "Leader Taurus! My brother called, the VPD are dispatching everyone to form a cordon around this area!"

 _Dammit! Of course they have an insider in the police!_

She started to stir, then blinked as the professor planted a hand on her shoulder and kept her still. Blake blinked a few times, looking up to see her shake her head once more. "Really?"

"I already did." Professor Tsune replied simply, still smiling as the other recruits began to panic, the regulars trying to calm them down. "Stay by me, stay calm."

Blake inhaled sharply, then nodded, forcing a hand away from where Gambol Shroud was hidden under her white coat.

"Silence!" Adam's roar made the chaos abate at once, more than a few people jumping a little. "Recruits, move forwards and stay out of the way! Regulars, to arms! If the Humans want a fight we'll give them one!"

Blake found herself shuffling forwards, the teacher humming merrily as organized chaos broke out across the warehouse. Adam and Gray continued to bark orders, while a shorter man quickly scaled the Paladin, light glinting off of something on his mask as he entered the machine. It engine rumbled to life, limbs moving in jerky motions as he brought it online.

Elsewhere, terrorists were grabbing weapons from Torchwick's displays, or drawing their own, and rushing outside under the guidance of their local leaders.

"What's the plan?" She asked quietly.

"Stay with the other recruits, keep an eye on the celebrities." Came an easy reply. "When it starts, watch my back, and don't go off on your own without my permission."

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

Jaune hadn't really thought that things would go accordingly to plan, and so he wasn't surprised when Tsune and Blake activated their transmitter well before all of the police and hunters were in position.

" _This is Captain Schnee, all forces are to go the secondary plan."_ Winter's voice buzzed in the ear piece he'd been given, her calm voice a direct contrast to the panicking VPD operator. " _VPD units to fall back to the extended cordon position. Specialist, Huntsman, Student teams to the inner perimeter."_

"Got it." He said at about the same time as a few dozen other people said similar things in far more professional tones, except for Qrow who was probably responsible for the lazy sounding grunt at the very end.

"Right." Jaune said as he reached up to switch the microphone on his collar off, looking at the four expectant faces around him. Gods they looked young, too young... but he'd been too young to defend that stupid village from Grimm. "Something tipped them off, so we're going to the back-up plan. Ren, it's your lead."

The young man nodded, his bladed guns flipping out from his sleeves and into his hands. "We're to circle around behind the building on the river side, and aid Professor Tsune and Blake in ensuring none of the White Fang's leadership escapes in that direction by holding them in place until the Specialists can arrive."

He drew Crocea Mors as more weapons were drawn and expanded, the boy continuing in his almost maddeningly calm tones, "Ilia please take point with Professor Arc. Pyrrha? Rear guard. We'll move along the river front."

Jaune waited for the girls to nod, Pyrrha's strangely normal red hair moving with the motion, then started off at a quick jog with Ilia, glancing back to see the police car they'd been lingering near begin reversing down the street where they could hopefully avoid the fight that was coming.

 _All depends on how many people with aura the White Fang has, and how good they are._ Between the three Atlesian teams, and the Vale hunters supporting them, he didn't doubt that the professionals would be able to handle knocking around plenty of civilians... so long as they weren't too distracted dealing with people who could actually take a hit or three. _Just have to hope they know what they're doing, and that Team RWBY doesn't get delayed circling around._

They ran past a burned out old building, printed signs warning everyone to stay out, then reached the river that wound its way through Vale. Considering that they were in the old smithy areas, it was about as pretty as he thought it would be; straight concrete walls instead of shore-line, rusting buoys, and decrepit loading equipment all over the place.

Farther ahead, in the newer industrial zone, he could see the running lights of a ship as it moved down the dark waters, and he found himself idly hoping that the White Fang didn't try to escape by sea. He'd found ways to handle airsickness... seasickness? Not so much.

"Get one of your smoke bombs ready." He told Ilia as they moved, "Just in case. You have lightning dust loaded?"

"Three sticks, only one of fire." Ilia replied. "Aim to disable, I remember."

"Good." Jaune replied, spotting movement ahead, his free hand pulling his sheathe up and letting it expand into its shield form. "Here they come."

A group of terrorists in their distinctive uniforms burst out of the next building in the line, two holding sabers, three holding rifles, and he brought his shield up as the a few of the latter group saw them coming.

"Huntsmen!" The scream came with inaccurate gunfire, Ilia's whip snapping in a defensive pattern while he got his shield up to protect his upper chest and throat. A few stray rounds smacked into the rest of his body, his aura easily holding, and he put on a bit more speed as Ilia slowed up.

Blazing yellow cracked past him, carving into a rifle and making the man hold it scream in pain as the electricity ran through the metal and into his body. He spasmed backwards as she retracted the weapon, obscuring one of the other shooters, and leaving just one for Jaune to focus on.

He hit the man shield-first, using his speed to drive him back several paces. Forcing himself to _not_ cut right at his throat was hard, and he instead stabbed at his shoulder, drawing blood and making him yelp before whipping the shield up to catch him in the jaw.

The faunus went down with a gargling cry, letting the two women armed with swords charged forwards. They were quick, but they weren't anywhere close to Neo's levels of speed.

Jaune flipped his sword around, holding it in a reverse grip as the first woman came at him with an overhead slash, the other ducking back as Ilia's whip left deep gashes in the concrete at her feet. He side-stepped at an angle, moving forwards and driving the pommel of Crocea Mores into her stomach as hard as he could. She bent double, gasping, which let him continue moving, using his shoulder to pop her upright before kneeing her in the groin.

It wasn't nearly as easy as hitting a guy that way, but his aim was solid and she convulsed with a high pitched sound of pain. Another shield bash to a head left her twitching on the ground, and then there were just two very nervous looking terrorists backing up as the rest of RAVN caught up.

"Drop your weapons." He tried, advancing with his shield up and sword still held back and down.

"Filthy Human!" The woman screamed instead, rushing forwards as the man got his gun up again. Ilia's whip cracked around him, dealing with that one, while he used his shield to block a pair of wild swings, the antlered woman howling as she tried to simply bash her way through it.

Jaune didn't have time for this, lowering his shield and bringing his weapon around to slam the blunt end into her temple, flaring his aura to block the slash that bounced off of his chest in the second before his own blow hit.

"Thank you Jaune." Ren said as he approached, pocketing his scroll. "Police are sending people to arrest them. Should we throw their weapons in the river?"

"Good idea." He exhaled, trying to settle himself, then nearly jumping as a fusillade of gunfire erupted from the somewhere in the distance. "...other side of the building, the specialists must be fighting the main group."

The younger man nodded in agreement, watching as Nora and Ilia grabbed rifles and swords, tossing them into the water. At the far end of the building he saw three colorful girls and a taller form appear at the other end, team RWBY, minus the B, and Qrow getting in place to make sure no one bolted from that side.

Ren noted their arrival as well, while Nora waved happily back to Ruby. "Most of the White Fang must have decided to fight. We're to remain here until Miss Schnee or Professor Tsune gives us a signal, correct?"

Jaune was about to nod when they got said signal; an almost solid beam of red light abruptly screamed out of the warehouse up near the second floor, and gunfire abruptly began to park as people shouted and screamed inside.

"Stay behind me!" He snapped, throwing himself forwards, rushing into the building as his ear piece buzzed with Tsune and Blake's alert that they needed help.

There was a group of cargo containers serving as a makeshift hallway on the other side of the door, and he sprinted between them to find an utterly chaotic situation.

A small horde of people in civilian clothing were streaming towards the far side of the building, looking as if they were more or less in panic mode, while fighting raged all around the rest of the structure. Tsune, wielding a set of oversize shears as her weapon, was struggling to hold off no fewer than three attackers, while Blake exchanged gunfire with someone up in the rafters behind her.

The other side showed bursts of color as the rest of team RWBY stormed inside as well, running into another squad of faunus near their doorway, all armed with spears of some kind, and they were evidently strong enough to stop the girls plus Qrow from getting to Tsune and Blake.

"Shit!" Jaune swore, turning right for the other teacher and sprinting towards her. Ren would have to prove himself as a leader; he didn't have time to do give orders. "Tsune, on your right!"

The medical doctor ducked left from a swing, letting him surge past to take a blow from Roman on his shield, a wild slash of his own sending the thief dodging backwards. Tsune promptly twirled her weapon, somehow breaking it into its two halves, blocking swings from both of the other attackers even if the sheer force of the blows still drove her back several steps.

"Hey Jaune!" She greeted, as if they'd run into each other out on a stroll. "Good of you to be on time!"

"Welcome!" He replied, keeping both of his weapons up as their three opponents fell back a few steps, evidently taking stock of the rapidly changing situation.

"Another professor." Roman identified him for the others, bringing Melodic Cudgel up to an _en garde_ position. "And hey look, more brats running off to help the others.."

"Torchwick." The red-haired man growled, "Shut up and help my guards deal with the children... but save the faunus. I owe those little traitors. Gray and I will take these two."

Tsune took a slight step towards him, her voice lowering as her eyes lidded. "Red's semblance is some kind of counter-blast... I want the big guy, he looks like he'll be fun to play with."

Jaune exhaled, rolling his shoulders slowly. He didn't much like the idea of splitting this fight up and going one on one with someone... but he'd never fought beside Tsune before, they'd probably get in each other's way more than they'd coordinate. He'd have to trust her, and trust that RAVN and Blake could handle Roman and whoever else was in here. If nothing else, Pyrrha could hold the thief off on her own until he decided to bail... which knowing Roman, would be sooner rather than later.

"Don't drag it out too much." He said, partially for appearance, partially an entirely serious request. He had no clue how strong this guy was, and he rather hoped she'd be able to put her guy down alone quickly enough to back him up.

She laughed, the sound wicked as she twirled her short blades on their hoop handles. "Where's the fun in that!?"

That was all the signal everyone apparently needed, Jaune kicking off from his back foot at about the same time as everyone else did. He had enough time to see Tsune's opponent swing a freaking _chainsaw_ at her before he was entirely occupied with his own foe.

The guy was both quick and strong, hammering at his shield and sword in equal measure he tried to drive him back to let him flank around behind Tsune. Grimacing, Jaune set his feet and caught another slash on his sword's cross guard before trying to hammer the guy in the chest with his shield. Unlike the rank and file outside, he didn't catch him with the blow, his opponent nimbly dodging back, his own sheath swinging up to reveal a shotgun barrel.

Jaune flinched as the round hammered into his aura, getting his shield up to deflect a second shot before the man sheathed his blade and lowered himself into a ready stance.

He eyed his opponent for a long moment, then charged in, feinting another attack with his shield before making a waist-high cut. The faunus didn't buy the fake, used an aura protected hand to slap the blade down, then came in with a slash of his own that forced Jaune to back-track to avoid taking the chisel edged blade to his shoulder.

"Pathetic." Came a sneer as the red blade began to move, heavy slashes coming hard an fast.

Jaune felt his lips tug into a fighter's grin as he fell back, eminently more comfortable on the defensive, abandoning his attempts to copy Pyrrha in favor of falling into Neo's more familiar style. He parried away three attacks, letting his shield collapse, waiting for his moment.

It came at a high thrust aimed at his throat, an attack he side-stepped as he took his sword in both hands before driving it laterally into his opponent's chest. He tried to get his own sheath up to block, but with only a single hand on the grip he didn't quite manage it. Crimson aura flared protectively as he reeled back, Jaune pursuing hard.

Deflecting a hasty shotgun blast, he brought Crocea Mors down in a heavy slash that was only barely parried, his opponent stumbling back in almost pirouetting motion that saw his sword fall back into its sheath once more.

His only warning was a glow around the mans' clothing, mask, and hair, then the blade was yanked free, a line of scarlet line flashing towards him. The energy hit like a physical object, driving his sword back against his chest and cutting at his arms as it sent him skidding backwards a good two meters.

Jaune shook himself in surprise, glancing at his wrist. _Fifty percent left!? Holy crap!_

Worse, there was blood running down both of his arms, he hadn't quite gotten his aura across his body in time... but at least the bastard was coughing a little from where Jaune had hit him as well. Exhaling hard, he snapped his hand out, letting the shield expand once more, he'd need it against that semblance. A bit more aura stopped his bleeding, and he carefully began to stalk forwards once more.

The man regarded him stoically, then prowled forwards to resume their fight.

This time he seemed to take him seriously, and Jaune rapidly began to realize he was outclassed in more than just the semblance department. He dodged and parried as quickly as he could, but the asshole was quick enough to keep up with him, and skilled enough to make it hard to divert attacks. Each time he had to block instead of parrying it slowed him down, exposing him to _more_ direct blows or rounds from that stupid shotgun.

It was a vicious cycle he quickly realized he couldn't get out of. Normally the people who could keep up with him lacked the stamina to get through his obscene aura reserves... but this guy was just bludgeoning his way right through it. It didn't help that every impact on that damned sword or on his body seemed to charge up his opponent's semblance, the glow around him becoming more pronounced as the fight continued.

He wasn't going down without getting his own hits in, especially when he gave up on the shield once more and focused on using his free hand as both a weapon and blocker on its own. A pommel strike cracked the mask, revealing a furious brown eye, and several of his quick slashes drew more sparks of aura, more punches left bruises... but it remained an uneven fight and he became increasingly worried that another blast of that semblance might actually kill him outright even with the aura he had left.

Which meant it was time to change the rules.

Jaune reset his feet after a particularly hard exchange, then charged forwards with Crocea Mors held level to his shoulders. His opponent narrowed his single visible eye, quickly snapping his sword up to intercept the incoming attack. What he _didn't_ expect was for Jaune to simply let go of the sword on impact, leaving his opponent off balance for the two steps it took for him to tackle the guy.

They hit the ground hard, one of Jaune's hands getting a good grip on the stylish black coat, his other pulling back before coming down at his throat. The man jerked his chin down, taking it on the jaw instead, trying to get his sword up, not quite managing it as Jaune used his knee force his arm down and back.

"Get off!" The furious snarl came with a flash of scarlet light, and something struck him along every inch of his body as the faunus became the epicenter of a red-tinged explosion of energy. The power was thankfully unfocused, which probably saved his life. Instead of cutting like the prior application, it simply acted as a get-the-fuck-away-from-me semblance, and Jaune was flung off of his opponent before he could even think about trying to hold on, sailing in a flailing, inelegant arc that ended with his body hitting the concrete floor hard enough to bounce. The momentum carried him passed several blurs of color, maybe the students, before he hit one of the shipping crates and came to a merciful stop.

 _...ow._

His scroll was buzzing against his wrist, warning him that his aura was deep into the red, and he had no idea where his sword had ended up. He woozily got a leg under him, his shield coming up to block a gunshot by random luck rather than by any intentional act on his part.

Jaune shook his head, getting his vision cleared just in time to see his opponent finish reloading, his shotgun swinging to aim at his exposed legs.

"Jaune!" The panicked shout came as Pyrrha slid in beside him, her own shield locking against his to protect the rest of his body, sparks flying as it took the shot for him.

"Tch." The man scoffed, lowering his ranged weapon and using the brief pause to reassess the situation.

Tsune's opponent was bleeding from a dozen minor cuts, shifting over to stand back to back with the dark clothed man, while the professor, her tail wagging furiously as blood dripped from her weapons, lazily began to stalk a circle around them. In the far corner the fighting continued, at least one or two of the spear armed faunus were down, but a group of the civilians had decided to jump in to the fight, and where making things horribly complicated as the students tried not to kill any of them even as they fought the actual threats.

"Gray!" The man kicked the larger faunus behind him, "I'll deal with them myself, kill that huntsman and retrieve Blake and Ilia!"

 _Blake and... he knows their names? That can't be good..._

Jaune coughed, shaking his head to clear it and dragging himself up onto one knee, slowly getting his wind back. "Pyrrha... go! Help the others!"

"Are you-"

"Go!"

* * *

Pyrrha kicked off from the ground, forcing her legs to carry her back into the fight. Whoever the man in black was, he had to be incredibly strong to break the professor's aura like that. Gods, even _she_ needed a bit of time to get through his sheer stamina, and so it was a cautious champion who moved to continue the battle.

Professor Tsune had already re-engaged, trying to get after the larger faunus once more, only to be blocked by his apparent leader.

"You will deal with me traitor!" The red headed faunus spat, matching the woman just as he had matched Professor Arc.

The doctor didn't reply, her oddly shaped daggers drawing sparks as she parried heavy slashes from the red blade. She spun into his guard after a thrust, seemed to rap his shoulder with her knuckles before dragging a blade up and away, specks of blood flying along with it. Pyrrha felt her eyes widen as the faunus woman let out a wicked laugh that didn't stop when her opponent kicked her into the stomach, driving her back.

 _She can cut through aura!? No, she would have already dealt with the other man... she touched him right before, some kind of disruption effect?_

"Take the big man!" Tsune ordered as Pyrrha reached her, "I like this one!"

Pyrrha knew better than to waste time arguing in a fight, accelerating in a curve that brought her around them and towards her new opponent. The giant of a man had begun a charge towards the chaotic melee still covering the other side of the warehouse, the fight Ren had sent her away from when he'd seen Professor Arc being driven back.

"Kid! Swap with-shit!" Mister Branwen swore as Torchwick nearly caught him with a point-blank shot from his cane, the thief pushing him back before Yang flew past her uncle to counter-attack.

She didn't have time to look further, instead re-focusing on her opponent, absently leaping over a flailing strike from his massive chainsaw blade. Milo's javelin form lashed out in quick strikes, almost black aura flashing on his chest as she struck. He seemed to snarl through his mask, an arm rising to bat aside her third attack while he chambered another heavy swing.

A whip of her own arm sent Akouo to ricochet off of his head before he could, her semblance calling it back as he stumbled, her true weapon whirring into its blade form as she cut and lashed at his back and arms. There was a definite roar of pain and surprise as he spun around again, trying to drive her back.

Pyrrha twisted at her hips, ready to use Milo and her semblance to harmlessly parry the blow away... and felt someone slam into her back at top speed. She let out a surprised yelp, stumbling forwards, barely flaring her aura to mitigate the titanic swing as it collided with her right arm.

The blow flung her from her feet to tumble along the ground, body reflexively spinning to come up on a knee with her weapons ready. Her surprise attacker turned out to be _Weiss_ , the normally elegant girl laying in a stunned heap on the floor. She barely got a hand up to summon a glyph to send the chainsaw bouncing backwards.

Pyrrha surged back to her feet just as Weiss tried to get up, the heiress taking a massive boot right to her small chest before she could. She went flying over Mister Branwen, the professional huntsman ducking beneath her before his sword impacted the other man's, Blake surging over to protect Weiss in the background.

She adjusted her approach, trying to come in on the terrorist's weak side, and barely got a flicker of motion in the corner of her eyes. Her body twisted as she got Akouo up, a flare hammering into it as Torchwick pursued his own opponent, and sensibly tried to keep her out of the fight. Seeing that the huntsman was entirely occupied, trying to drive the other man farther away from the chaotic brawl, Pyrrha again changed opponents.

"Good to see you again Copper-top!" The thief taunted as Milo slammed against his cane, his body flexing subtly to absorb the impact. "I forgot to get your autograph last time!"

"Why are you working with-gah!" She gasped and ducked as he abruptly dropped his guard and threw a punch at her, nimbly twisting back to avoid the blow.

He pursued her, his attacks a relentless mix of strikes, punches, kicks, and point-blank shots from his cane that barely gave her time to counter-attack. His semblance had to be some form of dust manipulation, at one point he physically _caught_ his own shot after firing it, slamming it against her shield and trying to use the opening to lash at her throat.

It was a sharp reminder that her title had only ever been tested against people her own age, or close to it... and the fallen huntsman before her had been a warrior for longer than she had been alive. Her agility and semblance were the only things letting her hold him back, and it didn't seem to take him long to realize that she was doing something to his weapon to prevent herself from being struck.

"Heh." Torchwick let out an amused breath when they locked weapons once more, using his strength to force her to lean back, "Not bad for a little show pony!"

Her recent experience with Professor Arc helped warn her that he was distracting her, twisting her leg to avoid the knee that tried to drive into her thigh as he spoke. A flare of her semblance forced his cane up and back, letting _her_ try and knee him in the groin in retaliation, and he only just shifted to take it on a hip instead. She finished yanking his weapon out of his hands, sending it skittering off into a corner, and slammed her blade into his chest to see orange tinged aura block it as a hand blurred towards his waist.

She barely had time to see a canister being raised before pure fire dust was being sprayed at her face.

The yelp of surprise came out before she could stop it, the explosion of heat and light making her eyes squeeze shut as she desperately flared her aura to mitigate the attack. It left her entirely defenseless when he grabbed her right arm, clenching her wrist so tightly she needed more aura to stop the delicate bones from breaking, and he followed it up with a haymaker that connected with her left cheek.

Pyrrha stumbled and felt her body be yanked back by his grip on her arm so that he could deck her again in the same spot, some distant part of her realizing he was keeping her stunned so that she couldn't overpower him or use her semblance now that he was disarmed.

The sound of a whip cracking past her ear was almost musical, and Torchwick abruptly let go as her vision started to come back, the man cursing as Ilia drove him back with long-range strikes from her weapon. Another spray of dust made her flinch back as another small explosion created space between them, the man re-appearing at a full sprint in the direction of his weapon.

"You're burned." Ilia gasped as she moved up beside her, panting for breath. "Are you ok? Can you see?"

"I'm fine." She managed, blinking rapidly to try and clear her vision, though truthfully parts of her face were starting to tingle in an ominous kind of fashion. "My aura held. The others?"

"Think we're winning." Her partner replied, "Professors are driving back Adam, Ruby cleared the top, others just need to clear the civilians then we'll have help!"

As if summoned by her words, there was a high pitched yelp and Ruby came flying down from a catwalk. She bounced off of a crate, landing in a hard stumble on the ground before frantically backing away as someone else's dust whip lashed down from the upper level after her. Her opponent didn't jump down after her, instead simply... _appearing_ out of a shadow behind the shipping container, near where Roman was now standing.

"About time." The thief complained, hefting his recovered weapon up.

The woman stepped into the light, and Pyrrha felt her eyes narrow in recognition. She was slim, short, and dark haired. Ancient styled bent blades rode on either of her hips, while she idly twirled a wickedly barbed dust whip, her right arm bared to reveal an almost solid covering of black tattoos. Though she wasn't disguised as a faunus today, she wore the same sleek black body suit, and was keeping her lower face covered with a mask.

"You hired me." She spoke through the cloth, her voice... strangely plain. "They didn't. The White Fang are scattered and fleeing outside, the Paladin destroyed. The Schnee bitch is on her way."

Pyrrha felt a second wind surge through her at the news, her grip on her weapons firming as she began to slowly stride forwards, trusting Ilia to follow and cover her. "Surrender!"

The thief gave her a patronizing look, but otherwise ignored her. "Perry?"

"Recovered." His companion replied. "Along with the others on your list. Only you three and the guards remain."

He sighed, leaning his cane up against his shoulder. "Time to go then."

Pyrrha shot forwards before the could try and flee, not about to let them escape. The woman seemed to require darkness to use her semblance, if she could force them to remain in the light then-

Torchwick pulled the trigger on his weapon, a dust flare screaming upwards to impact with the lighting directly above the two criminals. She had to leap back as debris promptly rained down from the ceiling, her vision swimming slightly as she used her semblance directly once more, protecting herself and Ilia as they got clear.

"Dammit!" Her partner spat as the dust settled... showing nothing but empty, shadowed space beneath a sparking hole in the roof.

"We have to stop the others from getting away!" Pyrrha shouted, turning, finding the remaining fights. Mister Branwen had separated his fight from everyone else, and seemed to have one, his opponent slumped against a crate with his weapon broken nearby. Her fellow students had forced the spear armed faunus back in a kind of wary truce as if they'd all realized that the fight was more or less over.

The only people still really fighting were the two professors and the White Fang leader, though the latter was clearly exhausted and on the defensive from having to fight two elite hunters at the same time.

She was just starting to move in that direction when Ilia swore again, her whip cracking off towards the left. Pyrrha jerked her gaze around to see the dark clothed woman stepping out from another shadow... right beside some kind of device on the wall. Ilia's strike missed low, cracking near her feet, the range simply too long.

Akouo rose to her shoulder as she shifted it to its gunnery mode, but before she could pull the trigger the woman swung her arm across the fuse box... killing every light in the building.

Mister Branwen activated his scroll first, and began swearing like a sailor when its light showed his defeated opponent gone from where he'd been a moment before. More lights flared to life, just in time to see the elite members of the White Fang all joining hands, grabbing their wounded before their shadowed forms simply _melted_ into the darkness.

When the Atlesian Specialists burst into the building a minute later, only a few dazed and confused civilians remained.

* * *

Qrow collapsed onto an old bench outside of the warehouse, wishing all of the flashing lights would shut the fuck off. The blonde teacher beside him seemed to agree, groaning and leaving his eyes closed as he let his head hang backwards.

"What a fucking night..." The young man sighed.

"I'll drink to that." He replied before doing so, his flask tipping back. "I'd offer ya a belt, but I don't really share."

"It's fine... better I don't, have a hard time stopping." Arc admitted, not opening his eyes. "How is everyone?"

"Intact." Qrow said, feeling his shoulders slump in relief for that. It had been a lot harder than he'd thought to see his little nieces running around in a full fucking battle, knowing his semblance could kick in at any moment. And it fucking had, tripping up the little ice queen, _twice,_ and making the cat girl's weapon jam up.

Then the civilians had charged in... he hadn't waited around after that. Something would have happened that would have seen Ruby or Yang kill someone, he just knew it. He'd had to risk that Torchwick would pursue when he bailed on their fight, trying to get himself farther away from the kids and their part of the battle.

 _Cereal box girl came through big there... I owe her a beer._ He took another, slower sip of his whiskey.

His very rough and sketchy plan had been to deal with the moving mountain, then help the psychopathic doc and the blonde handle the boss while the celebrity kept Torchwick off of everyone. It had been his extreme displeasure to find out that the big guy had held more aura than anyone he'd ever fought besides Taiyang. He hadn't exactly been quick, but he'd combined that stamina with a damnably cunning approaching, letting Qrow wail on him, luring him in for counter-attacks that had hurt like a bitch.

"Ice queen number two's going to need a walking boot and auric boosters." He said finally, lowering his drink. "Cereal is already getting her face covered in burn treatments, rest are just tired and bruised like us."

"Good." Arc groaned in reply, wincing a little and resting a hand on his chest. "Ow... that guy hit like a Beringel..."

"Adam Taurus." Qrow shook his head, glowering as he recalled the reports he'd seen on the asshole. "He's not much older than you, but he's fucking skilled as shit, killed a few huntsman in the past. That semblance of his is deadly as hell."

The younger teacher cracked an eye open, looking down at the thin lines of scar tissue on both of his biceps. Fuck that rumored semblance must have been close to the mark; the guy healed fast. "Yeah... got lucky he couldn't focus it that second time."

"Yeah, you did." He agreed, reconsidering offering the guy a drink.

Qrow hadn't been able to see much of the other man's fighting, but it had looked hardcore... and if nothing else the guy had balls for getting back into the brawl even after getting blasted across the room. He didn't think he'd accomplished much besides distracting the guy for Tsune to get a few hits in, but that was better than sitting around like an idiot waiting for his aura to recover.

Too many young brats would have done just that, the culture of protecting themselves too ingrained. Not that he could blame the schools for hammering that into the students... there just wasn't enough huntsman around for the old aggressive attitudes to be worth it on the large scale. Guys like him, from Vacuo, tended to be more old-school in a way he approved of, but then again that screwed up kingdom had damn near as many hunters and 'hunters' as all of the other kingdoms put together.

 _What a screwed up world..._

Hist mental bitching was interrupted as footsteps approached, both men looking up to see Winter Schnee striding in their direction. Her normally immaculate appearance was delightfully ruined by dust, grime, and flecks of blood. She almost looked like a real huntress before she opened her mouth and ruined the image.

"Gentlemen." Winter greeted them, her voice as upper-class as ever, though at least she sounded half as tired as they did. "The last of the White Fang are being taken into custody now, the VPD has indicate they will hand the remaining pursuit of those who fled the area."

Qrow grunted, absently replacing the cap on his flask. From her tones she didn't expect much from that pursuit, and neither did he. "What's the haul?"

"Fifty seven in uniform, forty-three out. Likely half to two-thirds those gathered here." She responded, "Fourteen fatalities among the White Fang, all uniformed members, only two dead police officers. Five of my people are injured but not seriously, and your fellow Valean huntsman performed adequately."

He snorted... _adequately my fucking ass._ "Don't sound so kind, Ice Queen."

A muscle in her cheek twitched, and she pointedly turned to regard the kid instead. "I have turned over command to the VPD and huntsman Aero, and intend to return to Vale with the students. My teams have signaled for extraction and will be returning to the fleet shortly."

Arc nodded before planting his hands on the bench and groaning, pushing himself upright. "Best I catch the flight back to Beacon as well. You staying Mister Brawnen?"

"We were just in a real brawl together, call me Qrow." He responded, grimacing as he forced his own aching body to get up as well. "Yeah, might as well, Oz'll want to hear what happened from everyone who was here... can't hurt to check on the pipsqueak and firecracker too."

The kid seemed to need a moment to translate the nicknames, while Schnee looked utterly thrilled he was going to accompany them.

 _Deal with it._

Winter just had the tendency to bring out the worst in him. He could respect the hell out of her drive and zeal, and the fact she'd escape her obsessive asshole of a father... but he'd never get along with a hunter who'd sold out to a military so fucking completely that she didn't even realize she'd done it. That her precious kingdom was going down the same historical road it had a century ago when it had helped screw the planet up for decades after.

It also didn't help that she was in dire need of a hard lay to work that stick out of her ass, not that he was volunteering.

The trio made the short walk over to where a Bullhead was idling, its cargo bay doors open to show kids slumped in chairs, or laid out on stretchers while an exhausted professor checked their injuries.

"...you'll both need auric shots when we return to Beacon." Tsune was saying as they climbed inside, the woman's voice heavy like she'd just been railed hard and loved it. Which, considering her tastes, was probably not that far from the truth from her point of view. "The same can be said for you Jaune, Qrow... as matter of fact I think you should stay overnight for supervision."

"No thanks." He said, shuffling over to sit beside Yang. "One night with you was enough for a lifetime, really didn't care for the whole whips and handcuffs thing."

Tsune gave him a lazy grin as his nieces made gagging sounds, "If you want I could use the chains instead."

"Pilot." Winter called before he could reply in the extreme negative, her tones as cold and annoyed as ever. "We're aboard and ready to depart."

" _Confirmed_." A woman's voice came from the speakers as the side doors began to swing shut and the engines throttled up. " _Headin' home."_

Qrow let his head sink back against the rest, the cushion of the seat not nearly sufficient after how long of a day he'd just had. Across from him the other teacher dropped in next to the other team, seemed to be talking to the quiet guy who led them while Winter disdained a chair in favor of settling in beside her sister and talking in even lower tones while gently brushing hair out of the girls' eyes.

 _...and of course you've got to seem human, stop me from throwing you completely into the 'ice queen, military asshole – ignore' box._

"You all right firecracker?" He asked as the Bullhead got airborne, everyone shifting a bit as it accelerated.

"Tired." Yang replied, punctuating her words with a long yawn. "Kind of upset... I mean, all that and we didn't catch anyone important."

"Not all missions end perfectly kid." Qrow reminded her, "And hell, this one actually went pretty damn well all things considering. Got more than a hundred terrorists behind bars, that's going to set them back hard even if we missed the head honcho."

"I guess." She said, but she at least sounded a little more relaxed. "...was surprised, to be honest. Those guys were a lot better than I thought, after how easy they were to take on at the docks."

He grunted, "The docks were a milk-run, probably trying to break in some rookies on an easy job. The White Fang didn't get where they are by being shit at fighting, they've got some real talent... odds are those guys you fought with the spears are academy drop-outs, or did prep school and never bothered with Beacon or Haven."

Ruby heard that, making a sad sound, while the cat girl nodded tiredly. "That's mostly true... a few were trained by faunus huntsmen, but it's not uncommon to lure away faunus students. Especially young orphans."

Of which there was too damned many in the world, both human and faunus. "You all right ears? Paperwork you gave Oz said you knew Taurus pretty well."

Said ears flattened a little as she looked away. "I'll be all right... like you said, we set them back. We stopped them... that's enough for me."

Ruby nodded firmly, "And we're all O.K."

"That too." The girl smiled, though it was as exhausted as her voice. "Honestly I think I'm too tired to be upset right now."

"Oh yeah..." Yang groaned, stretching her legs out and dramatically letting her head fall onto her partner's shoulder. "...I could sleep for a week."

Qrow couldn't help but chuckle as the tea STRQ tradition of passing out after a mission continued in the next generation, his niece snoring within a minute while Ruby tucked herself against his other side like the pipsqueak she still was.

 _Tai is gonna be pissed that he missed this one..._

* * *

 _Another bit of a delay, sorry, got stalled at the end of the Jaune section/start of the Pyrrha one and needed a bit to work my way through it. Trying to maintain the balance of Jaune being far more skilled than canon, but not quite on someone like Adam's level (the lack of a combat semblance actually being a weakness something else I wanted to highlight; as well as his ability to put up a good fight even when outclassed). Also wanted to toy with Couer's throw away line regarding Tsune's semblance and weapon, and how both could be effective. We do run into another OC in the real Charcoal, whose arrival I tried to hint at, we'll be seeing more of her in the future._

 _For those of you who dislike OC's, I'll say that I don't plan on giving any of them besides Jaune's family POV sections, they're going to remain strictly supporting characters used to flesh out the world a bit. Also decided to go with "Gray" for the White Fang Lieutenant's name rather than any of the others people have come up with, it seemed appropriate with his VA and gray-patterned armor and pants._

 _Next chapter will be a lot of aftermath and aftershocks for everyone involved._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 ** _ _Thanks, Kat__**


	40. Semester II: Aftershocks

**Aftershocks**

* * *

Cinder was roused from dreamless slumber by a rapid knocking on her private door, a glance at her clock revealing that it was well past one in the morning. Throttling the urge to incinerate both the door and whoever lurked behind it, or to simply throw a glass dagger through the thin wood, she irritably kicked off her blankets and stood.

A moment's work loosely belted her silk robes around her waist, and she stalked to the door before yanking it open.

Emerald stuttered mid-knock, "C-Cinder, I'm sorry!"

A pale hand grabbed her neck, though she refrained from squeezing or immolating the exceedingly useful tool through sheer willpower. "I don't want _apologies,_ I want a _reason_."

The girl swallowed, her throat flexing against Cinder's grip, but she maintained her composure. "The rally was raided. Full VPD and Huntsman assault."

Cinder simply stared at her for a moment, her sleep addled brain needing the time to process what she was saying. Then a frustrated growl escaped her as she shouldered past the young woman, stalking into her living area. Her television clicked on as soon as she found the remote, switching to the VNN.

" _...daring raid in these late hours of the evening, a combined force was able to shut down a massive White Fang terrorist operation."_ The night announcer, a younger man who looked entirely too thrilled to be the one breaking the report, breathlessly continued. " _We're still compiling all of the facts for you, but we can confirm that the VPD's special operations unit, Atlesian military personnel, and elite huntsman from Vale were all present during the operation."_

Someone quickly passed him a piece of paper from off screen, and he glanced at it before continuing, " _Breaking news, we have just received a statement from General Ironwood, indicating that this was a joint operation several days in the planning. Captain Winter Schnee of Atlas, an acclaimed huntress, was in overall command, supported by Huntsman Branwen, a native of Patch with nearly twenty years experience. We're also receiving reports that students of Beacon Academy may have been present in a supporting role, commanded by Professor Jaune Arc."_

Cinder pressed the mute button, exhaling slowly, forcing her temper to remain leashed. "Taurus?"

"He escaped ma'am." Emerald quickly launched into a situation report, "About two thirds of the rank and file were captured, but the entire senior staff and Torchwick were able to evade the cordon or depart by... other means."

She narrowed her eyes slightly. "...the mercenary again?"

Emerald nodded, "Yes ma'am."

Cinder let out another slow breath, her hands slowly relaxing as she considered contingencies. The notion that someone in the White Fang would reveal the rally to the authorities hadn't escaped her, that was why she had pressured Taurus and his precious little cadre to attend in person. They could have easily handled any VPD response, and likely even a team of professional hunters, especially when bolstered by their little minions and Roman.

Ozpin had surprised her by willingly, or perhaps unwillingly, including the Atlesians... and his precious students. "Branwen... that man is becoming a thorn in our sides. And dear Jaune was involved as well."

"Do you think think that Arc was behind the raid?"

The thought rolled around in her mind. It was certainly possible, and it was an oblique enough maneuver that she had little ability to respond if he had been behind it... but it seemed unlikely. This struck her more of an attack of opportunity, her technical ally going along with a plan drawn up by the Headmaster to increase his own standing and as a means to distract her.

Further, Jaune and Neopolitan were hardly going anywhere. It would have been idiotic for them to precipitate an engagement with her right now... but she had empirical evidence that even intelligent people could, at times, be complete morons. They _could_ have already located the vault and simply not yet realized that she was the living key, but she privately hoped they had more sense than to move against her before the Relic was securely in their hands.

Then again, if they were so stupid, Salem would hardly have need of them, and she could simply remove them at her leisure.

"I will consider it." Cinder said finally, her mind turning back to the more critical information. "And speak with them once we're done here. Where are our assets now?"

Emerald rubbed at her head for a moment, visibly concentrating. "The White Fang are heading to their outpost in the lower river zone, Taurus is demanding you meet with him soonest to discuss a counter-attack or something. Torchwick sent a message saying the Fang owe him a small fortune, and that he would continue planned operations until you said otherwise."

That made her eyes narrow slightly as she made a few mental notes for herself regarding the thief. "...inform Taurus we will meet with him tomorrow night, and then destroy your scroll and cycle to a new one. Make whatever excuses for your team you need for yourself and Mercury's absence for a full evening of work."

Red eyes blinked, "O-of course, um... a full night?"

"We are now operating on a limited time schedule for the primary plan." She reminded her student.

The student missions were now a mere four weeks away, immediately after the mid-summer festivities. The ball remained the ideal time for her to infiltrate the CCT, something that _had_ to happen for any of her other plans to function at their full potential. It was the single linchpin that could not be put aside.

This... _could_ relax the city, and its defenses, if they thought a major blow had been won. But such a thing could also cripple the White Fang's morale and make them doubt in the plan. Taurus was a capable combat leader, and she knew that in small settings he could convert the most reluctant faunus, but he was a mediocre large scale public speaker who relied on previously won converts to carry his message along.

 _The primary plan is, in all likelihood, now ineffective at best... but... hmm. Perhaps a longer drumbeat will make the emotions all the more poignant..._

"This could even be turned to our advantage," Cinder murmured, shaking her head somewhat, "But time is going to be of essence. Sleep will have to wait for us all. Be in Vale by six at the very latest."

"Yes ma'am." Emerald murmured, bowing her head. "Did you need anything else?"

"Yes. The mercenary... where is she?"

The girl bit her lip and bowed slightly, "I don't know ma'am. Neither Torchwick nor Taurus indicated if she was still with them or not."

 _...irritating, but not unexpected._

"Very well. You may depart, get what rest you can." She dismissed her with a wave, the girl quickly making for the window she'd evidently come in through, vanishing as she nimbly lept out of it.

If anyone witnessed her arrival and departure, tongues would wag, but such a scandal would be preferable to the more direct questions asked if she had simply walked through the hallways with their security cameras.

Cinder wasted little further time, striding over to close the window behind her, then returning to her bedroom to prepare herself. Her robes slipped away as she picked up arming belts, the cloth and leather joining her underthings around her pale skin. One wrapped snugly around her waist, a second around her right thigh, and both quickly became filled with dust canisters, knives, and a few vials of useful toxins.

Her black robe was pulled on once more, and was then securely fashioned to ensure that neither would be readily visible. It was now her turn to be aggressive, her turn to push and see what came loose... and if such aggression invited retaliation, she intended to be fully prepared.

Once armed, she quietly padded out of her rooms, locking the door behind her, and taking the short walk down the dimly lit halls to where her 'ally' resided. Her knuckles rapped sharply on the door once, then she paused to listen.

"...go away!" Arc shouted, "Unless you're Ozpin or Glynda. Then go away _please_."

She felt her lips twitch as she called back, "It's Cinder, I just saw the news."

Even through the word she was fairly certain she heard a few amusing swear words, then the door was yanked open to reveal Neopolitan's petite form. To her surprise the tiny woman didn't glare at her, attempt to force her back, or do anything besides simply spin around and return quickly to the couch where her blonde partner lay.

Jaune... looked rather awful, and she was once more surprised that they hadn't bothered to conceal such weakness.

He was leaning back against several cushions, his shirt removed to reveal a rather impressive, though surprisingly slender, torso. His normally pale skin was even more so, and his cheeks and eyes were sunken in the characteristic fashion of someone suffering from acute aura exhaustion. More than that, she could see a fresh white lane traced over both of his bared biceps, and across part of the left side of his chest.

 _He was not lying about his healing rate then, or at least, not entirely lying._

She closed the door behind her, walking forwards, observing as the smaller huntress carefully finished unrolling a black kit filled with small vials, syringes, bandages, and packets of medicines.

"Auric boosters." Cinder murmured, "And you allow me to witness this?"

Jaune twitched a hand lazily, "Are you going to kill us with all of the other teachers around, and mostly awake?"

Her lips curled on one side as she attempted to work out just what their game was at the moment, "Hm, true, it would be rather difficult to do so silently... did dear Adam give you that wound with his blade?"

The man closed his eyes, breathing slowly, visibly considering his response before replying, "Semblance, caught me off guard the first time."

That made one of her eyebrows raise in genuine surprise, "The first time?"

"Hit me twice, plus a good deal of whacking me with that stupid red stick of his." Arc groused as she circled the small coffee table, picking out an armchair to settle into while her tired mind continued to whirl, chasing those thoughts.

He had no reason to lie, as a professor she would likely have the authority to read his after-action report even without her ability to simply hack into the system. That meant he was being truthful about being struck by Taurus's semblance, _twice_ , in addition to participating in mundane combat beyond that. Even at a moderate power she had seen that talent _bisect_ weaker huntsman... that alone told her that Arc's aura reverses were simply immense.

But the fact that he now needed an auric booster, and was so obviously exhausted, also told her that he hadn't quite won the battle either. A draw, perhaps? A purposeful defeat before so many witnesses seemed unlikely, and a victory would have been obviously desirable. Unless he was so determined to hide his strength that he hadn't gone all out... or that Adam had simply surprised him with his semblance...

Dammit. She wasn't quite awake enough for this level of analyzation. _I will have to speak with Adam most closely for his opinion on your battle..._

"You'll be pleased to know that Roman got him away, along with his personal guard and a few others." He continued when she said nothing, "And maybe a third of the Fang managed to bolt since the cordon never got properly setup."

Nothing Emerald hadn't already told her, but she made a polite sound of acknowledgment all the same. "I see... now, would you care to explain why I was not warned?"

Jaune didn't open his eyes as Neopolitan carefully picked out a syringe and a vial, her focus and careful movements telling Cinder that, while this was not a common occurrence, it was not new to them either. "I wasn't informed of the operation until this morning, they were playing things very close to the chest to avoid tipping off the White Fang... and they got tipped off anyway."

She tapped a slow finger on the armrest. "I would not have been so moronic to to reveal the foreknowledge, Jaune."

"Maybe not," He agreed, "But let's be honest with each other Cinder, we're barely allies right now. Neither one of us wanted the other interfering in the other's plans... and you can ask Glynda, I _did_ try to get Bart to take this mission instead. The last thing we want is you as an enemy right now."

That made her purse her lips, though privately she doubted he had tried all that hard. Part of her, the tired, irritated portion that was furious over her upset plans wanted _badly_ to vent her emotions on the pair of them... but she did not have the luxury of such self-indulgence. Salem would have her head, for one, Ozpin would discover her for another.

 _But this cannot be repeated._

Were it anyone else, she would have simply resorted to threats. Arc was weak, vulnerable... but their place at this school limited her options and they both knew it. She would have to continue the more.. gentle manipulations, difficult as it was given her current mood.

"I suppose that I did equally insist that you not involve yourself in my affairs... given that, I can hardly fault you for participating." Cinder lied.

His eyes opened as both of them turned to give her deadpan expressions that were so in sync that her forced smile nearly became genuine. "Am I that transparent?"

"To someone in our business..." Jaune let his head fall back once more, "...yeah."

She would have to work on that, or perhaps it was merely her exhaustion that was revealing cracks in her normally flawless mask. Cinder watched as Neopolitan deftly slid up onto the couch, taking his left arm and inspecting it before gently sliding the needle in. Arc didn't so much as react to the prick, or the sensation of diluted dust and medicine flooding into his veins.

"I believe," Cinder spoke as the needle was withdrawn, "That this was an unfortunate incident that proves we need to work more closely in the future, and to be more open with one another."

Neopolitan turned to regard her, her brown eye shifting to a dull pink a she stared, the challenge clear despite her lack of voice. _Why should we?_

"We are allies, are we not?" She asked, "I withdrew my disciples from their observations of the first years, as you asked. I have not made any true threats, taken any overt actions. I am quite prepared to honor our arrangement, and provide you with information that you _need..._ I only ask that you act in kind."

Jaune pushed himself forwards slightly, opening his eyes and running his right hand through his hair, "You're saying that, but you haven't really given us anything besides not coming up with a story to tell Ozpin."

"Neither are you." She said easily, "Trust goes both ways, Jaune... but it is late, and let us dispense with the usual games. Are you free this weekend?" At a twitch of a nod from Neopolitan, she continued, "Then let us meet on Saturday evening, a public venue of your own choosing where we can discuss details."

The pair exchanged a long look, then Jaune tilted his head slightly. "We'll take it under consideration."

Meaning that they thought they had gained the upper hand against her with this little coup, and _that_ was a challenge she was not about to ignore.

"Do not mistake my words, Jaune, Neopolitan." Cinder murmured as she rose to her feet, letting her power thrum around her, air rippling as her skin heated, her eyes tinging with fire though not fully revealing her true self. "I have my reasons for desiring to be your friend... but I do not need you, not as _you_ need _me_ to open the vault housing your precious relic."

That, more than her display of power she thought, drew them both up short.

"A public venue." She repeated simply, turning to the door, letting her powers recede. "Preferably one that serves fine wine, so that we may indulge as we tell one another honest truths."

* * *

Taiyang Xiao-Long walked through the gates of the Branwen Tribe's camp as if he intended to deck anyone who got in his way. Normally that would have been nothing more than an act, a necessary part of the job, but tonight?

Tonight... he meant it.

Bandits that had been wandering around the camp, moving from fire to fire as some kind of feast was prepared, quickly noticed both him and the sullen, shame-faced sentries trailing after him. They rose, grabbing weapons, but instead of challenging him simply followed along as well, forming a veritable mob as he headed deeper into the encampment.

The sole exception proved to be an icey eyed young woman with tattoos, chakram inspired weapons held in both hands as she planted her feet between him and the grand tent behind her.

"Great." She growled, " _You._ What the hell do you think you're doing here? _"_

Tai regarded her, crossing his arms, wishing he was surprised she knew him by sight. "Aren't you a little young to be a bodyguard?"

The girl, she couldn't have been much older than Yang by the gods, glared at him and settled her weight into a fighting stance both weapons clearly aimed directly at his chest. It was a good stance, well balanced, clearly aggressive... but her right foot was a bit too far forwards to properly brace herself.

"You're right foot should be two inches back, and an inch to the left." He said, not moving. "You should have corrected that by now, Raven."

For a moment, there wasn't a response, then the red cloth shifted to reveal his ex-wife. She wasn't wearing her mask, which was both good and bad. Good, in the sense that he hated the stupid thing, the symbol of a warrior culture that pretty much everyone in this stupid tribe had forgotten. Bad, in the sense that it let him see Raven without anything between them. Let him see the mother of his daughter, and just how much Yang had taken after her.

He always forgot just how beautiful she was...

"Tai." She greeted him flatly, stepping forwards onto a make-shift deck, a hand resting on the hilt of her weapon. "I see you finally decided to visit."

"Well, it was hard to work up the motivation." Taiyang replied, keeping his arms crossed. "I mean, you weren't really polite the last time we spoke."

Raven's red eyes narrowed as there was a rumble from her assembled followers. "Well, I guess that makes me a _bad_ person, doesn't it?"

Summer's words being thrown back at him made him grind his teeth, but he kept his temper. "I just want to talk, let's have some tea, if you still want a brawl we can trash this place afterwords."

She stared at him, then flicked her eyes to everyone else. "Finish your meals! You'll need the energy when we break camp tomorrow! You, help the sentries find their spines."

The young girl nodded, glaring at him, and then at the men and women who hadn't been able to even slow down his approach to the tribe's home. He watched them go, the crowd dispersing, and only then started walking forwards once more.

The inside of Raven's tent was very Raven. Filled with an eclectic mixture of rugs, blankets, tapestries... even back in Beacon she'd cared less for symmetry and more for whatever whim had taken her at the time. He hadn't really understood then, but he did now. She was used to picking out the nicest, most luxurious of items on her raids, claiming them for her own to prove her status as the tribal leader.

 _The strong take what they want from the weak._

"Still raiding I see." He said, watching as she set her weapon aside, making for a set of tea.

"It keeps us alive." She replied without turning, her posture stiff and angry. "You have a lot of nerve, coming here."

"Drop the act." Taiyang shook his head, taking one of the cushions on the floor. "You've known I'm coming for days, if not weeks."

Raven turned to glare over her shoulder, "I've known you're coming for years, that hardly assists in my temper."

Meaning she still wanted to kill him for what had happened before, during, and then after. "Look... we can talk about the past later, right now we have to focus on the future."

"Oh, so this is about me for once?" Those piercing red eyes narrowed to slits before she turned back to making tea. "How refreshing. Since you were so kind to ask, the Tribe is doing well, we're growing in strength, making Mistral notice our bite, and I am ensuring that we are honoring the old ways. I expect us to continue to thrive in the future."

Taiyang had to force his hands not to clench. "Your old ways involving murder, arson, and theft I assume? Or did you start teaching history lessons in the mornings?"

She scoffed without turning, "As if your precious Vale is any better. How many lives did team STRQ end, Tai? How many times did Ozpin's precious missions leave us standing over corpses? All in the name of peace and justice and all the tripe you and Summer obsessed with... but at the end of the day, the only true difference between your kingdom and my tribe is one of scope."

"I don't believe that." He replied quietly.

"Fool." Raven muttered, but from the way she seemed to slump, her heart wasn't in the insult. It was a conversation they'd had multiple times, multiple ways... sometimes with Summer and Qrow, sometimes in screaming matches alone, sometimes as hissed words while one of them held Yang's tiny form. Neither of them had budged then, neither one of them would now.

Looking back on it all... their separation had been inevitable, painful as it was to admit. When they'd been young, he'd... _they'd_ thought love would be enough. That it would be something that could transcend their occasional arguments and differing opinions. That they could get through it, so long as they stuck together.

They'd been wrong.

Team STRQ had been exposed to the cruel realities of the world, and a Raven who he had thought was starting to come around, to consider his and Summer's philosophies as more than just stupid words, had simply _erupted_.

 _But... that was just the final spark. Raven never really believed, never really changed, not like Qrow. She just let us think she was changing, adjusting, because she wanted..._

He sighed, sipping from hot tea. It was pointless to think about. If the incident with Oz hadn't happened, if the tribe's leader hadn't fallen when he had, then something else would have set her off and seen her leave. Holly's Pass, Mountain Glenn, Vellindon Village, or any one a dozen other less known events would have done enough to 'prove' her points.

Their little family... their team... they had been doomed from the start, no matter what Summer had tried to tell him after.

"You talk to Qrow lately?" He asked after they had finished perhaps half of their tea in a tense silence.

"He confronted me in a bar in Vale." Raven replied, tilting her own cup back, her anger already fading. She burned hot but fast... just like Yang. "He wants me to return to Ozpin, to go back to being a good little bird, serving his master as blindly as he does."

"It's not like that."

"It's precisely like that." She retaliated, "Since when does Ozpin content himself with information brokers when he could have soldiers fight his pointless war for him?"

Taiyang drank more tea, giving himself a moment to stay calm. Raven, for many reasons really, had never really understood Ozpin... or understood that she _couldn't_ understand Ozpin. The man had literally been alive for so long Tai wasn't sure he qualified as human anymore. He had his reasons for not taking personally to the battlefield as he evidently had in past lives, reasons that Tai might not have entirely agreed with... but reasons he respected.

And, if nothing else, Ozpin was still trying to do the right thing. He couldn't say the same for Raven.

"Is there anything you can give me, anything at all?" He asked.

Raven simply stared at him, saying nothing, and he sighed as he realized his mistake. "...I'll let you meet Yang, without me or Qrow around, whenever you want."

Her eyes widened for a brief moment, then narrowed viciously. "You speak as if I need your permission to visit my own daughter."

"I'm mostly promising to keep Qrow from interfering." Tai admitted, "He loves his niece, and he's even more paranoid about you being a horrible influence than I am. Just please, don't bring her here. I don't want to have to make another long trip so soon."

She scoffed, but he could tell he had her interest. In all of their fights, Raven's care for her daughter had been a constant he'd been able to rely on... true, that care was wrapped up in the Branwen's irritating 'strength' obsession, but she _did_ care about Yang. She wouldn't have been flitting around as a raven, watching their daughter train and spar for the last five years if she didn't.

"You'd let me, a bandit queen, influence your precious daughter?" Raven asked, leaning forwards, her teacup held negligently in one hand. "Even though I lead the Branwen, who... what did you call my tribe last time?"

He pursed his lips, "...dying remnants of an old kingdom that should have the grace to just die already."

"I think you swore a lot more, so did Summer for that matter. It was almost impressive."

Tai exhaled, "That was the gist of it and you know it. Can you stop trying to dance around the subject?"

She tapped a finger against her cup, lifting it to take a sip before smirking slightly. "How desperate are you Tai, that you'd agree? You told me to stay away from Yang, and from Summer's brat, the last time we spoke. At least when we were still bothering with words."

There was a low throb of phantom pain in his right hip, a memory from that 'conversation'. He'd been angry, hurt, furious at her sudden return two years after leaving... and she'd been the same when she'd seen what had transpired in her absence.

He inhaled, then let out the old pain on the exhalation. He wasn't here to pick at old wounds, as much as Raven was trying to provoke him. "The world's getting dark, you probably know that as well as anyone. I want to end this war before Yang and Ruby have to learn what we did."

Raven's small smirk faded into a scowl, "Then you're years too late. They're involved now, and no amount of deluded questing on your part will change that. You should be encouraging them to stand on their own legs instead of grasping at straws."

"Raven," Tai shook his head, "You're _still_ evading answering."

"A criminal evading a question... how strange."

Another pang of memory, the pair of them trading the most awful jokes and driving Summer and Qrow up the walls. "Raven."

She scoffed, tipping her cup back to finish it before setting it aside. "Vale is going to fall, Tai. There is nothing you or that old wizard can do about it, not even with old Ironwood around to assist. Ozpin's made too many enemies... and they're all coming for him together."

He felt his back tighten as he set his cup aside, shaking off his anger and sorrow to focus. "You mean there's multiple factions in play?"

Raven lazily held up a hand, displaying four fingers, and he just stared at them in shock. "Qrow's been too obsessed chasing one of them to realize that there's others in play, the fact that they aren't all in bed with one another is the only reason I'm giving any of you a chance to survive at all."

 _Four groups... that's way more than just Salem's queen._ "All after Amber?"

She shrugged before standing, carrying her cup back to her tea-set to prepare more. "One, for sure. The others motives are less clear."

Tai narrowed his eyes, "You're lying... you know what they want."

"Do I?" Raven challenged, looking back at him, "Maybe I do, but it's hardly relevant. You wanted information, but you paid with nothing more than a petty favor... so I've given you something of equal worth in return."

He found himself on his own feet after a moment, and realized that gold sparks were starting to run down his arms to sputter against the floor.

"Raven." He said, his voice low. "Yang's there, so is Ruby. If they're in danger-"

"Then they will survive or fall on their own strength and merit." She interrupted him with a lazy shrug that nearly set him off entirely. "Yang is powerful, strong, bold... I'll admit that you and Qrow did not fail in raising her. She'll survive, just as we did. And honestly? _You_ playing the danger card?"

"She's our daughter." Tai didn't quite growl but it was close. "Parents should protect their children."

Raven snorted, "Ah yes, because protecting her is precisely what you're doing right now, letting her waltz into a full battle with the White Fang with her little friends and Summer's brat."

Taiyang blinked as his anger was hit by a battering ram of pure confusion, "She's... what?"

"It's quite the show really, I was annoyed to have to leave it to greet you." Black hair shifted as she shook her head, "Taurus himself was there, along with a dozen or so Fang with aura and training. Police shooting at terrorists, Schnee and her little automatons charging around, and a pair of predictable student teams being thrown into battle by a callous old fool."

...he hated Raven most when she wasn't entirely wrong. _Gods dammit Ozpin, what are you thinking? That's not a mission for first years! Hell, I'd argue against older years going if they didn't already have experience working with police!_

The woman chuckled darkly as she poured herself another cup. "Looking to replace us, is he?"

"I won't let that happen." He said firmly. "It won't have to. Not if we win this war."

Raven stilled, then said very quietly, "You can't win this fight, Tai. Not like you want to."

"I don't believe that." Taiyang replied forcefully. "I won't."

"...fool." Her head shook once, "If that's all you have to say, then we're done here. I've given you more of my time, and more of my information, than I intended."

"I have more questions." He said.

"I am not in the mood to answer them." Raven replied flatly, her left hand snapping out to full extension. Red and black energy whirled in the air before the dull whine of one of her portals became audible, the strange power swirling into existence. "And I'm not about to let you wander the camp to your heart's content. That will take you home."

"Raven-"

Her left arm lowered, fingers wrapping around the hilt of the weapon resting against her stolen cupboard. "No more questions Tai. Get out."

Taiyang stared at her back, then at the single eye he could see when she shifted to glare at him.

She'd been pushing his buttons from the moment he'd shown up, and he'd just thought it her normal reaction to seeing him... but now, as his anger slowed down, he thought she'd been doing it on purpose. Provoking him, distracting him, stoking his fire so that he wouldn't ask the right questions. She'd pushed, and pushed, kept the conversation on their past disagreements, on Vale, on Ozpin, on Yang... and away from what he was supposed to have asked her about. Supposed to have searched her camp for.

 _Dammit._

Raven was clearly hiding something... he didn't know if it was the Spring Maiden or not, but he knew that look, and those tones.

She would absolutely draw on him if he stayed.

His chest swelled as he took a long breath, letting his anger out on the exhalation. "...good seeing you Raven. Should I tell Yang to expect you?"

The mother of his daughter stared at him, then twitched her chin in a slight nod. "Yes."

Tai nodded, then turned and walked through the portal without another word. Everything became hellish red light for a long second, then his feet were carrying him across grass as trees rustled around him. He'd already been bringing his fists up, calling on his all-too-ready anger to fuel his semblance, expecting to be in the fight Raven had indicated was happening.

Instead he found himself...

Found...

Words he had carved by hand a lifetime ago stared up at him from white stone. But.. that wasn't possible. Raven's bonds carried her to people, not places, not that he knew of. Even if it just took her to their body then he shouldn't have ended up here, Summer had died on a mission in Vacuo, never coming home. Qrow had looked for months and never found her... the grave was...

Was..

He spun around, to rush back through the portal, to demand an answer, and found it already dissipating.

"Raven..."

* * *

Cinder's parting words stuck in Jaune's head throughout the next day, all the way into the the evening. He and Neo wanted badly to say that the implication, that she was the only one who could open the vault, was a lie to retaliate for their role in the White Fang raid... but Cinder didn't strike either of them as the kind of person who would retaliate that way.

Her little display of anger at the end seemed to say as much. If she had really wanted to go after them for what happened, they were both sure she would have done so physically.

Their problem remained as it had always been; they simply didn't have enough information. Cinder obviously knew far more than they did, or was very good at presenting that front, and if they wanted to stay ahead of her then they needed to refocus their efforts... which was difficult given how many constraints there was on their time.

They needed information, that meant reading, research, deals with Junior and Roman, along with possible heists.

They needed to improve their skills, that meant sparring with each other, with Pyrrha, with Illia.

They needed to maintain their cover, that meant spending the requisite amount of time doing their 'jobs'.

And, more than anything, they needed to find that damned Vault, which was why he was making his way to Junior's alone on Friday night, while Neo napped and prepared herself for a late-night attempt to break into the elevator's maintenance access to see if she couldn't find her way down. After yesterday's extremely late mission the kids had, at least, been too tired to be upset that their usual clubbing night had been canceled, and he'd checked in on the first years to make sure they were all in Beacon before he'd left.

All of them had been, evidently having been dragged into an internal-dorm party thrown by a second year team. He'd pretended to not notice the booze and beer, much to the students combined delight, and quickly departed once he saw RWBY and RAVN being interrogated about the mission by damn near half the student body.

Without Neo along he was feeling a bit more paranoid than usual, and had armed up a bit as a result. Variable Impact was secure in its collapsed form on the back of his belt, hidden by his cloak, while Dragon's breath was slung around his shoulders to give him a ranged option. And instead of taking the back alleys as he normally would for a clandestine meeting, he stayed out in the public streets where there were plenty of people to witness anything that might happen.

Evidently the news was still fresh on everyone's minds, because he got plenty of stares, cheers, waves, and awkward but sincere requests for pictures.

 _Suddenly I know what Pyrrha feels like..._ He thought as he smiled for yet another flashing scroll, doing his best to keep going after shaking the young man's hand and subtly making sure no one had tried to pick his pocket during the picture taking process.

"Care to take a girl dancing, handsome?" A young woman spoke up just as he turned onto The Club's street, making him twitch slightly before relaxing.

"Charrie..." He groaned, pulling his hand away from Crocea Mors. "Don't scare me like that."

"Don't call me Charrie then." The assassin retaliated, planting her hands on her hips.

Up close, the young woman wasn't all that much taller than Neo, part of what made their deception work, though today she was wearing heeled boots tall enough to make her look a bit larger. They were, of course, black, matching her loose slacks and leather blazer, the zipper undone just enough to show a gray shirt bearing the logo of some music group. She was more plain than attractive, at least in his opinion, but he'd admit her dark eyes went well with her smirk.

Unlike him she wasn't obviously armed to the teeth, but then again he hadn't just gotten into a major battle with law enforcement yesterday.

"Sorry." Jaune shook his head, "It's good to see you again."

She smirked, but that was a good as a genuine smile from her, "I'd say the same, but those bags under your eyes really detract from your sex appeal."

"Ha." He muttered, starting off again as she fell into step beside him, "You got out all right then?"

"If you mean I had the worst hangover of my life," Charcoal replied, "And I needed an IV fluid line and two auric shots to recover, then... sure. I got out all right."

Jaune winced a little, but he'd expected that. She'd pushed herself way past anything he'd ever seen her do before with that much group teleportation last night, she'd probably fallen face-first into the ground as soon as she'd ditched the terrorists for the relative safety of The Club. It was probably a minor miracle that she was upright and mobile at all, and that she'd been able to make the last trip from wherever she had dropped off the Fang.

"No problems?" He asked.

She shrugged, "Fifty thousand in hard lien bought your mans' silence and assistance, he's got a good rep... and that still leaves me with four times that leftover from Roman's pay."

"Good." Jaune nodded. Not that he'd expected any problems from Junior or his people, but there was always the risk that someone might try something stupid. _And, even better, Roman came through with her payment on time._

Charrie might have been willing to do him and Neo a solid or two, but in her mind that just meant discounts. She didn't do _anything_ for free, which sometimes annoyed him... but he could sort of admire the fact that she stuck to her personal rules.

Rule number one: cash or nothing.

Roman had forked over a quarter million to get her to back him up last night, though most of that was due to her charging extra to actually fight and get the White Fang's leadership out. Jaune still wasn't exactly sure why Roman had wanted those jerks to escape... but the thief kept assuring him that it was part of his own plans. And at the end of the day, it was Roman's lien to waste.

"Everyone there?" He asked, focusing on his own plans and schemes.

Charcoal pursed her lips, "If by everyone you mean the owner, that old crazy fuck, and Vest, then yeah."

He frowned as they started walking past the long line waiting to gain entrance to the exclusive nightclub. "That's it? No Rajah or Fusia?"

"Not interested, got a kid now." She threaded her fingers together before cracking them in a slow stretch, "More lien for the rest of us."

Jaune continued to frown, "Shifty?"

"Dead, Nuckelavee." Charcoal sighed, shrugging, "And one of Blue's old wives finally tracked him down, she put three rounds in his chest and left the divorce papers next to his body."

A hand rose, rubbing at his face as he fought the urge to groan. He'd never been as comfortable with this kind of thing as Neo was, or Charrie, or most of the other huntsman they'd worked with over the last few years. Shifty and Blue hadn't exactly been stand up guys, he'd known that much, but he'd _known_ them, and even liked them after a fashion.

Definitely not saints, or even friends really, but the kind of men you wouldn't mind having on your side in a fight.

"That's going to change things a bit." He muttered, thinking it over. Their original plan, ambush Cinder with as much help inside the vault as they could drum up, wouldn't exactly work with half the people he'd hoped to have. Well... maybe it could, but they had no idea as to how strong she was, and how many of her own comrades she might be able to call on.

"Hey." She nudged him, "Head out of the clouds Jaune, we're here."

He shook himself, noting that they'd reached the doorway and a pair of Junior's guys were awkwardly holding it open for them. His face heated slightly, and he muttered an apology before slipping inside.

A brisk walk carried them through a club slowly filling up for the evening, the doormen managing the crowd so that the bartenders and waiters weren't overwhelmed. The pair slipped around the bar with nothing more than a glance from the bartender, vanishing into the backrooms and hallways.

They arrived in Junior's secured office quickly enough, finding it unusually full.

Junior himself was behind his desk, a drink in his hand, while the Malachite twins leaned against the wall behind him like a pair of irritable statues. Roman was lounging in his preferred chair, smoke already trailing from his cigar, and he seemed to have been speaking with the man nearest him before they'd entered.

Vest Collinson always managed to look a little more worn every time he saw him, and today was no exception. His salt and pepper hair was increasingly more gray than black, but his dark green eyes were sharp, and his muscles had no issues carrying the armor he wore, or wielding the massive battle-ax that leaned against his seat.

In direct contrast to his relaxed position, Old Man Levi looked distinctly uncomfortable in his own seat, even with the glass of bourbon in his hand. Even a few years after the incident with the beowolf, one side of his white beard was noticeably longer than the other, but he'd evidently shaved the rest of his head in the seven months since Jaune had last seen him.

"Jauney-lad." He, naturally, as the first to speak as they entered. "About damn' time, you know I hate this even ground crap."

"Sorry Levi, but it's important." Jaune replied, closing the door as Charcoal made for the only chair left, leaving him to remain standing. "Junior catch you guys up?"

The broker nodded, "I did."

Vest nodded in turn, "Unknown woman with too much power and influence is fucking with the White Fang, fucking with Vale, and fucking with you. That last part is the one we're supposed to care about, I assume?"

"Well," He said with a small smile, "I'd take as a personal favor if you cared a little bit about your friends' lives."

The older man snorted, grinning back, "Well, I suppose your girl did help track me track that brat of a son down last year... what do you need in specific from us?"

Jaune blew out a breath, folding his hands behind him and standing tall, assuming his teacher/lecturer pose. "Well, the original plan was to try and ambush Cinder right after we found what we're after and grabbed it... but I think we're better off avoiding the fisticuffs route if we can. Neo and I are going to need you all for an extraction out of Beacon, and probably out of Vale entirely when we give the signal."

Levi thumped his cane on the floor once. "I ain't sitting around in this city till the call comes Jaune."

"I'm not asking you to." He quickly shook his head, "Roman, you still think the Vytal Festival is her best target?"

The criminal mastermind puffed on his cigar before nodding, "The White Fang is building up for some kind operation, something I haven't been read into yet, but I figure she's going to be aiming to use that big distraction as big gods-damned distraction."

Jaune turned back to Levi, "So we just need you in town for the Festival itself. As a teacher I get a couple of free invites that I'm going to spend on you guys, and I can comp your stay as well. Then just sit around, enjoy yourselves, and when we give you the signal... Show Up."

"Hrn..." Levi worked his jaw before scratching at his chin, "How you plan on us doing that?"

Vest flicked a hand, "I'm assuming that is my role, Jaune?"

"Roman's got a Bullhead," He nodded, "But a second reliable pilot would be nice."

"That I can do." Vest lifted a glass to his lips, sipping from an amber drink, "I'm guessing your plan is to grab the whatever, teleport your asses out to where we can pick you up, and then we all bail for home?"

Roman flicked his cigar, "That's about right. Backup plan is to have Charcoal and Neo bring us here. Junior and his girls will stay uninvolved and give us a nice cozy bunker to run to if it comes to that."

Levi flicked his eyes around, considering them all before nodding very slightly. "You kids done right by me in the past, done right by my rails. Can't say I approve of the company you're keepin', but with my life, can't throw stones. But I think we're gonna need more on this woman you're all afraid of, and who we might end up fightin'."

"Thank you," Jaune breathed, honestly meaning it. "They didn't fill you in?"

"Ay, they did." Levi shrugged, "But it ain' all that much to go on for this kind of fight."

"I know, I know..." He sighed, running a hand through his hair again, "We're working on it, and I'll be get that to you as we find out more."

They exchanged a few more words, but there wasn't all that much to say. Roman and Junior had largely told everyone present what precious little they knew, so most of their very good questions went unanswered. But, if nothing else, they'd agreed to help, even if only to help them escape from Vale.

It was a lot better than nothing.

The Malachite twins guided the two older men out after perhaps an hour of conversation, leaving him with the two Valean locals plus Charcoal... who unfortunately had a much larger role to play. He started pulling lien out as soon as Vest and Levi were gone, counting until he hit ten thousand, most of what he'd made over the last several months of teaching.

Charcoal eyed him when he offered it to her, "...this that special job you need from me?"

"Yeah." Jaune said, "My oldest sister is in town, and she needs a bodyguard. Cinder and the White Fang might go after her, and Cinder at least definitely knows about her. Consider this half, I'll get you another ten after this is over."

"Hm." Charrie took the stack of cards, checking them over before nodding slightly. It wasn't much, not by her standards, but then again this wasn't all that much of a job either. "Where is she?"

"Vale University, living in the junior dorms." Another bit of rustling in pockets produced a picture that he handed her as well. "Keep her safe, please."

The assassin glanced at it, smirking a little. "Being paid to keep someone alive... wonders never cease. I can handle it."

"Thank you."

She waved the lien as she stood up, "You already did, you just bought me a month of spa treatments at my hotel. Roman, pleasure doing business with you. You've got one more extraction on your payroll... signal me when you need it, or if you've got a night free."

Jaune blinked as she glided out, closing the door behind her. "You didn't..."

Roman grinned, tilting his head to one side and letting him see a bruise on the side of his neck. "What can I say, I know how to convince a lady to stick around for a while."

He rubbed at his face, "Right... Junior, did you happen to find what we asked for?"

A file was pushed across the desk in response, "Wasn't hard to find, but all your getting is the public information. Bitch paid well for me to keep my mouth shut, and everything I've found out says she's not the type to piss off... so you're not getting anything you couldn't have found on your own."

Jaune pursed his lips, but nodded as he walked over to take the folder. "Thanks, I think. I'lk keep your name out of it."

The bearded man nodded once. "Thanks... but we should wrap this up, if I'm going to be your safe-house at the end you lot shouldn't be seen coming and going as much. Roman, you said you had news on your bitch lady's next move?"

Jaune flicked his eyes to Roman, who seemed to grimace and puff harder on his cigar. "...yeah, but you ain't gonna like it."

* * *

 ** _Cinder begins to plot her counter-move as she reacts to the news, Jaune starts putting his own plans into motion, and Raven is a complicated person._**

 ** _This chapter took a bit since I'm reworking my outline to try and improve the pacing. When I started, my intention was to more or less tell the full story of RWBY with Professor Arc added... but that's led to a very long story to get through just one volume and a half. I'm not planning on dropping any of the prior plot-lines so much as I'm considering narrowing the focus down heavily._**

 ** _In short, expect chapters in the future to resemble the last three more than the prior ones, with a heavy focus on the core plot and the secondary ones more integrated to it than they have been, something I probably should have been doing at the start given the benefit of hindsight... but hey, that's why we write fanfiction. To learn and become better._**

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 **Thanks, Kat**


	41. Semester II: Unseen Hands

**Unseen Hands**

* * *

James Ironwood watched as Doctor Polendina paced around the equipment containing Amber, checking the crippled woman's still form while text scrolled by on a nearby monitor. It was yet another upgrade to try and ensure that the aura transfer would actually work, and not leave them with two dead young women instead of just one.

"I would like to again apologize for the early hour of this meeting, but we need to maintain secrecy." Ozpin said, leaning heavily on his cane. When there was no reply beyond more tapping of controls and examining of data, his fellow headmaster sighed before continuing. "What is her status, Doctor?"

"Still no change to her condition." Came the terse reply, the man stepping back. Polendina was a frazzled looking man in his late fifties, his mixed brown and grey hair unkempt and a stark contrast to his dark, professional business suit. "Her aura remains stable at roughly ninety percent, neither gaining or losing ground."

Glynda let out a slow exhalation from where she stood beside him. "Is there any activity at all?"

"Effectively none." The Doctor bustled past them to the other console, checking on his program. "Whatever her attacker did to her has already killed her, her body simply hasn't gotten the message yet. Aura is a wonderful thing but it is not a cure-all... it has done all it can at this point."

James fought down the urge to curse. Part of the problem with treating Amber was that they had no idea what Salem's minion had even _done_ to her to begin with, or how she had managed to extract part of the maiden's powers. All they knew was that it had been traumatic beyond Amber's ability to withstand it, leaving her something close to brain-dead.

"How long can we keep her alive like this?" He asked.

"Indefinitely." Polendina replied without turning around, "Well, indefinitely if you moved up her upstairs and had your faunus doctor ready to operate at a moment's notice if something goes wrong. We are working entirely in the blind hope that what is left of her mind and the drugs can keep her basic bodily processes going."

Ozpin thumped his cane once, "Please, Doctor... what is your best estimate?"

Polendina exhaled, "I despise estimates... four to six months is the best I will give you. But I want this very clear, she could go into arrest, suffer a seizure, or any other number of things at _any moment._ My equipment here is the very definition of experimental, and I had to cobble most of it together out of nothing when you first summoned me down here. It could fail at any time as well, even with my upgrades and patches."

"We're aware doctor." James said, "We know how hard this has been for you."

The man grunted, pulling a stool over to sit, staring at the screen and evidently dismissing them all from existence. He was more than used to that level of tact from the Doctor, and stepped back along with Ozpin and Glynda, the three moving to a nearby room that had been setup as a kind of staff quarters, one of several in place to help direct the defense of the school if another Great War was to break out.

Other rooms in the deeps were filled with stored weapons, carefully secured dust rounds and explosives, and regularly replenished food and water. Enough to allow the entire study body to survive and withstand several month's worth of besieging if it came to that.

 _The advantages of post-war construction..._ Nearly all of the old schools had a similar location, just as many of the buildings built in the immediate aftermath of the conflict did. It was a massive expense that more modern builders simply didn't bother with, not in days of peace... something he was personally trying to change, at least in Atlas.

"We're running out of time Oz." Ironwood said quietly as he took a seat, Ozpin taking one across from him while Glynda found a chair to his right. "This White Fang activity is beyond even their largest operations on Mantle or Anima."

His mentor collapsed his cane with a flick of a finger, setting it onto the table as he spoke, "I am beginning to agree, old friend... it would seem they are involved in something beyond mere dust smuggling after all."

Glynda tapped a finger on the old table, her lips pressed into a thin line. "Deciding to move forwards is only possible if we agree on a candidate James. Are you satisfied with Miss Nikos after their mission?"

"To be honest, no." James admitted, "Her performance was adequate for her age, and she is very skilled, but she's not experienced in real world combat and her team remains a drawback. But... that being said, if Tai's report is correct, and Raven intends to... involve herself actively in her daughter's life, I cannot in good conscience continue to advocate for Weiss based primarily on her team either."

The beautiful woman shook her head, "I can hardly argue with you, her involvement is... worrying. I can understand Tai's point that it is a private affair, but..." She cut herself off, shaking her had once more before settling her hands in her lap. "Regardless, this will involve telling the girl the truth, and revealing the stakes to her. It won't be an easy conversation."

"Nor should it be." Ozpin replied, "But... it is likely necessary."

James leaned his natural arm on the table, staring hard at him. "If you are counting Thursday evening's mission as their mid-summer task, then while the other students are out on assignment would be the ideal time. Brief her as soon as possible, that will give her several weeks to make her choice."

"We can't." Glynda stated firmly, "Not so soon before the dance and celebration, let her enjoy it without this hanging over her head. Let her live only for herself for at least that much longer, we can brief her the following morning."

"The day the students leave?" He asked, "Will you have the time?"

"I can make the time." She nodded, turning back to Ozpin. "Or I can handle supervising the departures and assignments while the pair of you speak with her... perhaps with Qrow or Taiyang present to soften the discussion."

Ironwood nodded slightly, it was likely the best plan that they could come up with given their current situation. The remainder of the student body being absent would allow them to work closely with Miss Nikos, make her understand the situation, and if she accepted, then they would have time to undertake the procedure.

"I still think we should discuss it with her immediately," He said, "But I am content with the remainder of the plan. Oz?"

The leader of their shadow organization stared into the distance, silent for most of a minute before responding. "I agree with Glynda, James. We are about to thrust her into a war she will be fighting for the rest of her life... we can give her two more weeks of innocence."

James grimaced... but couldn't bring himself to argue further. "Very well. That merely leaves the discussion of seconds, if she refuses. What is the order?"

Ozpin bowed his head slightly, "Weiss Schnee would be the second choice. If they both refuse... I would request that you ask her sister."

Both of the other teachers blinked in surprise, and the man exhaled before continuing, "Her allegiance to Atlas and your military are extreme detriments for the Valean Maiden, but as you so aptly stated; we are running out of time."

And there would be no question of acceptance. Winter would volunteer for any mission if it meant saving lives and doing her duty, this would be no different in her mind.

"Thank you Oz." Ironwood said. "This is the right decision."

"It is the necessary decision." Ozpin shook his head once. "There is a difference. Now, onto the follow-up matters. Whoever accepts will need additional training to control their powers, and if it is Miss Nikos or young Miss Schnee, may have to be withdrawn from the Vytal Festival if they cannot control the new source of energy by that time. We will need reasons and excuses for both cases."

He was about to propose that Winter and Glynda primarily handle the training aspect when his scroll began to vibrate. Frowning, he quickly extracted it from its pocket, noted Winter's name, and then accepted it in voice only mode. "Captain Schnee, report."

" _There is an emergency situation."_ She replied at once. " _Three VPD precincts housing White Fang prisoners are being attacked as we speak, and two others are under assault as well, possibly as distractions or due to poor intelligence."_

The general was on his feet before she finished, the others following suit as he turned for the door, "Details!"

Winter hardly paused, " _Taurus is confirmed at one, his lieutenant at another, Torchwick at a third, all backed up by at least two hunter equivalent agents. Explosives are being used to breach the cell blocks from the outer walls."_

He spent a precious second checking the time as he left the staff room, accelerating into a run. Just after three thirty in the morning, solidly in the time period when the police would be at their least attentive and prepared for this kind of operation. He didn't doubt that they'd be bolstered with additional personnel, somewhat prepared for this sort of event, but against huntsmen?

"Vale's response?"

" _Confused."_ Definite scorn entered her voice. " _We have been told to remain clear and to not interfere without permission. Local huntsmen have become involved in one of the attacks, but the Valean military claims to be scrambling assets and is declining to call on Beacon."_

There was nothing he loathed more than people allowing politics to interfere with active situations. "Ozpin?"

"Your brought your army here." Came the terse reply, the man already pulling out his own scroll as they ran. "Use it. Doctor, with us if you please! I must seal the vault!"

He nodded, ignoring Polendina's startled shouting when Glynda simply swept him gently along via her semblance rather than wait for him to react, "Winter, dispatch one ship to each of the targeted precinct buildings at once, prepare your teams for hot drops into combat. Inform whatever political appointee is directing this fiasco that they _will_ accept our involvement on Beacon's authority... and find out why General Nox is not in command!"

He couldn't be. Nox would have already been screaming his head off for every huntsman and ally he could get his hands on. The man was extremely competent, if more than slightly racist towards the faunus. The notion of the White Fang counter-attacking in this fashion would send him into an apoplexy that would demand a total level response.

" _Understood sir."_ Schnee replied, ending the call just as she began to bark orders.

They sprinted past sealed storage rooms and side halls, reaching the elevators quickly enough, the good Doctor proving to be deeply unhappy at being levitated with speed the entire way. He grumbled furiously as he was finally allowed to use his feet to enter alongside them, Ozpin using his scroll to send them rocketing upwards while the security systems re-armed themselves.

His mind raced as he tapped a single foot in impatience. This was far more than a recruitment rally with stolen prototype equipment... and he _would_ find out why that Paladin had not been scrapped as ordered, and if the remainder were missing, but that could wait to some degree.

Far more immediate was the fact that the White Fang was so organized, so prepared, that it could launch military-grade rescue efforts a mere two days after a massive defeat. That was deeply concerning, on far too many levels for a simple reaction. He had read the intelligence reports, compiled by men and women he trusted, and they had assured him that the Vale branch of the White Fang was a largely amateur organization.

Numerous, perhaps, but mostly ineffectual.

 _According to our information, Taurus was only rotated to take command five months ago. Could he have reformed the branch so quickly?_

It was a worrying thought, as he privately didn't believe the bull-faunus capable of such a turn around. He was a vicious thug, more than mildly skilled in combat, but hardly leadership material. That implied that he was being directed, guided, and assisted by someone who was. Either Ozpin's Queen was far more capable than they thought... or Sienna Khan wasn't in Mistral after all.

The elevator reached the ground floor with a quiet ding, and he was the first out. He vaguely heard Glynda gently escorting Polendina to his guest quarters, and Ozpin heading to his office to supervise the reaction of Vale's hunters, while he made for the nearest exit, pulling his scroll out once more.

"Status." He demanded.

" _Sir."_ Captain Zaytun responded, the commander of Blue Four going right into his report. " _The fleet is moving and Vale's armed forces are standing down to allow us passage. General Nox has been found deceased in his home by his aide de camp."_

"Dammit." James cursed, "How?"

" _Unknown as of yet."_ His most senior ship captain responded. " _Specialist Captain Schnee is already en route to the target zones... but if I'm being honest sir, I'm not hopeful we will arrive in time. Local authorities are already reporting that the White Fang are retreating with their rescued comrades. Once they evade contact and remove their masks, it will be hard to counter them."_

At least not without looking like screaming racists by strip-searching every faunus they came across for weapons and masks. Such action _might_ allow them to re-capture numerous White Fang agents... but such blatant profiling could also send those faunus not aligned with the movement utterly into the terrorist's hands.

He let out a tight, furious breath as he stormed out into the cold air, heading for the docks. "Refrain from engaging in open battle, the last thing we need is a PR fiasco on top of this. Tell Captain Schnee that she is to pursue at her discretion, and that we need prisoners if it is at all possible. We _must_ know how this happened!"

 _"Understood sir."_ Zaytun replied. " _Your situation?"_

"En route to my ship." Ironwood glanced up, spotting the lights of his battleships and the subtle flares of their dust engines as they moved across the night's sky. "I will be aboard Blue One within ten minutes, until then you are in overall command."

" _Confirmed sir."_

A gesture closed his scroll as he continued to sprint, though he kept his swearing within his own head as he moved.

 _Dammit Oz, I told you we aren't fighting a guerrilla movement... we're fighting a war._

* * *

Neopolitan finished sketching out her map on the kitchen table, sipping from watered down Nirvana as she did. The euphoric high had left a long time ago, now it was just keeping her upright as the clock ticked closer to seven in the morning.

It had been a long, long, _long_ night...

She'd gotten into the elevator's maintenance area and discovered that access to the central shaft was locked off by a _second_ door, one that was sealed with an electronic lock, and a cursory look had found two hidden cameras and three laser trip-lines just waiting for someone to try opening it. That had at least told her that they were on the right track, but she hadn't had everything she'd needed to even think about trying to get through.

So instead she'd gone out front and started trying to inspect the elevator proper, considering ways to block the hall's cameras naturally, wondering if that would give her enough time to get the doors open and simply drop down the shaft.

Goodwitch had spared her from having to try any of that after about two hours of frustrated planning, guiding an odd looking man in an Atlesian style suit inside, and she hadn't hesitated before ghosting in after them.

Jaune sat in the chair across from her, his own expression equally haggard as he stared at her map, the pair of them trying to figure just what the hell it was she'd found when the elevator had taken her far beneath the school.

"Strange girl in a coma, here." Her partner tapped a finger on the map, frowning. "Tons of store rooms... armored doors... you said it's like a mix between a vault and a bunker? No sign of a more secure area?"

She shrugged and waved a hand at the various side-doors that she'd marked. Any one of them could conceal another large hallway, she'd only had time to check about a quarter of them. Of the ones she _had_ checked, she'd found one server room, one room filled with old-style filing cabinets, three armories filled with modern hunter caliber weaponry, and more just piled with boxes and boxes of dried food.

In short, nothing interesting. Except the whole girl in a box thing, which was both weird and worrying, even to her.

Jaune rubbed at his forehead tiredly. "And they want to do something with this girl and Pyrrha?"

Her or the tiny ice queen, or the tall ice queen, depending on if the first two refused whatever it was they were going to be offering. The word Maiden had definitely been involved, but they'd been frustratingly vague on the details.

"Because they already know the details." He grumbled. "You said they were going to tell Pyrrha the truth... what truth?"

Neo shrugged again, though she knew he hadn't really been asking her so much as the universe at large. Of course the real question was what they were going to do about all of this... she doubted he'd let them drag Pyrrha into all of this.

"Not if I can help it." Jaune agreed, "But I don't know how we could stop them either, not without becoming just as manipulative as Ozpin and the others."

She grimaced slightly. He hadn't seemed surprised that Ironwood was involved, given that the man was another headmaster, but he _had_ seemed deeply upset to find out that Goodwitch was. It was making him wonder if the others were as well, if they were the only professors _not_ involved in whatever conspiracy was being run from this school.

Personally, she hadn't been surprised at all, but Jaune had the irritating habit of thinking the best about people until he'd been hit over the head with how much they sucked.

"What do you think?" He asked.

Neo pursed her lips. She wasn't quite sure what to do either, but she thought they needed to do _something._ Pyrrha belonged to them, not to Ozpin, and they shouldn't give her up without some kind of a fight.

Jaune looked less than pleased with her choice of words, but didn't seem to disagree with the second point. "I guess all we can do is keep being her friend, and trust that she'll talk to us if something happens."

That was hardly doing anything at all!

"Well it's what we have until we're awake enough to come up with something better." He countered, throwing back the last of his coffee before letting the mug clink hard onto the table. "What do you think about this Raven person?"

She glanced at the papers scattered across the counter, and the pictures accompanying them. Raven Branwen, former super-star huntress of Beacon Academy, won _both_ Vytal Festivals she had entered as a student despite not being the leader of her team. Considered one of, if not _the_ , most capable huntresses of her generation... and who had abruptly vanished with no public explanation a few years after graduation.

Now, according to Junior and scattered new reports from Mistral, she was the leader of a large bandit tribe on Anima... some pathetic remnant of one of the old kingdoms that Mistral had steamrolled in the run-up to the Great War. Still, they were strong enough to have evaded the Kingdom's efforts to deal with them, and routinely raided isolated villages and even the occasional small city if they got the chance.

Neo exhaled before shaking her head. They'd worked with worse people in Vacuo, and if she had bailed on a cushy life in Vale, there was a good chance it was because she'd discovered something about her boss that she hadn't liked.

"That doesn't mean I liked working with them." Jaune said quietly.

She could only sigh. The tragic, noble hero thing suited him, it could be very hot in the right circumstances... but it could also, and _did,_ get very annoying from time to time. Jaune was at his worst when he actually stopped to really think about what they were doing, the kinds of people they were working with, and it always fell on her to knock some sense back into his stupidly noble skull.

Her hands shifted as she reminded him that they weren't about to join up with her as full-time bandits... they just needed information on Ozpin and whatever was going on in the vault. If they could convince her to help out more than that, awesome, but they weren't about to swear oaths of fealty to her or anything as stupid as that.

"Right." A hand rose to rub at his forehead before he groaned and pushed himself to his feet. "Right... sorry, I'm just tired, not thinking things through. Let's get all of this put away before a student stops by or something, then get to bed. We need to be awake for that dinner party with Cinder."

Neo nodded tiredly in agreement, hopping off of her chair and starting to collect their various files and maps. Jaune handled organizing them, knowing she'd just throw them into whatever folder was nearest, handing her them one at a time as he finished up. Once she had them all, she squared her shoulders and flexed her talents, reforming her body in the ruins beneath the school.

They'd picked out what had probably once been a storage room of some kind, located reasonably far from the entrances, for use as their personal bolt hole and safe house. Which didn't really say much... there was one collapsed camping cot, a few cheap lights taped to the walls, and their pair of panic-packs.

She quickly dumped her cargo next to the few books and other paperwork they'd kept after they'd left Vacuo, checked that the ancient stone door was sealed and the make-shift alarm was set, cracked her neck, and then shifted back up to their bedroom.

Jaune was already in bed, on top of the covers, having not even bothered to change. After a moments' consideration she didn't bother either, just shrugging off just her coat before crawling in beside him. A few well placed pokes, nudges, and one punch was all it took to get him positioned to her satisfaction, her head burying itself in the crook of his neck as she yawned.

She was just starting to drift away, the steady thrum of his heart and breathing dragging her down, when there was a distant knock on their outer door.

Neo felt a muscle in her cheek twitch as Jaune groaned, her fingers clenching around his shirt. "...go away."

Whoever it was obviously didn't hear the mutter, because they knocked again, more sharply and loudly.

Taking in a sharp breath, she slowly sat up, glaring furiously out into the office before sliding off the bed. She'd been awake for more than sixteen hours, and had been forced to _constantly_ use her semblance for a large portion of the night... whoever was trying to fuck with her sleep was _dead._

Jaune noticeably said nothing when she grabbed her weapon, considered it, then set it back down before walking over to his side of the bed and picking up his sword instead.

She stalked into the kitchen as the knocking escalated into heavy pounding, drawing the blade and tossing the sheathe onto a counter as she walked past. Not bothering to check, she simply yanked the door open with one hand, the other holding the heavy sword at the right angle to thrust it into someone's stomach.

Qrow Branwen eyed her, then the sword, slowly lowering his arm, "Bad time?"

A muscle in her cheek twitched, she considered the benefits of killing him against how much irritation it would cause... and then she slammed the door in his face.

He shouted through it before she'd taken more than one step back towards the bedroom. "There's a situation with the White Fang! Oz wants you both!"

The White... oh, right, Cinder's counter-attack was supposed to happen early this morning. She hadn't really cared, and Roman had advised them not to try and stop it. The thief was worried that Cinder would get suspicious if _all_ of her plans regarding the terrorists kept getting fucked with, so letting this one go was in his best interests.

It had been another thing Jaune wasn't thrilled with, but he again hadn't been able to argue, since he couldn't think of anything they _could_ do to stop her that wouldn't be blatantly obvious.

"All the professors are being called up." The huntsman continued through the door, "There'll be coffee, and I can get ya painkillers if the hangover is that bad."

Hangover... oh, right, her reputation. Lovely.

Neo pinched the bridge of her nose, cracking one eye open as Jaune shambled slowly out of the bedroom. They exchanged a long look as a silent argument began about whether or not they could blow this off and get some rest... and she had to concede defeat.

They needed to keep their cover, infuriatingly annoying as it was.

They spent a few moments pulling out bottles of booze and flicking droplets at one another, and Neo took a half-shot of rum to make sure her breath was proper... and not at all because she needed the reinforcement to get through this.

She wasn't anymore awake when they'd shambled out of their rooms, down to the ground floor, and into the teacher's lounge. There they found most of the other teachers already present, along with General Ironwood. Port and Oobleck looked a little disheveled, but the only person who looked half as tired as they did was Cinder, the woman cradling a cup in her hands as she leaned on the armrest of a couch.

Neo promptly settled in next to their fellow criminal, while Jaune took the open space on her left. Fall concealed her surprise quickly enough, then noted their expressions and seemed to twitch her chin in a nod.

Ozpin had noticed as well, the man glancing up from the desk he had more or less claimed to himself. "The three of you look as if you had a long evening."

"Extremely." Cinder replied, settling back with a showy little groan. "The company was pleasant, but the after-effects less so."

Jaune made a polite sound of agreement, running with the excuse as well, "I told you to go easy on the wine."

"And I told you to go easy on the brandy." The other woman countered, lifting a cup to her lips as Port let out a rumble of laughter from his armchair. "With all due respect, Headmasters, it is far too early on a Saturday for this... can you tell us why we're here?"

The general stepped forwards, his expression severe. "Beginning at roughly three o'clock this morning, the White Fang staged a counter-attack aimed at rescuing many of the prisoners taken in the raid earlier this week. This was timed to coincide with an assassination of of senior Valean leadership... General Nox is dead."

That would have meant more to her if she knew who the fuck that even was, but everyone besides the three criminals and the crazy faunus doctor suddenly looked grim.

It was Tsune who spoke up, settling back in her chair with a lazy shrug, "Hardly surprising. The man was a flaming racist; he was an obvious target."

"Yes." Ironwood agreed, "That's why he had his brother, a professional huntsman, on guard at his home along with his brother's team. Someone thoroughly hacked their security systems, and then walked in and out right under the nose of Huntsman Nox... despite the fact that he moved to stand outside of the General's bedroom the moment the security failed."

Neo lifted an eyebrow at that.

"We are still investigating," Ozpin said, "But the involvement of the mercenary assassin known is Charcoal is believed to be likely, given that she was heavily involved in the battle at the rally."

It wasn't likely at all, actually. Much like her own, Charcoal's semblance required aura to be spent whenever she shifted from one place to another, and according to Jaune she'd only been upright due to copious amounts of drugs yesterday... and unlike Jaune, she didn't have equally copious amounts of aura, or an almost unnatural recovery speed.

 _Walking_ had been about the extent of her ability to function yesterday. Jaune had ended up taking her back to her hotel after finishing his meeting at The Club and helped her get a new fluid line going before she'd simply passed out again.

So either a faunus was responsible, or one of Cinder's little minions had the talent to get in and out without being spotted. She would bet on the latter... it fit with what she'd seen the first time she saw Sustrai, the girl planting that device in Roman's car while a guard didn't even seem to notice. It would certainly explain why she bothered dragging the girl along with her.

 _Have to be careful around her..._ Neo let out a tired yawn as the explanation of just what had happened began in earnest.

The White Fang had hit five different police stations, three of which had actually held prisoners. They'd gotten about forty of them, a mix of the new recruits and the actual full-timers, and suffered some casualties. The police weren't sure how many since they'd suffered plenty on their own, more wounded than dead for what that was worth, and hadn't been able to pursue the terrorists when the faunus had dragged their own casualties off with them.

The most professional attack had, obviously, been Roman's. None of the cops had actually died there, since he'd had the good sense to use stun grenades, gas, and himself to put down most of them before they'd been able to fight back. He'd also gotten in and out the fastest, since most of the reinforcements had rushed off to the bloodier fighting, leaving him looking as competent as ever.

 _Which is the jerk's goal... still playing both sides._

Roman wanted to be indispensable to everyone, and so far the smug bastard was doing a good job of it. He was their only real avenue into Cinder's plans, beyond what they could get out of her... which wasn't much, and he was making damned sure to drip feed the information to make sure they still needed him. At the same time, he was making sure that Cinder knew _he_ was the skilled, competent, professional in comparison to the White Fang's idiotic flailing idiocy.

Neo was starting to not like how much Roman knew about their plans... she liked him, he was fun to pull jobs with, was amusing company, but she was really beginning to worry that she and Jaune might be leaning on him and Junior a bit too much.

 _Of course..._ She let her head fall back against the couch, tuning out some plan to investigate the White Fang further that wouldn't go anywhere since Cinder was right next to her listening to it. _...what choice do we have?_

The two local crime lords had information, access, contacts, and skills that they absolutely needed. Things they didn't have themselves and couldn't learn or develop anytime soon. Trusting them wasn't smart... but not working with them would leave them fumbling around like idiots until Cinder or Ozpin caught on and they had to flee.

 _This seemed like a much better idea four months ago..._

She normally liked it when things were complicated, it meant she rarely had to wait around for something interesting to happen, but she was starting to realize that there was such a thing as _too_ complicated. There were just too many things for them to keep track of handle anymore, and none of it was really fun to deal with.

They had to deal with the coffee-addict... they had to deal with Cinder... they had to deal with Roman... they had to deal with Jaune's family... they had to protect the team they'd claimed... they had to find the Relic.

It would have been enough to make her scream if she'd been capable of it.

Beside her, Jaune seemed to notice her mood, an arm sliding around her shoulders and absently pulling her against his side while he nodded to something that Goodwitch was saying. Neo let out a frustrated sigh as she shifted over as much as she could, letting her slender weight rest against solid frame.

At least the jerk who'd talked her into this was suffering alongside her.

* * *

"Half..." Illia muttered, turning away from the lounge's television, unable to watch anymore. "Half of them got away. Half!"

Beside her, Blake's ears were nearly flat as she glared at nothing in particular.

"Well..." Yang tried from where she was sitting, glancing at where Pyrrha was leaning against the wall before turning back to her and Blake, "There's still like fifty of them in jail, and they're all getting moved to prison now. And the military is supposed to be putting guards there."

Illia snorted as she started furiously pacing, her hands clenched into fists. "The military that's so competent that its leader was just killed in his own home? Yeah, that _totally_ makes me feel reassured Yang."

The blonde winced, leaving Pyrrha to step forwards, placing a calming hand on Ilia's shoulder. She tried to bat it aside and continue moving, and felt the taller girl easily maintain her grip before pulling her back towards the wall and into a gentle hug. "Ilia, you're turning red."

She glanced down, turning a little so that her back was to Pyrrha's front while the champion shifted an arm around her shoulders, and found her skin already rippling to a dull red, working its way towards a brighter shade of scarlet. "Of course I am! They let _half_ of the people we caught get away! That's a big fucking deal!"

Yang seemed to twitch, "They didn't _let_ anyone do anything. A dozen cops are dead Ilia, gods know how many are wounded. Think about that for a second!"

Ilia flinched as she did, Pyrrha using that to pull her a bit closer, making sure she didn't start pacing again. Her partner had figured out that movement helped her keep a good head of steam on her anger, and had taken to locking her in place if Pyrrha thought she needed to calm down... or at least not get more emotional than she already was.

"I... I know, I'm not trying to belittle that." She shook her head, trying to steady her breathing, "I'm just... gods. I... thought we'd won something, something important. Now it feels..."

"Pointless." Blake stated flatly, still staring at the screen. "Ineffectual."

Pyrrha sighed, breath tickling at her left ear. "It wasn't pointless. Even if we didn't capture as many as we hoped, I'm sure Miss Schnee, the Professors, and the police learned a great deal about the situation. They'll be able to capture them again in no time."

Her first instinct was to scoff or laugh bitterly at that, and it was only her respect... and maybe her affection, for Pyrrha that kept it down.

"She's right." Yang stated firmly, "Think about it. Before Thursday they didn't know who they were up against... now they do, and they can plan to deal with that guy."

"Adam." Blake said, again with absolutely no emotion.

Ilia felt her jaw clench as old anger, jealousy, and pain ran through her, her skin remaining scarlet while her freckles shifted towards blue. Pyrrha, of course, noticed the shift, "You two... knew him?"

She gave Blake a long look, then spoke up when the other girl said nothing. "He was our group leader, for most of the last few years, before he got assigned as Vale's branch leader. He and Blake... were a thing."

The blonde girl present gaped at them. "Woah, wait. Blake, you and the guy who fought the prof were...?"

Blake let out a heavy breath, "Yes. We were, it was part of what influenced me to leave the White Fang."

Yang blinked a few times when she stopped talking there, then glanced at Ilia who grimaced. "He's extremely charismatic, at least in small settings... but he's also a control freak with no tolerance for disobedience or obstacles. When we were younger he could keep his anger under control, most of the time, but in the run up to when we left..."

"He changed." Blake said simply, "Not for the better. He seemed to know I was going to at least break up with him, and he took it... poorly."

"... he didn't?" Yang asked. When neither she nor Blake replied, her eyes flashed red for a moment as she joined Ilia in the angry club before she got herself under control. "Right, should have totally helped Jaune and Miss Tsune kick his ass."

"You'd have just gotten in their way." Blake shook her head tiredly. "He's a prodigy Yang, like Pyrrha if Pyrrha was older and a version of your semblance. He stores energy whenever he's hit, or whenever his sword is, and he can unleash that in those blasts you saw."

The girl huffed, "Can't be that strong, Jaune took one of them full on."

Illia felt Pyrrha wince behind her, "Yang... _I_ have problems getting Jaune to the red, he probably has as much aura as the two of us put together... and he could barely _walk_ after that fight. He was definitely drained entirely."

"...oh." Yang said simply, obviously catching the implication that one such blast might have been able to put her down in one hit. "Right, so we have Weiss freeze him then you, me, and Rubes all shoot him until he's done."

Blake smiled, though it was a little weak. "Maybe..."

"We totally will." Her partner insisted, hauling herself off of the couch. "Come on, we're late for your library research session, and you know Weiss will be too busy drooling over Neptune to get any work done if you're not there."

"Really?" Blake asked, clearly a little startled, "I thought you said this was a waste of time now."

"That was before..." Yang waved a vague hand at the news behind her, "...plus the whole attacking my uncle thing. Let's just say I've been thinking about it, and maybe this isn't the worst use of our Saturday afternoons."

Blake kept staring at her. "Who are you, and what have you done with Yang Xiao-Long?"

Ilia chuckled softly, the weak joke letting her skin start to ripple back to normal as the blonde squawked in faux-anger. "Hey! I am _plenty capable_ of being serious, thank you! Now come on, I bet Ruby that Sun would finally ask you to the dance today."

"...and for a moment, I almost respected you." Her partner sighed, but Blake didn't protest or try to stop her when Yang slid an arm through hers and started marching for the door. Ilia didn't miss the wink and smirk that the blonde sent her as they moved past, probably because she had yet to stop leaning against Pyrrha.

Of course, the moment she realized she was still doing so, she had a difficult time thinking of anything _else_ , especially the way her chest was pressing against her shoulder blades, and how comfortable it was to have Pyrrha holding her like this.

"Pyr?" She asked quietly, fighting to keep her skin and freckles normal. "...I'm calm now, you can let go."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Pyrrha quickly released her, letting her take a few steps away. "I was lost in thought."

Ilia sighed, walking over to the remote, distracting herself by turning the stupid program off as yet another 'expert' was interviewed. "About the White Fang?"

"Well..." Her friend trailed off for a second before sighing, "Yes. How the battle went, how you're handling it, how Professor Arc and Miss Neo are doing."

 _...how I'm handling it?_

"I'm handling it just fine," She said, "And what about Jaune and Neo?"

Pyrrha had crossed her arms by the time she turned around, biting her lip as she glanced away. "I don't think they're doing very well, and I don't know if you are either."

It was her turn to cross her arms, her words snapping out. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

The taller girl winced. "Ilia..."

She glanced down again to find scarlet flooding her limbs, and closed her eyes before starting to count to twenty. Gods, of all the people who deserved her anger, Pyrrha wasn't anywhere on the list. In fact she was on the exact _opposite_ list, the one Ilia reserved for the people she knew she had no authority to _ever_ be angry with.

It wasn't a long one. Ghira and Kali Belladonna, Pyrrha, and Jaune. _Maybe_ Ruby, the girl was just too sincere for her own good, kind of like Pyrrha in a way. But... that was it.

"I'm sorry." Ilia murmured, not looking up. "It's just... it wasn't easy being there. Fighting them. I... gods, I _knew_ some of them. I could handle fighting Adam, after what Blake told me he was like, but the others... I trained next to them. Fought beside them."

Footsteps came slowly across the room as Pyrrha walked over, "They were your friends."

"Yes... no..." She let out a frustrated breath, "Comrades in arms, I guess. I didn't like fighting them."

"I don't think anyone would blame you for that." Her partner offered, compassionate as always. "I certainly don't."

"...thanks Pyr." Ilia said quietly. "I think I just need some time."

"No." To her surprise the other girl shook her head forcefully. "You need to talk about it with your partner."

She opened her mouth, then closed in pure shock, trying to recall a time when Pyrrha had _ever_ spoken in a commanding tone like that outside of a spar. "...did whoever kidnap Yang get you too?"

Pyrrha's cheeks reddened, but she reached out and grabbed Ilia's arm, dragging her startled partner along as she started for the door. "I just don't want you to be upset, so let's go do some hand to hand sparring and talk about it. Maybe Jaune or Neo will be free, they can help and join in."

That sounded a lot better than it probably should have, given her mood, "I...ok, but you could have just asked!"

"You're the one who told me I should be more confident." Pyrrha replied, finally letting go once they were in the dorms proper, shortening her long strides so that she didn't have to skip a step to keep up. "...was it too much? It felt like too much, I'm sorry!"

"No, no!" Ilia quickly waved her apology down, "Just caught me by surprise is all."

"Are you sure?" Pyrrha fretted, biting at her lip again.

It was her turn to gently reach over, patting her partner on the shoulder. "I'm sure, I'm really sure. I thought it was a good look for you, you just need to keep it up."

Hands rose to run through red hair, "I know, it's just... it's not easy when I'm not, you know, fighting. Especially when Yang tries to drop hints and winks at us... I"m sorry, I gave her that opening."

"It's all right." Ilia's freckles shifted pink before she could stop them, she hadn't exactly minded the hug. Or what she'd been pressed against. "... have you thought about the idea anymore? We're starting to get low on time."

"I... I have." Pyrrha allowed as they took the first left, exiting the building for the sunny school grounds. "But since Nora joined the bet, we'd only have Ren to record it, and we'd have to get it right on the first try."

"Yeah..." She agreed, shaking her head a little. "Sorry, it's all I can think of given who already put bets on what."

"I know." Pyrrha shook her head. "It's just..."

Ilia glanced aside, "You don't have to go through with it if you're still not sure. I can handle rejection."

"No! It's not that, it's..." Another, almost embarrassed head shake. "I mean, I'm still not sure, but I'm willing to try, at least for the dance, it's more..."

She blinked and looked up at her, "...more what?"

The other girl's pale skin was a dusky red as she blushed, her hands rubbing at her face. "It's seems... complicated... when the only people who thought... who thought I'd ask are Miss Neo and Ruby."

It didn't quite click where this conversation was going, until all of the sudden it did and she felt her entire body heat up as her skin rippled to a bright pink. "Pyrrha... are you asking me?"

"...yes?" It was more of a question than an answer.

Ilia kept walking on auto-pilot, trying to find her voice. While part of her was deeply worried that Pyrrha would decide she didn't like other women after all, and that this could screw up their partnership... the rest of her felt like a seventeen year old girl who'd just had her crush ask her on a date.

 _Gods... I thought was above this..._

"...who wants to tell Neo and Ruby that they win?" She asked finally. When Pyrrha simply wobbled a little, clearly not having really anticipated an answer, she cautiously reached out a hand to steady her as they kept walking. "Right, I think I can do that for us."

"I... that would be grand." Pyrrha whispered, her eyes very wide, and a bit of a flush still on her cheeks. "Um... can we talk about something else before I ruin this?"

Ilia bit her lip, trying not to laugh. Evidently the butterflies in her stomach were more like griffon's in Pyrrha's. "That's... that's fine Pyr."

"Um, right." Pyrrha clapped her hands together, plastering on the fake smile she used when they went out in public and she was spotted by civilians. "Jaune and Neo. I mentioned them. I don't think they're doing well."

Even having expected it, it was about the least subtle change of topic that Ilia had ever heard of, even by Pyrrha's sometimes awkward standards, but it was something else to talk about that wouldn't leave her walking through the school grounds with her skin neon-pink. "I don't either... but I don't know if we should tell the others. They all seem to think they're doing better."

Which they were, sort of... they'd gotten far better at pretending to be doing all right in front of everyone else and in class. But they'd also seemed to be getting correspondingly worse in front of herself and Pyrrha, and she was as worried as her partner as to what next week's counseling sessions would be like after last week's battle.

She knew that Jaune had been given yesterday off, much as both of their teams had thanks to the fight, but from what she'd heard at the dorm party last night, Miss Neo hadn't shown up for Combat Class either. Professor Arc hadn't been hurt so badly he needed attention, he'd have been in the infirmary if he was... so why had Neo felt the need to hover over him all day? Especially when he'd probably just been asleep and recovering his aura.

And that was on top of the shifts the two of them had already noticed in their counseling and sparring sessions.

She blew out a breath, feeling her skin ripple back to normal as she pushed aside her feeling regarding her new date, "It could be a lot of things."

"It could..." Pyrrha agreed, her own flush fading as she distracted herself. "I wish we knew what was wrong, but I don't want to worry everyone else. Especially Nora and Ruby..."

"They would probably overreact." Ilia blew out a breath, shaking her head as they turned, cutting across the grass and trees as a short-cut, "So would Yang. Let's give them a couple more weeks... it could still just be some bad news from Vacuo they got right after the break, stuff that's really private to them."

"Maybe." But it didn't sound as if the champion believed that, not that Ilia really did either. "All right, a few weeks. Maybe they're just experimenting... oh." She abruptly broke off, stopping with a small giggle, making Ilia blink and then take a quick step forwards.

The two people they'd just been talking about were in Jaune's outdoor classroom, his back to the largest tree. He was obviously fast asleep, his head resting against the bark, one arm limp while the other was draped over Neo. The young woman, in comparison, was sprawled right where a bit of sunlight was getting through he branches, her head resting on his stomach as she slept.

Nearby, on a park bench that had to have been dragged over specifically for the purpose, the Mistralian teacher, Miss Fall, was reclined in the sun. A closed book rested on her stomach, her own eyes shut as well.

All three looked as though they'd recently showered, and come out here intending to spar or perhaps simply converse, and simply been lulled to sleep by the gorgeous summer day. It was almost a perfectly idyllic scene of three hunters at rest, and Ilia couldn't help but smile a little as she and Pyrrha quickly changed course, taking another way around the tower towards the arenas.

 _Maybe they're not doing as bad as we thought... and Pyrrha asked me... maybe things really aren't quite so bad._

She supposed... that she really could have hope for once. There was Pyrrha, there was Nora and Ren, there was Jaune and Neo, there was RWBY...

Sure, the White Fang had managed a counter-move, but thinking about it, that wasn't all that surprising. The Atlesians and Vale's military and hunters would figure it out, now that they knew what they were dealing with, _who_ they were dealing with. They could handle it.

Maybe things really would work out.

Ilia... would have hope.

* * *

 _I know, not much time has progressed over the last few chapters, we're going to be resuming the acceleration very soon, it won't be long until we near the canon end of S2. Here we see the butterfly effect nudging Ozpin to act earlier than in canon, while Cinder makes a counter-move. Neo has found Amber, she's still not entirely sure about any of this but thinks they're too committed to back out. Ilia is not happy about recent events, but Pyrrha comes through to calm her down... and helps her think that things might not be so bad._

 _If only the poor girl knew. Next chapter will cover Jaune's reaction to their 'dinner' with Cinder and an overdue classroom session, things will calm down a bit as both sides take a deep breath, and families may or may not annoy a few people._

 _One reviewer did ask; yes, Vest and Levi have semblances that we'll be seeing later in the story. I'll go into details as required for clarity when their moments come around in shorts after my AN._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 **Thanks, Kat**

* * *

 **Charcoal's Semblance: Shadow Step**

 _Charrie's semblance is teleportation from one shadow or dark area to another. Much like Neo, she must either have line of sight to her destination or know exactly where it is, and 'spends' aura to make the shift. She's far more efficient than Neo (it costs her far less aura per jump, and she can bring several people or items with if the dark area is large enough), but her landing spots are obviously more limited._

 _Further, Charrie must fit out of whatever shadow she's coming from, and the shadow has to remain in place for the full duration of her 'emergence' or else she's knocked back to where she started. She almost never tried to suddenly pop out of a person's shadow as a result, unless their sitting down and fairly immobile. She primarily uses it as an auto-escape mechanism more than a direct combat semblance, facilitating a hit and run combat style._


	42. Semester II: Developing Problems

**Developing Problems**

* * *

Late Saturday evening found Cinder sipping wine in her office relaxing in the wake of her intriguing conversation with Jaune and Neopolitan. They had spent nearly three hours discussing matters over dinner, and while they had not given up nearly as much information as she had, she had made very sure that they utterly believed what she was telling them regarding her critical status to their plans.

If nothing else, summoning a minor windstorm inside of the restaurant had certainly left an impression... they'd been rather rattled by her display of magic without dust or semblance. She'd been careful to keep her eyes closed during the process, to avoid the telltale sign of a maiden, giving them only the proof she felt they needed to heed her words.

 _You know what the maidens are now, to a limited extent... and you know my power._

All they had truly needed to know was that she was the living key to their vault, and that her power grossly eclipsed theirs, and so that was what they had gotten. From the shocked, worried, and then irritated expressions on their features, she was sure they had gotten both messages. Even better, they had been rather too unnerved by the display to ask questions regarding how one became a Maiden in the first place.

They would of course try to open the vault on their own, once they found it, but when they failed it would serve to validate all of her words. And the evident truths she had fed them would bind them all the closer to her, and to Salem.

 _Progress... is sweet._

"Report." She ordered quietly, trusting both of her disciples to have heard her.

Emerald, as always, spoke up first. "I was able to get into Arc's office and rooms while you were away, but... there wasn't anything incriminating in there. I spent a good two hours looking, I didn't anything but empty places where they might have hidden things in the past. If they do write anything down or have data drives they must be somewhere else now."

She made a displeased sound, but could hardly fault the girl. _It would seem that they're just as paranoid as they seem..._

It was an area in which their head start was making itself felt, though all it truly did was force her to adjust her one of her contingency plans.

"Nothing of interest at all?"

"Not unless you count unmarked homework, a lot of alcohol in the cabinets, and their old teammate's weapons." Emerald shrugged helplessly. "There was a few empty boxes that I think were from burner scrolls, but I couldn't find the scrolls themselves."

Cinder tapped her finger against her glass, considering that. It was a typical enough precaution, especially among more wealthy criminals. The pair likely used their personal scrolls for absolutely none of their clandestine work, instead rotating disposable devices after every job they pulled. Roman operated under similar precautions from what she knew, as did she when it came to contacting her mistress.

"Observe them as best you can, their hiding space must be somewhere within the school grounds." She ordered before glancing at where Mercury was lounging on her couch. "Mercury?"

He held up a scroll, "Taurus finally came through on the video from the rally, him against Arc one on one, I'm watching it now."

Her eyes narrowed. "Forward it to me."

The young assassin did so at once, and at Emerald's irritated sound, he sent it to her as well. All three lapsed into silence as they observed, Cinder pausing the video on her scroll just after the red beam of energy finished fading, revealing a battered and bleeding Jaune. Slow taps of her finger sent it crawling frame by frame, letting her see subtle sparks of white and far less blood than there should have been considering the wound's size and scope.

 _...yet more confirmation of his semblance. Hm._

The scroll footage was from one of the civilian faunus, who'd had the good sense to record the fighting rather than idiotically jumping in with his fellows. She was almost annoyed the intelligent man had gotten killed during the rescue efforts... minions with functioning brains could be so useful.

Still, the quality was less than perfect, and he had missed the fighting that had occurred between Taurus and both professors after he had blasted Arc away to buy himself time.

"Your assessment?" She asked once she had finished.

There was long moment of silence before Mercury rubbed at his chin and spoke, "He's a weird one boss, not sure what to think really. First bit of the fight it looked like he was trying to copy Nikos... lots of flashy shield work covering solid swordplay. But right at the twenty second mark? He shifts style completely to a Vacuan style, all feints, quick slashes, and big counter-attacks."

"That's what you said his partner used." Emerald spoke from her own, quick as always to remind Cinder that she was present. The girl had never quite gotten over her jealousy, her fear of being cast aside... it made her easier to control, especially when Mercury was proving his usefulness. "Wasn't it?"

"Yeah, and he's using the same style she does when we can catch her sparring." Mercury shrugged, "Doesn't quite have the build for it, not quite acrobatic enough, but that probably takes a lot of people who fight him off guard."

"While that is interesting," Cinder noted, "I'm am more concerned with his threat level. How directly dangerous is he?"

"He tanked that bull's semblance. Twice, even if the second one wasn't focused." The boy shook his head, "Even if he's only mediocre with that old fashioned stick of his, he'd be hard to deal with just through sheer aura alone. I'd say he gets more dangerous the more aggressive you are, every time Taurus ran into problems it was because he over-committed or bought a fake and then got hammered for it."

Cinder nodded slightly, "Could you kill him?"

"...maybe." Mercury offered after a moment. "That healing semblance is a pain, given his aura the best way to deal with him would be by surprise, but it'd have to be a instantly lethal hit or he'll just shrug it off."

"I could do that." Emerald provided at once, "Semblance, get behind him, get his heart or his throat."

The boy snorted. "Yeah, if he's totally alone and his partner's not around to kick-"

"Children." She admonished before they could truly start snarling at one another. "I am not in the mood."

Both quickly backed down without more than a single petulant glare at one another, then Mercury spoke once more. "But to be honest, I think it'd be better for you to handle him boss. You can burn through his aura way faster than we could. Maybe Em and I could take the girl for you, if we're all fighting together."

Emerald's anger at him seemed to vanish at once, instead being cast somewhere else. It was almost adorably childlike of her, the utter desire to kill Neopolitan for humiliating her in class and then in their 'conversation'... though it was also a potential headache. While Emerald should know better than to disobey the order to keep both Jaune and Neo alive, there was always the chance that a young woman's emotions would overrule her reason.

 _And I would hate to lose such a promising disciple._

"I will keep such considerations in mind." Cinder stated simply, watching as the two took the hint and quickly resumed their work, examining other reports from the White Fang and Watts to maintain their edge.

For her part, she settled back in her armchair, letting her scroll rest in her lap as she brought her glass to her lips. There remained a great deal of work to be done, but progress was assuredly being made. She had Jaune and Neo's attention now, after their pleasant morning and long meal. I was even possible that the young man believed they were establishing a true rapport.

Which, she supposed, was true to some extent. She did rather enjoy speaking with them, commiserating with two other people trapped in this asylum of a school... but that would hardly stop her from executing Salem's will should her mistress change her mind about desiring them alive.

 _Still... they would be far more palatable allies than Tyrian, or that idiot Watts._ Both men had their uses, but that didn't mean she cared to have anything to do with either of them. Replacing them with Jaune and his partner would certainly make the full meetings with Salem far less taxing. _In either case, it doesn't matter. They know some of the truth now, and belong to me whether they know and accept it or not._

Of course, that was long term concerns, and she had short term measures to focus on. There, the real question was what had they found to make them hint to her that they were close to the vault. She doubted it was the true vault, not yet, they would have told her and attempted to double-cross her by now. A decoy seemed possible, she wouldn't put it past Ozpin to have such things in place. That, or perhaps they had fond something, or rather some _one,_ else during their explorations.

Now that was a heady thought. If she could convince them to reveal Amber's location, that would neatly bring so many of her potential plans together.

Cinder could still feel the gentle tug on her soul, the constant low ache of the Maiden's power desiring to re-unite with itself. It was a frustratingly vague sensation, nothing she could use to pinpoint Amber... just enough to let her know she was nearby.

"Emerald." She asked without looking away from her swirling wine. "Have you found anything regarding my old friend?"

"No, ma'am." Her disciple shook her head, "Not directly at least. I got a CCT guard to think he was talking to his partner, he told me that a big deal Atlesian doctor was supposedly staying in the school over the weekend, but I haven't even managed to catch a glimpse of him, think he's staying locked away in a guest room above us. His name is... Polendina, I think."

"Note that for Watts' next dispatch." Cinder ordered, "He will likely know exactly what this doctor specializes in, and will be able to provide further details. Anything else?"

"No ma'am." The girl sighed, "Still no news from the White Fang, I think they're still trying to get everyone out of the... oh, wait, it's coming in now."

Cinder glanced down as her scroll flashed with an incoming message from dear Adam, little more than a few terse sentences indicating that his people's quiet flight from the city to Mountain Glenn was still in progress but proceeding apace. Her information was letting them largely avoid Ironwood's dragnets, and while a few may be captured leaving the city, most would reach the ruins in preparation for phase two.

Adam seemed to be looking forwards to that step... the dear fool.

He should have known that the odds were now utterly stacked against them with the city, the Atlesian force, and even Beacon itself on high alert... but like all true fanatics he saw what he believed rather than accepting reality. In truth she'd never had all that much conviction that primary plan would be sufficient for the task, so the increasingly low odds of its success hardly concerned her.

And, in some ways, this might even be for the best. Morale among the White Fang had climbed significantly since Adam had declared that he wouldn't leave his follows to rot in the Kingdom's jails. He would also, with a minor nudge from her, begin framing the entire operation as a second grand rescue, aimed at breaching Vale's maximum security prison to recover the remainder of prisoners not rescued in the early hours.

That would stoke the zeal further, especially among the fresh recruits who still saw themselves as heroes on some grand crusade.

The poor babes would die, of course, but their actions would send the city and kingdom into yet another media driven frenzy. More discrimination against the faunus would feed the cycle, ensuring that more recruits would replace the expendable fools sent on the train, ensuring that the city remained shrouded in negativity and hounded by Grimm... desperate for the Vytal Festival and its celebrations of joy.

Entirely primed for her true masterpiece.

"Ma'am?" Emerald's voice broke her from her musings, making her glance up. The girl bit her lip before letting out a slow breath, "I... know you have plans for Arc and the girl, but what about Torchwick? His reports are normal... too normal with how many problems the Fang has had; he's got to be up to something."

"Of course he is." She purred, "He's being far more clever about it than I anticipated, but not so clever as to hide his actions and desires entirely. He's attempting to play myself against Jaune for his own survival and gain."

Of particular amusement was his constant push to be seen as the more efficient, skilled alternative to the White Fang in her plans. Had her true goals been more material he may have even won her over, but alas... the terrorists provided benefits that Roman, no matter how good a criminal he may have been, simply could not. They had the bodies, motivation, and fanaticism that his lean, efficient, and survival oriented criminal guild simply could not match.

Red eyes narrowed. "He wants you to kill each other, leave him behind?"

"That would likely be his ideal scenario." Cinder rolled a hand, "But in all likelihood his goad are more minimal. I expect he intends to side with whoever seems to be winning at the final moment, to ingratiate himself utterly by betraying the weaker side at the perfect moment."

Mercury snorted, collapsing his scroll, "Figures... but he knows a lot of what we're up to, what if he tells Arc?"

Cinder shrugged, "Then he would not survive for long, and his final words would be describing Jaune's own secrets to us. I am quite sure that he is as read in to their plans as he is to ours, and that he would expect them to react just as poorly to treason."

She would give the king of the rats that much, he had position himself brilliantly once he had figured out the stakes he played for. If not for his miscalculations regarding her long term goals, and Emerald's talents allowing her to question a few of his key players within his own organization, he may have even impressed her enough to change her mind.

Emerald frowned, "Then why don't we eliminate him now? We've got most of the dust, don't we?"

"Most, not all." She reminded the girl, "And there is one thing that Roman can do for us that no one else can, one thing he is in fact uniquely qualified to handle."

The girl blinked. "What do you... oh, _oh."_

Mercury smirked as he leaned back in his chair. "Heh. Mid-summer's going to be one hell of a party, isn't it?"

"That it will be." Cinder smiled, lifting her glass once more. "That it will be..."

* * *

Jaune had never been so happy for it to be Monday.

Monday meant teaching class. Teaching class took concentration. Concentration that distracted him from the 'meeting' he and Neo had shared with Cinder on Saturday evening and then the hours of research they'd done on Sunday.

His head was still swimming, trying to process everything... a bit of routine was just what he needed right now.

Cinder had been a mix of cagey and blunt. As usual she'd given away as little as she could in regards to her long term goals, while making it clear that she, and specifically her survival and consent, was required for them to get to the relic beneath Beacon. But in other areas, specifically _why_ they needed her alive, she'd been utterly up front. She'd identified herself as the Fall Maiden, told them that only the maidens could open the vaults, and after dinner had sent wind roaring through the restaurant at a gesture without so much as a spec of dust in her hands to prove that, if nothing else, she could do magic without it.

Which was mildly terrifying a thought on its own, it certainly explained the hell out of why Roman was scared to death of her... and it hadn't even been the end of the night.

She'd tacitly admitted to lying in their first meeting, indicating that she was merely a member of a faction opposed to Ozpin rather than the actual mastermind. She had also confirmed that the men who'd attacked and destroyed the Academy were members, and that they had some ability to control the Grimm. All things easy enough to believe from what they already knew, especially after her demonstration of magic without dust.

He was still a bit unsettled by that.. even two days later.

After dinner, they'd reluctantly shared a few details of their own with her in the aftermath, mostly to keep her appeased. They'd admitted to having a possible breakthrough, but not yet knowing where the true vault was. He'd also told her that they knew that at least one, possibly more, of the other teachers were aware of Ozpin's role and would probably back him in any situation that developed.

Cinder had thanked them coyly, then politely departed after promising them that the White Fang would be inactive for several weeks. In return, they had promised to alert her if they found the Vault after she gave them an artistic image of it; a tall door made of interlocking maple leaves.

So they might at least know what they were looking for now, and hopefully would have at least a quiet month to regroup and get their facts straight.

That all would have been simple enough, if disturbing and worrying, if not for the side conversations that she'd worked into the day before their dinner, during the dinner, during the walk home, and then even after they'd gotten back to Beacon. She'd been nothing but utterly pleasant company to the both of them, and that was leaving him conflicted.

Cinder was obviously trying to nudge her way into their social group as a friend rather than as an ally of convenience, so he and Neo weren't sure how to take her claim that she'd had nothing to do with the attack on the Academy. He also wasn't sure exactly _why_ she was pushing so hard.

Neo thought she was trying to recruit them into her mysterious faction, possibly to replace the two men who'd failed to find the Relic and the Summer Maiden at the Academy. He was thinking she merely wanted outside actors, friends she could call on to protect herself against both her allies and enemies if she struck out on her own... but neither of them was really certain.

She was just too good of an actress.

His gut told him she was being sincere in her efforts to be companionable; establishing their mutual cover Saturday morning, her pleasant company through that entire day, her shift of the conversation as they all complained about how hard it was to keep their cover sometimes, but also how interesting teaching could be. She was, after all, the only person at Beacon who knew what they were going through, and seemed to be honest in everything except her long-term goals and her faction.

Jaune almost badly wanted to believe that they could ally with her, pull her out of her shadowy group and onto their side. She would make one hell of an asset, that was for sure, and would give them insane insight into both her group and Ozpin's. But when he'd told Neo that idea, she'd smacked him over the head and told him in no uncertain terms that he was a noble, naive, and complete _idiot_ when it came to women... and that she was making all of the calls when it came to Cinder.

He hadn't exactly been able to argue with that description, and had quietly admitted that was likely for the best.

Jaune blew out a breath as he and Neo left their rooms, heading for the stairs. _We know what we're looking for, we probably know generally where it is... but we can't open it without a woman we don't trust, we have no idea who coma-girl is, and we have no idea what Ozpin needs Pyrrha for... and Neo's confidence aside, I still think Cinder might be someone we could turn._

Neo gave him a nudge as they neared the stairwell's exit, making him realize he'd slipped into another dark frown as his mind tried to chase down just what the hell was happening with the woman in the vault, what his student had to do with any of this, and just what they should do with their 'ally'. Breathing slowly, he fixed his usual smile back on, and Neo gave him a quick nod of approval as they stepped out into the hall.

That turned out to be just in time, as a tall, white haired woman was waiting for them near the exit.

"Winter." Jaune greeted with a bit of surprise. "I didn't think you'd be teaching today, after last week."

"I will not be, at least today." She replied, falling into step beside him, ignoring Neo entirely, as usual. "Possibly beyond, depending upon the results of the various leadership conferences occurring right now. I had thought to inform you in person before I departed the school grounds."

"Ah," He nodded, "You didn't have to, but thanks. More Council meetings?'

"Quite." Winter said, not exactly agreeing, and not really offering further details.

But then again, he didn't really need them. Beacon's nebulous role in the hunter corps, and Ozpin's unofficial status as the leader of Vale's hunters, meant he and the other professors generally had access to more information then the Council was probably comfortable with.

From what he knew, Ozpin and Ironwood had been dragged into hush-hush meetings with said Council and military's new leadership, and had been stuck there since Saturday evening trying to hammer out the proper response. The White Fang, probably at Cinder's behest, had released a video defending their actions, blaming Nox and Atlas for disrupting a 'peaceful rally', and reading a few less than flattering quotes from the deceased General regarding the faunus to justify his targeting.

"Any news that's not classified?" Jaune asked as Neo walked past him and out of the tower, he and Winter turning to follow.

"Not at the moment." Winter shook her head slightly as they stepped outside. It was a dreary, wet day, it had evidently rained overnight though none was currently falling. "I was hoping to discuss your lesson plans for today and next week, given the upcoming midsummer assignments."

"Sure." He said, nodding once. It made sense, they only had today and then next Monday, since the mid-summer celebrations would occupy the Monday and Tuesday beyond that. "I thought we could do with a bit of variety both days, something to prepare them... I was also thinking that we should leave RAVN and RWBY out of the main training since they already completed their mission."

"Sensible." Winter allowed, "By variety, I assume you intend to simulate the kinds of missions first years may encounter?"

"If I can." Jaune shrugged, "We can't exactly set up a village perimeter for them to hold against waves of Grimm... but I thought we could try a four on two, with the two defending a specific location. And I've got an idea for something a little lighter to try and make them realize there's more than one way to win a scenario."

Winter considered that as they walked, "I believe that will work. I also believe that you should locate another temporary assistant for the former mission. The students need to get used taking commands from an experienced Hunter or military officer in addition to their own team leaders, and you can hardly do that while also supervising and critiquing."

"...that's not a bad point really." He admitted, running a hand through his hair. It was kind of a glaring hole in his training technique, now that he thought about it. Sure, he shuffled the team leaders around from time to time, but that wasn't the same as having to take orders from someone a lot older and more experienced who you also didn't really know.

"Yeah, I'll ask someone about that." A quick mental check of everyone else's schedule didn't give him much to work with. "Hm... I'll message Tsune, maybe see if Branwen is around. Neo, you think you can handle the actual Grimm watch when we start?"

Neo shrugged lazily, turning so she could ask if she was going to handle that alone or if she could take some of the brats with.

"Go ahead and take RAVN." He smiled, already knowing just who she was asking after. "I'll supervise from up top and make sure RWBY actually gets some light sparring in, but we'll do that run second. I want to try the lighter affair first."

Both women seemed to find that acceptable, then Winter's pace slowed as the neared their usual spot. "I am due at the Bullheads. Please keep me updated as to the status of your class and your lesson plans moving forwards."

Translation: tell me how Weiss is doing, and what we'll be doing once/if things calm down.

"I will." He promised, keeping his smile in place as she tipped her head, striding away without another word.

Jaune watched her go before heading over to join his partner under their favorite tree, though with the wet grass she'd elected to simply lean against it rather than collapsing beneath its branches as per usual. Neo was frowning at nothing as he approached, her hands rising to ask if he'd though of anything regarding the woman in the vault.

"I was trying not to think about that to be honest." Jaune shook his head, "I have a few ideas, none of them good."

Like what if she was one of the other maidens?

He winced. "...yeah, like that. Cinder didn't exactly tell us how you become a one, I doubt its hereditary or Ozpin would have probably raised her or something."

Neo scrunched up her nose. They needed to figure that out, as soon as possible.

"You can say that all you want, but there is literally _nothing_ on them that we've been able to find." He reminded her, "Hell, we got lucky with that treasure guide you found, otherwise we might _still_ be looking for hints just on the other situation."

It was her turn to grimace, rolling a hand to accept the point before stating that she did not care for the fact that they were entirely reliant on Cinder for information in that area.

Jaune swallowed, glanced around subtly, then lowered his voice. "You want to be bolder about looking into the vault."

She nodded sharply.

His chest swelled as he inhaled, the breath coming out as an explosive sigh as he thought about it. "...if they suspect anyone's been down there we could be screwed entirely, security will go through the roof. Let's keep playing it cautious until the missions. If we don't get another breakthrough by then... we'll take more risks."

Neo considered that. It would make more sense to be bold closer to the Vytal festival, since security precautions would massively rise around then anyway. If they were going to risk getting caught, doing so right before hand would be the best time. That way they could go silent for the duration, take no risks at all, and leave Cinder with far more obstacles in her path.

"Agreed." He murmured before raising his voice back to normal, "But we've got class to teach. You mind reaching out to Tsune, and ask Glynda if Branwen is around?"

Mismatched eyes rolled, what, exactly was wrong with his scroll? Were his fingers broken?

"Lazy butt." Jaune countered as he pulled it out, earning a not-so-gentle kick to his shin for the cheek. He'd just finished messages both of his coworkers when the first students started showing up, the W and B of RWBY walking into the clearing with SSSN.

The all boys-team from Mistral made him raise an eyebrow until he noted how closely Blake was walking next to Sun, while Weiss seemed to be lecturing the boy's partner, the other two guys trailing behind the four and looking entirely entertained with the spectacle in front of them.

 _Ah... claimed then._ Jaune shook his head in amusement, quickly putting his default grin back into place to cover up his concerns. _Looks like Weiss and Neo have a few things in common._

Neptune looked to be more than a little intimidated by his date, but considering that it was Weiss, he really didn't think that was out of place. And Jaune didn't doubt for a moment that it had been Weiss who'd done the asking out, rather than the other way around.

"Morning everyone." He greeted as they drew nearer. "Weiss, where's Ruby and Yang?"

"Coming along shortly Professor." Weiss replied, "Their father is visiting again."

That made him blink, "I thought he was in Anima."

"Evidently he was able to catch a fast airship back to Vale." The young woman replied with a minute shrug, "He wanted to talk to them both alone before class."

 _Huh..._ Jaune mused on that for a moment before shrugging as well. Familial business wasn't any of his, unless it upset Yang to the point where she needed someone to talk with. "He say anything about Mrs. Belladonna?"

Blake evidently heard that, looking away from Sun to smile. "She's well, Jaune. Made it back to Menagerie safely, she and my father are already hard at work with their own investigations into what is happening. He said they stepped up their guards as well, just in case."

"Good." He smiled, hoping that the precaution would prove to be unnecessary in the end. Kali had seemed like a good person. "Well, you all might as well find a comfortable spot until everyone else shows up."

They two young girls nodded, Blake and Weiss quickly securing Cinder's bench for themselves, occupying the only dry bit of seating in the area. He was turning around to see if anyone else was already coming, only to find that half of team SSSN was still lurking near him despite the other pair having gone off to lean against the tower.

"Did you guys need something before class?" He asked.

"Eh, kind of." Sun grinned, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Actually we already picked out our mission, we're going to be working with police investigators... so I was thinking if you wanted to leave us out too that wouldn't be bad. Give everyone else even more attention right?"

Jaune lifted an eyebrow while Neo snorted and started signing rapidly. "She thinks that's very noble of you, to give up training time for your classmates so you can spend more time with Blake."

"Hey!" Sun quickly held his hands up, "Totally not like that!"

When both Jaune and Neo simply regarded him flatly, the young man flushed a little, "Well... ok, maybe it is. Can you blame me? She's awesome!"

He wisely didn't say much to that. It wasn't that he didn't like Blake as a person, he rather did, but she wouldn't have been his first choice of romantic partner if he was their age. She was a bit too moody and bookish for him, not to mention far too obsessed with the White Fang, but if that's what Sun was into, then good for him.

"And Weiss asked Neptune out to the dance too." Sun clapped his partner on the shoulder, "So he's gotta keep impressing her."

"He definitely does need to do that." Jaune agreed, his smile widening a bit as the taller boy's expression became a little green.

"I do?"

Jaune raised an eyebrow, "...you do remember Winter Schnee, don't you? I'm pretty sure she's going to be there, watching her sister like a hawk through the whole dance. Might want to make sure you've got a nice suit, and maybe pick up some lessons so you don't step on her toes."

"...oh." Neptune replied weakly as Neo silently snickered at his reaction. He clearly hadn't thought about _that_ part of going to the school dance with Weiss. "Oh... yeah... probably a good idea."

He couldn't help but laugh quietly, "You'll do fine, don't worry. As for the other thing, sorry Sun, can't really help you. We need six teams for the training today, but maybe next week I'll see about letting you guys relax a bit."

"Eh, I'll take it. You're the best prof." Sun grinned, holding up a fist. Amused, he awkwardly bumped it, watching as the two headed over to join the others, Neptune frantically whispering something to Sun and yanking his scroll out as if to search for something.

It... almost made him feel old. He'd never really had the whole schoolyard romance thing, even after the Academy had fallen. Neo had simply decided that he belonged to her, and he'd realized he liked that level of assertiveness too much to argue with her.

The other students started to trickle in before he could get too introspective, which was probably for the best. MINT arrived along with BRNZ, Meral looking amused as the three boys from the Vacuan team all seemed to be trying to flirt with her at once, while CRDL showed up beside Atlas' team SHRK. Their leader, a uniformed young woman nearly as tall and brawny as Cardin, was gigging at something the boy was saying, so he felt fairly assured that the dance mood was infecting most of the student body.

 _Good for them... kids could use some time to relax._

RAVN and FRST jogged in just before the bell on top of the tower rang, while Ruby and Yang showed up a few seconds after, talking furiously with one another as they threaded through the crowd to join Weiss and Blake.

"All right everyone." Jaune called once they'd gotten settled down, "We're going to be moving over to the cliffs for today's spars, so let's get-"

Naturally... that was right when his scroll rang.

* * *

Sapphire Arc slapped her brother, her voice furious, barely noticing the subtle white flash and the extreme throbbing in her hand. "Why do I always have to find out you almost got killed through the news!?"

"Saph-" Jaune tried, only to get slapped again. That definitely hurt her more than him, but she didn't let it stop her from hitting him again. "-ow! Saph! Calm down!"

"You idiot!" She smacked him again for good measure before huffing and cradling her wrist. "...ow."

Several nearby students were visibly struggling not to laugh, vainly trying to keep their focus on the confused fight happening over near the edge of the cliffs. Jaune's partner was involved, along with maybe a dozen students, all of them fighting hand to hand in some kind of scrum she couldn't even begin to keep track of.

Her brother sighed, running a hand through his hair, not looking so much as ruffled despite how many times she'd just smacked him. "I didn't want you to worry. It was just a skirmish, we all walked away without major injuries."

"Worry?" She demanded. "Worry is hearing some reporter speculating that you suffered from total aura exhaustion fighting some super-terrorist, then having to look up what that even meant!"

Thankfully the students seemed to sense that their fun was at an end, the muffled laughter stopping as space started to appear around them. Sapphire glanced around at the various the teenagers, wondering how many would still be listening in anyway.

"...is that Pyrrha Nikos?" She blinked, catching sight of a girl who looked a lot like the Mistralian celebrity.

"Hm? Oh, yeah." Jaune glanced over, "Teacher's aren't supposed to have favorites, but she's turning into one of ours. Neo has practically adopted her already."

Sapphire blinked again, "How did _that_ happen?"

Her brother seemed to shift uncomfortably, his voice lowering. "We're counseling her, I'd appreciate it you didn't mention that."

"Oh... of course." Pyrrha Nikos, Mistral's invincible girl, needed counseling? That would be on the front page of every tabloid if it got out...

She shook her head once as she realized she was distracting herself, "Right, sorry. There's a reason I came all the way here instead of just screaming at you over a scroll... you want the good news or the bad news?"

"Bad." Jaune replied at once. "I'll need the pick me up after."

She winced, lowering her voice to a whisper. "...everyone but mom knows."

Her brother went still, for just a bare moment, then took a deep breath and nodded. "All right. What's the good news?"

"Everyone's too scared of mom's reaction to tell her."

There was a quiet huff that might have been a snort. "I guess that's something. The news of the rally fight got out to Ansel then?"

"Yeah." She twitched her head around to get her braid in front of her, her hands absently rising to play with it. "Fight with a criminal at some docks, not really worth much to people back home. Giant battle with the White Fang when half the journalists in Ansel are all from the same faunus family? Yeah, they definitely ran with that one."

"And there's a conspiracy to not tell Juniper Arc?" He asked dryly.

Sapphire shrugged helplessly, "You know mom, she's practically everyone's best friend, if not their surrogate mother. No one wants to bring it up, especially since they aren't really sure if you're the same Jaune Arc or not. Dad says most people are convinced it's a cousin or something with the same name, since they know _you_ can't possibly be a teacher at Beacon."

Jaune rubbed at his jawline, exhaling slowly. "I guess I can't blame them... give me a moment?"

She nodded, and he walked forwards a few meters before raising his voice, "Spar complete! Come on guys, I really expected better!"

Three sheepish quartets disentangled themselves from one another, many of them looking more than a bit bruised and roughed up. Her brother's lover, on the other hand, looked entirely too pleased with herself, not quite preening as she inspected her handiwork.

"We won't go over everything yet, I want the other teams to have their own try." Jaune continued, "SHRK, MINT, and BRNZ, you're up. First team to capture Neo and hold her for twenty seconds is the winner, anyone knocked over the cliffs is out, no weapons, no semblances. Team leaders, you get two minutes to plan. RAVN? You're the new referees, grab anyone who breaks the rules and drag them out"

Sapphire watched the students swapped places, twelve trudging back to collapse on the wet grass, twelve more moving to take their place, while Nikos' team swapped places with the four colorful young girls who'd apparently been watching for cheating the first time around.

"So," She asked quietly when he returned, his scroll in one hand as a timer ran. "What's the point of this?"

"That there's nothing wrong with a draw instead of losing." He replied just as softly. "And that they need to think of more than one way to win. If they get her over the cliff, none of them lose."

"Ah." That explained the mess earlier, they'd all been fighting each other as much as they'd been trying to capture her.

Jaune shrugged, "Back to the family issue, do you know how they're going to confront me about it? I'm guessing they told you."

She grimaced, "Only after dad pinned my ears back for covering for you and told me I'm not to tell you anything... so you owe me massively." He rolled his eyes but nodded, "Dad decided to make it a full family trip to Vale before his assignment, surprised mom with the tickets and hotel rooms, giving everyone a vacation since he's getting the extra money for doing this."

His hand slid up to pinch the bridge of his nose, "Fuck... _next_ week you mean? And I'm betting he and mom are going to be invited to the school's ball and festival with the other huntsmen, which means the whole family could be."

"You'd know." She could only shrug, watching his reaction. "They get into town on Saturday morning. Everyone but Dad heads back right after mid-summer. What do you intend to do?"

"...well, pretty sure I have a plan to get dad off my back." He replied after a moment, "But I wasn't really expecting mom to be along, much less everyone else. I guess it'll have to do... I'll tell them everything I told you and hope they understand."

Sapphire bit her lip. It had been there as an undercurrent the last time she'd spoken to him, and his wording there made her all the more aware that there was something more, something that Jaune wasn't telling her. "Jaune... you're taking this surprisingly well."

"It's not exactly unexpected news." Jaune shrugged, before raising his voice. "Time! Spar begins in three... two... go!"

Chaos and brawling promptly erupted once more, the sheer violence of it making her flinch by reflex. Her brother absently steadied her with one hand when she went to take a step back, "And to be honest, after the last week, I was kind of just waiting for something else to go wrong."

She winced at both the words, and at the pained yelp of a young woman when Neopolitan threw her into someone else. "Was the fighting that bad?"

"Hm? Oh," Another slight shrug, "It wasn't the most fun thing ever, no, but it's really the aftermath of a fight that sucks. You have no idea how much paperwork you have to fill out, how many times you have to tell people what happened, it just never ends. Then there was the counter-attack on Saturday and..."

His voice trailed off as he groaned, rubbing at his face. "I really hoped that teaching would get me out of a lot of that."

"I know." She didn't, but it seemed like the thing you were supposed to say. "You are all right though, right? You didn't actually get hurt?"

In response, Jaune rolled up his right sleeve, letting her see a thin white line running across his bicep. "Little cut, nothing my semblance couldn't handle."

"A little.." Sapphire shook her head, grabbed his arm, and checked it closely. It was perfectly even line of scar tissue, and it was about as thick as her smallest finger. "Jaune!"

"Relax Saph." He smiled, though she could tell it was a little strained, especially as several students glanced their way at her shout. "My semblance lets me use aura to heal quickly, it stopped bleeding in a second or two, by the time the fighting was over it was like this."

"I thought you ran out of aura!" She protested.

"Reporters didn't quite get it right. I didn't run out until the very end of the fight." Jaune shrugged, "Honestly the only reason I got hurt at all was because the jerk caught me by surprise. I'm fine, I promise."

Sapphire badly wanted to call him out on the obvious lie, but... she was pretty sure he would just deflect her away, or tell her to drop it. Pushing him five days before the rest of the family showed up didn't seem to be the best idea either, he would definitely need her help if they were going to make sure nothing was said that couldn't be unsaid.

 _If we're fighting when everyone gets here... that would be bad._

"I know you're not telling me everything." Sapphire said finally, gently letting go of his arm. "But I'm going to let it go, for now anyway."

Jaune returned her gaze evenly, then turned slightly to face the spar in progress once more. One young man had managed to grab onto Neo, the young woman becoming a flailing hellcat in response, his evident teammates trying to surround him to stop the others from interfering. It didn't exactly work as two girls simply tackled one of the bodyguards and knocked the close formation over, leaving everyone to wrestle on the ground.

"I'll tell you what I can, when I can." His voice was very quiet when he spoke again, almost solemn. "A few things happened in Vacuo that... Neo and I are still dealing with on the side. It's nothing you need to worry about, I won't let it affect our family."

"Promise?" She asked.

"I promise Saph."

She let out a slow breath and nodded. "All right... so, what's your plan to deal with dad? We're going to have to move pretty fast if you don't want Mom or Amber to reveal anything."

He started to tell her his idea in quick, broad strokes, and to her surprise it wasn't all that bad of an idea, though like he'd said, it was mostly aimed at convincing Nicholas Arc, rather than Juniper. But if he stayed calm, proved himself an adult, proved himself capable... he might pull it off.

"Where are they staying?" He asked once she'd agreed it could work, his head tilting as a teenager was flung off of the cliff.

"The Royal." Sapphire replied. "...they going to be all right?"

"They'll be fine, not that long of a drop."

She blinked a few times. "All right, if you say so... uh, it's the one right next to Vale-U, so they can visit me easily enough."

He nodded, "I know it, Neo and I stayed there right before we moved into Beacon. Nice place, good breakfasts. How is school going, by the way You're not skipping class are you?"

"Of course not." She scoffed, "I have Mondays off, I'd have been here earlier but I got invited to a lecture on Saturday, then a student council thing on Sunday, and it's not exactly a short trip all the way across the city."

Jaune hummed. "Good you're staying busy. Everything's going well then?"

"Yes, though it would be going better if people didn't keep pestering me about you." She grumbled, mostly because he was her brother, and it was the kind of thing one complained about. "You wouldn't believe the number of women, and a few guys, who want to know if you're available."

He seemed to shudder, "Please tell them I'm not. Neo likes to be blatant in her ownership if she notices someone watching. It's embarrassing as hell."

Sapphire grinned, "I'll keep that in mind... but classes are fine, professors seem knowledgeable, and my roommates are fun to go out with. Only thing I can really complain about is how much it all costs... and the food is awful compared to back home."

"If you need lien let me know." Jaune replied promptly, "We've got plenty since Neo started getting paid as well, and we know a few good places to eat."

She gave him an arch look, "I'm not going to take my little brother's lien... even if he is an ass who got a teaching job before me."

He smiled, very gently nudging her with his elbow. "You want to stick around, watch me teach? Maybe you'll learn something."

"Ass." She repeated, elbowing him far more sharply in return... and again hurting herself more than him. "You really can't turn that off so I can hit you properly?"

"Sorry," Jaune said, not sounding it in the slightest. "Reflex, and I didn't hear you say no."

It wasn't as if she really had anything else to do today, besides homework that could wait, and Beacon was... gorgeous, even on a cloudy, tired day. "I suppose I can stick around. You going to treat me to lunch at one of those good places too, or do I have to break out the embarrassing pictures again?"

Her little brother sighed. "Women. You never fight fair."

Sapphire hit him again.

* * *

James Ironwood stared at the map on his flagship, Winter and Zaytun beside him as they noted the small icons around the city of Vale, where Qrow had located small teams of White Fang agents slipping out of the city. They were leaving in ones and twos, making them almost impossible to identify, and then grouping together outside of the walls before moving into the wilds.

It had taken them better than three days to realize that the terrorists were withdrawing from the city entirely, and now it seemed that they would only capture the stragglers who hadn't gotten out as quickly as their compatriots. Even then it was only Qrow's unique gift that was letting him track the small groups as they gathered and got moving, and the huntsman was becoming exhausted from the long flights.

"My teams can capture these detachments easily enough." Winter noted several red icons in order, "Provided we move quickly, before they can vanish deeper into the forests. If Branwen's information is correct, they do all seem to be moving south. Do you believe they are gathering in Mountain Glenn?"

"It seems possible." His gloved hand rubbed at his chin as he considered their options. The ruined city was Grimm infested, but in many ways that was an ideal cover, decreasing the odds that a random civilian or hunter would locate them. "But they could also be moving towards Greenwood, or towards Cael's Passage. The former has a faunus mayor who may be sympathetic to their cause, and the latter has all but expelled their faunus population. They would certainly be a target."

His subordinate allowed her lips to curl in a displeased expression. "We cannot search a forest, a ruined city, protect two large villages, _and_ bolster Vale's defenses all at once sir."

No. No they could not, especially with Nox dead. Vale's military might have been very well equipped, but it also exceedingly small and if he was being honest, somewhere between corrupt and incompetent. It was a safe haven for the children of Councilors and businessmen, where they could accumulate social standing, wear proud uniforms and act as though they were serving their kingdom as well as any hunter when in fact they did almost nothing of the sort.

The officer corps was bloated with such persons, especially given the fact that the 'army' was little more than a militia or self-defense force, _barely_ large enough to defend Vale itself from a Grimm incursion.

 _Of course, if Oz had his way, even such a limited force would not exist._

Not that he'd had a choice, not after Mountain Glenn, where the touted 'perfect' automated defenses and massive hunter support had proved insufficient against the tidal wave of Grimm that had descended upon the city. In many ways Vale's hunters _still_ hadn't recovered from those black days, the military sapping away a majority of potential recruits, and the Council slashing Beacon's budget to the point where Ozpin struggled to maintain a solid propaganda and recruitment presence in his own Kingdom.

"We will not let such obstacles stop us from protecting our allies." Ironwood stated firmly. "Ozpin is giving us a large degree of freedom, as is their Council. We'll need operational plans for all contingencies prepared."

"Sir." Zaytun nodded in agreement, "What will the priority be?"

"The defense of Vale itself." He stated, "I will remain above the city with Blue One. Winter, once you have captured your targets, turn them over to VPD for interrogation. I don't believe they will give us much, so presume that you will be taking command of Blue Two and heading for Cael's Passage."

Winter folded her hands behind her back, turning back to the map. "What of Greenwood?"

"Locate whichever of your subordinates is the most diplomatic, and request that Ozpin give them a team of hunters as an escort." His flesh and blood hand reached up to tap the small icon of the village, "Question the mayor politely, see if he or the local population knows anything. Zaytun, I'm sure you can guess where I am sending you."

"Mountain Glenn." The man exhaled, a dark hand rising to rub at this chin. "Not the most scenic of locations sir, and one task force will barely be sufficient to investigate it."

"I know, Captain, I know." Ironwood agreed, "If Winter can't confirm White Fang activity, or locate any solid lead, she will double-back and join you to accelerate the search."

"Very good sir." Zaytun nodded, "What of Vale's response?"

His expression darkened slightly. "I believe we can count on less than nothing in regards to the military, except to hope they are able to handle the Grimm the current crisis will draw towards the city. Ozpin is dispatching several of his veteran teams to the outer reaches of the kingdom to chase down a few other leads for us, and the student missions in two weeks will further spread the net."

His hand rose again, tapping the small icon for Beacon Academy. "I have his word that the moment we locate the White Fang's base, he will dispatch all available hunters and his entire fourth year class to assist us in capturing or eliminating them."

"Finally." The other man grumbled, "I had thought he would continue his low key operations."

"The counter-attack on Saturday morning allowed me to convince him that a more pro-active approach was required." James replied, though it had still been a difficult sell. He hadn't quite had to resort to threatening to go to Vale's Council as a whole rather than merely Ozpin, but the words had been on his lips before the old man had caved.

"I want you both to remain cautious." He continued, "We don't know what the White Fang's objectives or time-frame is, we're still reacting to their maneuvers and that concerns me. Do not do anything to risk your people or your ships."

They both nodded solemnly before Winter spoke, "What of summoning the remainder of the fleet?"

"Ozpin would _not_ agree to that." Ironwood exhaled slowly, though he honestly hadn't quite been able to get upset. Vale already had a massive foreign expeditionary force on its soil, enlarging it was something even the Council would likely have refused. "Blue Five is heading towards Vytal as part of its shake-down run, if the worst should happen they can join the city's defenses."

Winter nodded, but Zaytun looked less than thrilled at the idea of a brand new warship and green crew joining a battle. Which did not thrill him either, but their options were rather limited at the moment.

"Winter, you're dismissed. Keep me informed in regards to any and all progress."

"Sir." She saluted before turning away, exiting the bridge and leaving him with his other senior subordinate.

"You look you still have something on your mind, old friend." He noted the man's attention to the map, hand still on his chin as he inspected it. "Speak freely."

"I don't like this, James." Came the quiet reply. "You said it yourself, we're reacting to them, not forcing them to do the same to our maneuvers. We're spreading ourselves thin, with little back-up, and the negativity in this kingdom is already rather high."

James let out a slow breath, "I don't disagree, it's entirely likely that they're trying to force us to leave Vale undefended... but we can hardly sit back and allow them to prepare in private safety either."

"No." Zaytun exhaled in agreement, "I don't suppose we can. I'll dig through the ruins as quickly as I can, but I'll keep my bow pointed for Vale."

"That's all I can ask." He replied, turning to offer him a hand. "Good luck."

"Thanks, but soldiers make their own." Came the expected answer, both men smiling grimly as they shook hands once. "See you in a few weeks General."

* * *

 _All right, so, I wrote about 10k words for this chapter on monday, re-read, it hated it, then scrapped it all. Then I got about halfway through a rewrite, didn't like that either, and pulled the original back out before editing it heavily into what you see here. Still not perfectly pleased, but it hits most of the boxes I needed it to check._

 _Cinder is still manipulating everyone, Jaune and Neo are trying to act rather than react, Sapphire brings the expected bad news, and Ironwood and his fleet are being allowed to act thanks to the butterflies. Next chapter will naturally focus on the Arc family and Jaune arguing to maintain his cover, and we'll also be approaching Dance-Dance-Infiltration. Which, naturally, will be the kick-off towards the Breach and all of the fun things that will be happening in regards to that._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 **Thanks, Kat**


	43. Semester II: Familial Affairs

**Familial Affairs**

* * *

It had been a lifetime since Nicholas Arc had stepped foot in Beacon Academy... and naturally, the day he did so was a dreary, miserable one. Dark clouds left everything shadowed as thunder rumbled in the distance, his family casting baleful glances at the sky before giving him subtle looks.

"We have some time." He assured them, gently ushering everyone aside as more people got off of the civilian airship, most of them heading for the CCT mall. Among them was a suited couple who had glared particularly hard at his family for making noise, and he made sure to glare at the redheaded woman as she tried to look down their nose at them. She didn't quite blanch at his attention, but she quickly followed her husband's lead in departing with the other civilians.

"It won't rain for an hour," He stated confidently, making sure all of the girls were still nearby. "So there's no need to rush."

Juniper gave him a smile, absently sliding a hand through the crook of his left arm. She had taken the news about Jaune, delivered by both himself and Sapphire, both far better and in some ways far worse than he'd thought. There was no anger in her, just a terribly deep, weary fear tinged with acceptance, as though she'd suspected or known all along but had never been able to admit it to herself.

"Thank you dear." She murmured, "Now, I believe we have a wayward son to track down. Sapphire, where do you think he is?"

Their eldest sighed, stepping away from where she'd been fusing with Amber's coat. "His office is in the main tower, second floor, but I don't actually know if he and Neo will be there or somewhere else considering that it's a weekend."

Hazel made a disgusted sound, planting her hands on her artfully torn jeans, her shirt not quite long enough to cover her stomach. "How the heck did Jaune even manage this? _I_ had to beat up the bullies in school for him."

" _We_ did." Jade corrected her irritably, clearly ready to get moving lest rain ruin her artfully arranged and, from his point of view, utterly unnecessary extra belts and accessories. "Hell, I think Lavender had to once."

"Language." His wife snapped at once, her voice rising to it usual pitch. "And I'm sure your brother is well respected."

The twins in question scoffed in unison, the sound echoed a beat late by Amber, but Sapphire nodded as she stepped forwards. "He is. I watched him teach class on Monday, they were hanging on his every word... and according to the news he fought Roman Torchwick to a standstill, and helped another teacher fight off a leader of the White Fang."

Juniper mostly hid her flinch at the thought of her son fighting, though he could feel her fingers tighten around his arm while several daughters made confused and disbelieving noises. "Yes... well, I think we should be moving before it rains. Perhaps we can try his office, and ask anyone we pass if they've seen him."

Nicholas nodded in agreement, starting off once he was sure that all seven girls were gathered up and ready to go. Sapphire promptly fell into her usual role as the rear guard, making sure Amber was able to keep up, while Sable and Lavender guided a Coral who was furiously typing away on her scroll, likely taking notes on the school for one of her books.

The walk proved to be nostalgic, despite the reason for the visit and the dreary weather. He had forgotten how overdone the campus was, with its soaring columns and arches built for no real purpose beyond artistic aesthetic. When he'd been young he'd thought it all dreadfully impressive, but as an older man... it all seemed so irritatingly pompous and self-important. Ancient wealth displayed for its own sake rather than for any actual use.

Their journey proved to be largely quiet, few people being out and about given the time and circumstances, it wasn't until they were nearly at the central tower that they ran into a pair of teenagers emerging from a side path. Both were far more well dressed than he'd have expected from students, and much like he and Juniper, were walking arm in arm.

"Excuse me," His wife tugged him over with a smile before the couple could move past them. "Would you mind giving us directions?"

The girl lowered a pair of sunglasses that seemed superfluous given the lack of sunshine, a brown eyebrow lifting. "Not sure civilians are really supposed to be wandering around the campus... oh, wait, you're a huntsman aren't you? You're a week early for mid-summer."

Nicholas nodded slightly, "We decided on a family vacation to visit our son before the missions, he is a professor here. We were hoping you might have seen him."

The boy, a handsome, tanned young man with reddish hair, tilted his head before an understanding look flickered across his features. "Ah. You're related to Professor Arc?"

"Yes." Juniper, as usual, covered any worries she had beneath a sunny smile. "I don't suppose you would know if he is in his office or not?"

"Heh, not on Saturday." The girl's free hand rose, jerking her thumb slightly to the east. "He and the pint-sized terror hog one of the training arenas for just the two of them, they'll spend all morning wailing on each other. They usually leave the door open, so just listen for the fighting."

"Thank you." He said as June's fingers tightened in concern again. "Enjoy your date."

"Thanks." The girl pushed her glasses back up, the pair moving on, though he heard her speak up again behind them as everyone resumed walking. "Hey, you, with the belts. Nice outfit."

He heard Jade laugh behind them, "Same to you, that beret really makes it work."

Sapphire murmured something, evidently stopping Jade from peeling away to talk fashion, for which he was rather thankful. Knowing his daughter that could have occupied them from now until the end of time.

His pace slowed as they continued on their way, then he resumed more confidently as old memories came back. The girls made impressed sounds as they entered the central tower, the main hall looming around them. A janitor glanced up from his mopping, frowning at the odd sight of a large family wandering the combat school before seeing the sword on Nicholas' hip and relaxing slightly.

He nodded politely to the man as they walked past, following the eastern wall and entering a smaller but no less overdone hall with arching windows looking out over the gardens. A short walk to an intersection later saw them take a left turn, into a more utilitarian corridor filled with doorways. Several were labeled as locker rooms, others as as the entrances to the school's massive training zones.

And, just as the girl had said, he could hear the music of battle long before they reached the open door to Arena Three.

Juniper let out a tight breath as she heard the ringing metal, her pacing slowing for a moment as she visibly braced herself. He said nothing, but tugged her arm a little closer to his side, making sure she knew he was there for her. His wife gave him a small, appreciative smile before nodding once to tell him she was ready.

He nodded in return, and led the family through the doorway.

Sparks were flying in the ring as two figures sparred with bared steel, both of them fighting with a focus on speed rather than on power. He watched with a critical eye as Neopolitan flew at his son, a slim blade in one hand, thrusting at cutting at his throat in quick precise motions, making Juniper gasp.

Jaune, moving with none of the clumsy awkwardness he had associated with his son's few attempts at training in his youth, effortlessly parried the attacks away with quick adjustments of Crocea Mors, though he still allowed himself to be driven back several paces. His feet moved in slow measure compared to the rest of him, giving the appearance that neither was actually treating this seriously.

Nicholas saw him tense for a bare moment, an almost microscopic pause in the fighting that told him both fighters were aware of their arrival, then Jaune pushed off from his back foot and counter-attacked, using his height and strength to take control of the fight. The slim woman was forced to rely on quick deflections and acrobatic dodges to avoid his slashes, bending her body in almost impossible directions at times.

He lifted an eyebrow when she dodged a quick cut inside his guard, spinning so her back was to his chest, an elbow ramming into his gut before she drove her sword down at one of his feet. Jaune, moving with surprisingly agility of his own, spun away, catching her in the head with a fist before following it up with a one handed slash at her arm.

Neopolitan bent backwards at the waist to duck the attack, kicking both legs up as she went into a full hand-stand, nearly disarming her opponent before finishing the motion and coming down on both feet a meter or so away and holding a hand up.

Nicholas nodded slightly as they both stopped, weapons lowering, and raised his voice. "Just warming up?"

"Stretching out." His son called back as the two relaxed, finally turning to regard them all. "Experimenting a bit, she wanted to try that foot thing, almost got me with it. Morning everyone, long time no see."

"Jaune." Juniper slid her arm free of his, walking forwards as the boy she hadn't seen in three years hopped down from the stage, sheathing the old family blade as he did. She hugged him without reservation, though he saw the slight stiffness in his son before he slowly returned the affection. "Gods it's good to see you."

"Mum." Jaune replied, wrapping one arm around her before patting her on the back. "...good to see you too."

They separated after a moment, Nicholas stepping aside so that Jaune could greet his sisters. Most of whom were looking at him in something like shock, which he could understand. He was hardly the slender, nervous teen who they had last seen in person anymore, and while the fighting they had just seen had been little more than a lazy exercise by his standards, it would have been impressive enough for them.

Especially given what they remembered from Jaune.

His son went through them all one at a time, giving them quick hugs, though Hazel, Jade, and Amber all complained about his sweat. Nicholas fought the urge to allow a parental smile to appear when Jaune noticeably held onto Sable and Lavender longer than the others, the sister he was closest to and the sister he had always hovered protectively around returning the hugs with far less reservation than most of the others.

Though he didn't miss the way Sable whispered something that made him flinch... she would be far slower than the others to forgive, though for entirely different reasons. It was nearly enough to make Nicholas flinch as well, looking away from his children slightly. He hadn't handled their childhood dreams well, not in the slightest... it was one of his few true regrets in his life.

"Jaune." Coral, as always, spoke her mind openly, and before anyone else could. "I don't remember giving you permission to grow up."

"Coral." Jaune replied in the exact same tones, "I don't remember giving you permission to write me into your smutty books either."

"Hm. True." The girl allowed, "I suppose that's an equivalent exchange... though I'm curious as to how you knew about that. Reading dirty novels now, little brother?"

The boy jerked a thumb over at where his partner had taken a seat on the edge of the arena. Her expression was not at all friendly, and he didn't miss the slow way she sheathed her blade into what looked to be a parasol, the weapon remaining firmly in her lap. "No, Saph told her you did and she decided she just _had_ to read them... she approved, by the way."

Coral brightened visibly, and Nicholas cleared his throat before the conversation could veer into uncomfortable territories. "We need to talk, Jaune."

Jaune glanced at him, let out a long breath, then nodded. "Saph, could you shut and lock the door? Bright red button on the panel."

While she did that, he and Juniper quickly ushered the others into the various benches around, letting the girls sit and relax as the real conversation began.

"Sapphire largely filled us in and what you've actually been up to." He decided to begin, letting Juniper stay quiet for now. "Which was distressing for more than a few reasons, but she was adamant that we aren't in a position to reveal the lies you put on your resume, and that you are actually qualified as a huntsman now."

"Which," Hazel said, leaning forwards, "We really have a hard time believing. You really expect us to believe you fought off two super criminals?"

"Yes." Jaune said simply, "You can ask my students or Tsune if you want proof."

Nichoals grimaced. "...please tell me you don't mean Kitsune-Chan."

"You know her?"

He nodded gruffly, not quite trusting himself to speak. The woman was a lethal huntress and an accomplished battlefield medic, but she was also certifiably unstable and he wouldn't have trusted her anywhere near his children.

"Sapphire said you were hurt." Juniper spoke in the awkward pause, "Were you? Are you all right?"

His son gave Sapphire an annoyed look, but nodded. "White Fang leader had some kind of energy blast as a semblance, it caught me off guard the first time he used it and got through my aura. My semblance heeled it up quickly enough."

"Your semblance?" He prodded. "You discovered it?"

"I can use aura to accelerate my healing rate." Jaune shrugged, "Maybe to boost myself in other ways, but its not one that came with a manual. The wound was shut in a couple of seconds, wasn't ever in real danger."

Of course he had been, it had probably cost him aura to do such a thing, and it would be entirely useless if someone took him down in one blow. But... Nicholas wasn't about to say that just as Juniper seemed to slump in relief at the idea that her son could simply recover if he was ever hurt.

"Still," Jade joined the conversation, crossing her arms and leaning back in her seat, "Jaune, you barely knew how to hold a sword when we last saw you."

"It's been a long three years." The young man shook his head, "Look, I'm not Pyrrha Nikos, but I held off Torchwick solo, fought with Tsune against Adam Taurus, and forced both to retreat from the fight. I'm a Professor at Beacon, I can kill Grimm, I can fight criminals, Ozpin rubber-stamped a hunter's license... at this point I don't think I have anything left to prove to anyone."

Jade blinked in surprise at his cool tones, something the nervous young boy she remembered would never have used, especially to her or her sister.

"And besides." Jaune continued, walked over to lean against the platform beside his partner. "I've always got Neo with me, and she can kick a lot of ass when she's motivated."

The silent young woman preened a little at the praise, nudging him with a smirk on her lips.

Nicholas exhaled, nodding slightly. "I'll accept the point, and your evident skills. You've obviously grown a great deal in the past few years... but you're just as obviously still angry over our decision regarding your prior schooling."

"Slightly." Jaune replied, his voice going from cool to arctic in a single word. His sisters, sans Sapphire and Sable who seemed to have expected that level of a response, all flinched and looked down or at their parents, waiting for them to handle this part.

Juniper bowed her head, "Jaune... you weren't qualified to be at that school. You nearly died on your very first mission, and that woman who called," he frowned as Jaune and his partner's expression flickered towards something extremely dark... _what is that about?_ , "Said you were close to flunking out of the combat portion entirely."

"Maybe." Their son said, "But I was improving, I was making it work. Maybe I didn't go about it the best way, but you could have at least supported me."

"When your decision was to lie about your abilities, fly halfway around the world, and risk your life on an impossible dream!?" Juniper demanded, her eyes welling with tears. "It killed me to do it, but it would have ended me to hear that you had died on your next mission. She told us what you did, charging a Grimm with no aura, trying to be a hero when you should have just stayed put!"

To his surprise, Jaune actually flinched at the last while his partner's lips pressed into a line, though neither responded as his mother continued, "Then Sapphire told us that you kept hunting, when you said you had a nice safe job. That you were running around Vacuo, fighting criminals and Grimm with only your partner as backup, that you could have died out in those deserts and we might have never known."

"You'd have known." Jaune shook his head as he recovered. "A friend of ours in Vacuo had a letter to send in case that happened. And it wasn't that bad, to be honest we ran away from most fights."

Juniper flinched once more, clearly not finding the first part to be at all soothing, but Nicholas felt something in his chest ease a little at the second half while his wife rallied. "You... ran away?"

"Discretion is the better part of valor and all that." He confirmed, as Neopolitan nodded, "We're not stupid, or in the heroes business, or the martyrs one. We bailed on any fight we weren't absolutely certain that we could win... as much as I hate to say it, we came around to dad's point of view regarding hunters and heroes pretty fast after the school went down."

 _If you'd said such things when you were younger, I might..._ He shook himself a little, regrets were meaningless at this point, and raised his voice to ask a question of his own. Not regarding the school, Sapphire had made it clear that Jaune considered that topic absolutely off limits, but regarding his present attitude. "Then what do you want to be, Jaune? Why are you a hunter now?"

His son sighed softly, "I'm a hunter because I can help people, I can train the students here. I can make sure they don't have to learn the lessons Neo and I did in Vacuo. Teach them to fight dirty, to think outside the box, to pound it into their heads that there's more than one way to win. I want them to figure out that retreat isn't a dirty word, and that sometimes you have to bail on a fight... but that's harder to teach."

"It is." He agreed quietly, remembering too many friends who hadn't grown old enough to learn that lesson. "I... do not care for familial battles, I had quite enough of that in my own youth and wished dearly to avoid it with my own children. Are we in agreement that we all have reasons to be angry with one another?"

Jaune pursed his lips, exchanging a single inscrutable look with his partner, fingers drumming once on Crocea Mors before he turned back with a nod. "Yeah... I don't like it, but I've never really denied you didn't have the best intentions. It still pisses me off to think about it... but I never thought you didn't care about me. I'm not going to apologize for my choices though, I did what I thought was right at the time, and I don't regret any of it. Not when it let me help people and led me to Neo."

"We did what we thought best also," Nicholas stated, "So do not expect one from us either."

"No," Juniper countered softly, her hand resting gently on his arm. "I _am_ sorry Jaune, I am sorry for upsetting you, for driving you away for three years, but I am not sorry for trying to protect you. Not when you made the choices you did back then... and I am glad that you've found something more peaceful now."

Their child considered that, regarding his mother, then nodded once more. "I'm not sorry for trying to follow my dreams, and I'm not sorry for keeping you in the dark... but I'm sorry you had to find out like this, from the news instead of from me. I was going to tell you after the year was over, when I visited."

His wife nodded, bowing her head slightly. "Then... can we put this behind us, for now? Agree to disagree, try to... move forwards, to resume being a proper family, all of us?"

Jaune glanced at his partner once more, Nicholas doing the same to see the petite woman rolling her eyes and flicking him in the forehead with a finger. Jaune's voice was dry when he spoke again, "Yes, I know I'm a noble idiot, you don't have to keep repeating it... and yeah. I can't say I'll forgive you right this moment, but... I'll try and put it behind me. Family shouldn't fight."

Juniper didn't quite sag against his side in relief, but he felt her relax all the same. "Good... we'll keep quiet on your transcripts, but you know that can't last forever."

"You never know." Jaune replied with a shrug, "Aside from swapping my school records in Ansel for ones from the Academy, I didn't really have to change much. And at this point my history here might be good enough to get over that anyway."

Nicholas shook his head a little, "I don't think it works like that, son."

The young man snorted, "You obviously don't know Ozpin all that well. I know you probably don't trust me, but believe me when I say I can handle it. Now, dad, I don't suppose you'd be up for a spar? Me and Neo-"

"Neo and _I._ " Jade cat-called, evidently confident that the more serious conversation was over... or at least, temporarily resolved.

"... _Me_ and _Neo_ ," Jaune stressed challengingly, "Don't get to spar with other professionals very much, or were you all hungry for lunch first? There's plenty of fancy restaurants in the mall."

Juniper glanced at him, then nodded, "I believe a nice meal would be in order, before you boys tried to beat each other up. What do you all think?"

"Awww..." Hazel groaned, "We can't watch dad beat up Jaune first?"

Jaune actually smirked at that, "I think you should be more confident in your brother, Hazel."

The girl snorted, but Amber chirped up before she could retort. "Food! Good food too, but not with those jerks!"

"Amber." Sapphire sighed, "You don't know those people, just because they were rude does not mean you should call them names."

Nicholas heard Jaune chuckle, his son finally moving a bit closer. "Sounds like a story... hope it wasn't some of my students."

He shrugged, "No, there were several businessmen and women on our flight, they seemed less than impressed with how excited Amber was to be traveling, and how much space our family occupied."

That earned another laugh that was cut off by a short whistle, both men turning to see Neopolitan signing something that made Jaune tilt his head.

"Hn, good point. Beacon cafeteria serves pretty good lunch on the weekends, if you don't mind that idea... actually I might be able to get them to send a few trays over here." Jaune replied, "Oh, wait. Is everyone settled on the right story regarding everything?"

Sapphire coughed quietly as she called over, "You went to the Academy at thirteen, returned on a vacation between then and the second phase. Stayed in Vacuo thanks to your girlfriend deciding you're her personal property."

Neopolitan cocked her head to one side, then shrugged in approval while his son sighed and lowered his voice. "I don't suppose you have better romantic advice than 'be confident'?"

"No," He admitted, equally quietly, "I'm afraid you're doomed son."

His son shook his head, "Yeah... figured. All right, give me a minute to call the staff office. While I'm doing that, dad, think Neo wants the first crack at you."

Nicholas glanced at her to see her lips tug away from teeth, and he let a hand drop to Argentum's hilt. "Very well, let us see if your confidence in your partner is deserved."

* * *

Yang had been all-in Ruby had proposed that they track down Jaune and Neopolitan for an impromptu Saturday training session, her sister entirely planning on guilt-tripping Jaune since they gave RAVN so much attention. Ruby and Weiss, as usual, honestly wanted to improve, and for once Blake had gotten tired enough of staring at repetitive news reports on the White Fang to want a day off.

Her? Well... she wanted the distraction. It had been a week since her dad had told her that her mother would be in contact. Would finally reach out to her, and stop simply lurking like the world's creepiest stalker.

A week... and nothing. No covert messages in their room, no random calls asking her to go somewhere, no appearing even when she'd purposefully spent Friday night just wandering Vale without Ruby, Weiss, or Blake with just so she'd have a chance to approach without anyone else around.

 _I thought I was done getting my hopes up... then again, she's a criminal, a bandit. What did I expect?_

Of course, her morose mood had gotten sucker-punched by utter confusion when they'd gotten to the training arena at the same time as about half the kitchen staff. The cooks were bustling in and out, moving wheeled trays full of food and cutlery inside, setting them up along a wall. They'd slipped in among gaps in the line, and Yang had found herself gaping at the sight of nine more blondes than she'd expected to see.

No one noticed them at first, since their attention seemed to be entirely on the spar occurring on stage. A man who might have been her dad's age was wielding a plain sword a lot like Jaune's against Miss Neo, sparks flying as his tiny opponent parried away blindingly fast slashes and cuts. She glanced up at the main screen and felt her jaw widen further to see that Miss Neo was _losing._

Not by much, sixty to fifty, but _still..._ it wasn't everyday she saw anyone besides Pyrrha even give the tiny professor a real fight.

"Nicholas Arc." Weiss murmured, reading the name on the board where Yang had focused on the aura meter. "Is that Professor Arc's father?"

"Must be." She replied, "Uh... you guys get the feeling we're intruding?"

"Um... a bit." Ruby admitted, already backing up. "Maybe we should try some other time?"

"Oh, hello there!" A cheerful woman intercepted them just as Yang was about to agree with her sister. Her features were a little lined with stress and age, but not so much that she wasn't still a beautiful woman for someone at least in their forties, maybe even fifties.

And her broad smile was an almost perfect replica of Jaune's habitual expression, making her seem all the more welcoming. "Jaune dear, are these some of your students?"

The professor glanced over from where he was near the ring, seemed to blink, then turned and quickly walked over. "Ruby, team RWBY, morning. Did you girls need something?"

"Um..." Ruby shifted a little before blurting out, "We were kind of hoping for extra lessons, since Ren said you were going to go work with them tonight so I thought we might get some time too?"

"Ah." He reached up to run a hand through his hair, looking as though he was trying to think of a tactful way to turn them down.

"That sounds wonderful." The woman spoke before he could, still smiling. "I had no idea you were so popular that your students asked for extra lessons with you Jaune. Do come in girls, I'm sure my husband would be willing to spar with you once he recovers as well."

Yang glanced over her shoulder to see the man take a parasol straight to the groin, deck Neo viciously in the jaw in reply, both of them losing a massive chunk of aura before backing away and circling one another with slow, cautious steps. "We don't want to intrude if this is-"

"Nonsense, it's our fault we didn't call ahead." His mom, it had to be, turned to him. "Jaune, why don't I introduce everyone, if you have any other students you were going to work with today feel free to call them. You really should have mentioned that you were going to be busy earlier."

Jaune seemed a little conflicted, but sighed and nodded after a moment. "All right, I'll give Ren a call, but I'll need to talk to you before they show up."

Weiss let out a delicate cough, "We can warn everyone about Pyrrha, if that's what you mean Professor."

He gave Weiss the variation of his smile that Yang thought showed fond approval, it was one that the heiress tended to get more than most people. Probably because he, like everyone else, was always surprised when nice-Weiss actually made an appearance.

While he moved aside, pulling his scroll out, his mother, who introduced herself as Juniper Arc, bustled them over to where a small army of blonde girls were all still fixated on the fight. A look showed both fighters nearing the cut off, though Neo was far closer to her limit than her opponent, and was currently using her tiny frame and stupid flexibility for all it was worth to evade every attack thrown at her.

 _Still wish I could bend like that... flexible little jerk._

"Everyone," Juniper spoke as they arrived, "These are some of Jaune's students, he's going to be training them today."

Introductions came fast and furious, and Yang struggled to keep up. There was the eldest sister with the braid, Sapphire, currently holding back the youngest, Amber, who wanted to run off and grab food before it was setup and ready. On the same bench as them was another younger girl, Lavender... maybe Ruby's age, whose face was half-hidden by blond bangs but who also looked both tired and a bit pale.

A set of twins, Jade and Hazel, were well dressed in tight jeans and stylish shirts, though the former had enough belts around her hips for her entire family, and both were far more occupied cheering their father's fight than in taking time to respond to the introductions.

A _second_ set of twins had actually moved farther up in the stands, sitting apart from everyone else, one of them wearing glasses and writing furiously in a notebook while her sister watched the spar with far less enthusiasm and far more focus than her siblings.

"I really thought he was joking about the seven sisters thing." Yang admitted with a grin, accepting that she wasn't going to remember more than half of the names. "How'd you mange it?"

Juniper Arc laughed, a genuine sound from her belly, "You know, there are days where I honestly don't know dear."

Ruby giggled in the moment before the several gunshots preceded the arena's buzzer sounding, Neopolitan pumping a tired fist into the air before bending over and gasping for breath. Her opponent was down on a knee, groaning and rubbing at his chest, a tiny hold-out pistol on the ground the evidently deciding factor in the fight.

"Hm." Blake murmured, "I didn't know she kept a pistol on her."

"Pistol in a hidden pocket, left side of her coat." Ruby promptly provided, "Two throwing knives in each boot... what? I watched her go all out with Pyrrha once and she had to pull everything out."

"Spied on her you mean." Blake smirked.

"I-no! I was just watching!" Her sister pouted while Yang snickered and Weiss rolled her eyes, "Oh! Dibs! I call dibs! I'm fighting Jaune first!"

" _We_ are fighting Professor Arc first." Weiss countered, grabbing Ruby by her cloak and dragging her away. "We don't have an hour for you to waste trying to get through his defense, and we're here to work on partner tactics, remember?"

"Aww... fine."

Juniper watched them go, a curious expression on her features before she turned back to Yang. "They really intend to both fight him?"

"Yeah." Yang reached her hands above her head, stretching lazily as she groaned, "That way they've got a good chance, you know?"

"I don't know." The woman replied quietly. "Jaune... never really liked to talk about his career, especially after the Academy fell. He doesn't like to worry us."

She and Blake exchanged a quick look before Blake spoke, "Don't worry about him ma'am. The professor is very skilled, he's saved lives... my own included."

His mother bit her lip, sighing quietly as she glanced aside, watching as Jaune smiled and turned to follow Rubes and the Weiss-queen towards the stage. "You were at the rally then? I hate to bring you into family politics, but... we only found out he'd even been involved through the news. He wasn't badly injured, was he?"

"Nah." Yang quickly stepped forwards, shaking her head and smiling as she moved to reassure her. "We were there, and he was a beast in that fight. Don't know what you put in his cereal when he was a kid but he's got more aura than anyone I've ever seen, even my dad... hell, even Pyrrha Nikos thinks he's a hard fight, it takes her a long time to get through his guard."

The name drop wasn't her most subtle move, but it worked to distract the obviously worried woman, and drew a squeak of surprise from the nearby bench.

"Pyrrha Nikos knows my brother!?" The youngest sister demanded, her eyes about as wide as dinner plates. "She... she _fights_ him!?"

"Twice a week, sometimes three times." Yang grinned, "You're a fan of hers?" When the girl gave a shy nod, she continued, "She's going to be by in a bit, along with her team. You'll get to see her sparring right here."

Juniper Arc covered her mouth as her daughter's jaw nearly fell off her head, "She...she _will_?"

"Oh yeah," She nodded, "Just do me a favor all right? When you talk to her, just call her Pyrrha, no nicknames, no formal stuff, just Pyrrha, ok? She likes that."

"O-ok!"

"Thank you." Jaune's mom said after a moment, turning back as her husband and Neo limped out of the ring so that the others could take their place. "You seem quite good with children."

"Well, I helped raise one after our mom passed." Yang replied, watching as her sister hopped into the arena, Crescent Rose unfolding to stunned 'oos' and 'aahs' from the twins still focused on the arena. She made a show of buffing her nails on her coat, grinning once more. "I think I did a pretty awesome job, all things considered."

Blake let out a quiet huff, "You could have done a better job avoiding sugar and caffeine addictions."

"Eh, no one's perfect."

Juniper laughed again before looking over to the staff, "It seems that lunch is ready, were you young ladies hungry?"

They weren't, though Yang knew she'd probably wolf down a plate or two once she'd fought... ah, the curse of a high-intensity fighting style semblance. The older woman moved away, herding her children to get some food in them, leaving her and Blake to wait for the two first combatants to arrive.

"Good fight?" She asked as they approached, trying not to stare too much.

 _And I thought Jaune was hot..._

His father had to be at least her dad's age, if not older, but wow. He looked like a more muscled, more refined version of Jaune, and the addition of a neatly trimmed beard upped the slightly grizzled attractiveness quite a bit. He'd probably had half the huntresses in his year after him in his school days, if not more.

Neo gave her a lazy, satisfied shrug as she collapsed onto a bench and resumed stretching her arms. Jaune's dad, meanwhile, regarded them curiously before letting out a heavy breath.

"It was certainly more of a workout than I anticipated from someone with her build." He admitted, rolling a shoulder, "You were quite skilled with the thin blade, young lady, but I think you could use some more variety in your technique. Someone who has fought you before will think of ways to deal with your style."

Another shrug, and Yang took a stab at translating when he frowned at her lack of further response. "They train with anyone whose open every week, says it helps everyone learn new ideas and have time to actually experiment."

The man nodded slightly, "My old mentor once told me that when you stopped learning you began dying."

"Heh." Yang shook her head, "My uncle Qrow once told me and Rubes that same line."

"Qrow? You mean Qrow Branwen?" Nicholas Arc frowned, turning to look at her more closely, something that made her flush a little. "You'd be... Tai and Raven's daughter then."

She swallowed as the name brought up the emotions she was trying not to think about, Blake stepping a little closer in support. "Taiyang's daughter, yeah. I've never met my birth mother, or even seen her outside of old pictures... don't think dad or Qrow ever mentioned you though."

"They wouldn't have." His frown faded as he shook his head, "We were occasional coworkers on missions, back when we were all young, but neither my team nor theirs were ever more than that. Still, you have my apologies, I didn't mean to bring up family business."

"Nah, it's all right." It sort of wasn't, but she couldn't exactly say that. Guy hadn't known, couldn't have known how screwed up she was about it. "Give me a spar when your aura's recovered and we'll call it even."

Arc let out a huff of air but nodded, "Give me an hour and some food, and we'll see."

Blake sighed as he headed off to join the rest of his family, leaving the pair of them with a relaxed Neo. "Do you really have to fight everyone you meet?"

"Nothing wrong with that, right prof?"

Neopolitan gave her a smirk that was almost approving, then their attention was drawn to the arena as the next sparring session began.

* * *

"I think we owe Ruby." Jaune murmured to Neo from where the two were lounging in the very back row of the stands, half-watching as Nora, Ren, Yang, and Blake lazily tried new team tactics, half-watching his family interacting with everyone else.

Weiss and Ruby, talking with his parents, safe. Pyrrha sitting quietly with Lavender, also safe. Ilia with Hazel, Jade, and Amber, less safe. Those three siblings were his real concern regarding his past. Amber was precocious as any other thirteen year old and might not think before she spoke, and the younger twins were... well, Hazel and Jade.

 _Still, so far, so good._

Beside him, Neo shrugged, but there was a hint of acknowledgment to it before she leaned against his side. She'd admit that the brats were certainly distracting everyone, taking their attention off of them and making the day go far more smoothly than it otherwise would have.

"Yeah." He agreed, sliding an arm around her shoulders and trying not to groan. As he could have guessed, his favorite collections of students had all been a little _too_ eager to help him show off in front of his family, despite him not requesting, or even _wanting_ them to.

Practically _everyone_ had wanted to got at least one exchange with him as a result, Amber had nearly fainted when he'd done a light session with Pyrrha, and it had all culminated in a serious bout with Nora. The young woman was far more clever than she looked at first glance, and he knew she'd decided to be the sacrificial 'look how impressive Jaune is!' person deliberately, and that was on top of the fact that she had challenged him right after she'd punted Yang out of the ring to show off how strong she was.

And she _was_ insanely strong, even a glancing blow with that damn hammer hurt like hell, but of the eight of them she had the hardest time with him and Neo in one on one situations. She was just too slow, and since they were indoors with civilians around, didn't have her grenades to even the playing field via high explosives.

He'd beaten her easily, to impressed sounds from everyone but his father, who had merely rolled his eyes to show he'd seen right through the young woman's efforts to make him look good.

 _Though at least he believed me when I said it was not my idea in the slightest._

Of course that had just made his mother gush about how popular he was when his father had explained it off to the side, going on about how much his students supported him, how impressed she was already, how proud she was, and more. He'd needed Neo to come to his rescue, dragging him away for a 'private' conversation that had consisted of them tiredly collapsing away from everyone else.

He was glad Juniper was doing better... but he just was _not_ ready for her to seem so supportive of his career or abilities.

A gentle nudge from Neo made him glance over to see something else he wasn't ready for; Coral and Sable both walking over from where they'd been secluded away from everyone else.

Neo tucked her legs up against her side as they approached, her eyes narrowing as Coral took a seat on the row below, while Sable leaned against the back wall and regarded him without much of an expression on her features.

"Sable, Coral." He quickly put on his usual smile, "I'm guessing you wanted to talk?"

Sable gave him an arch look. "I want to punch you, but I'd probably break my hand."

His smile faltered at once, though he could have guessed she wouldn't bother with the niceties. She might not have had Coral's... condition, but Sable tended to be far more blunt and less polite than anyone else in the family all the same. "...oh."

"Oh." His closest sister muttered, heavily muscled arms crossing her chest as she huffed. "You better have more than that after the shit you pulled."

Jaune winced, absently tightening his arm around Neo as she started to stir. "Sable..."

"Don't _Sable_ me, Jaune Arc." She growled. "You were supposed to tell me everything. Suppose to be with me, to help with Coral and Lavender when they have their bad days. Instead you fucking ran off to Vacuo and never came back!"

Jaune felt his anger stir again. "I thought we all agreed to let that drop."

"Stop misunderstanding me." Sable's voice lowered further, "You fucking know why I'm pissed at you."

He did... and he'd been trying as hard as he could to _not_ think about it because he didn't like what it said about him as a person.

Sable was different from the rest of his family, who in all honestly had seemed more disappointed and upset with his past actions than with his current ones, his father all but stating that they were accepting this because teaching was about the safest thing for a hunter to do.

They weren't happy that he'd lied about it, and his mother had admitted she'd prefer it if he was at Signal where he wouldn't have to do yearly escort missions... but they would accept this. Mostly because they didn't know everything, and he wasn't about to tell them or even imply that more was going on. Saph was the only one who seemed to even guess that there was more, and she'd already agreed to keep quiet, believing that he wouldn't let it affect his family.

His guilty soul cringed before he forced himself to focus on Sable.

He'd known that his general lack of contact over the last couple of years would hurt her, given how close they'd been, he'd expected to have apologize rather profusely for that. Hazel and Jade might like to taunt him about having to defend him, but they liked to forget that he hadn't exactly been alone in picking fights with bullies and trying to defend others even when he probably shouldn't have. Sable had been by his side as often as she had been beside her twin's.

One memory welled up as he looked at her... two pre-teens, armed with broken sticks and garbage lids, pretending to battle epic monsters in the rain.

"Yeah... I know."

Everyone else was angry he'd run away from home, faked his transcripts, lied to them, risked his life, all in the pursuit of a dream they had never once supported him having.

Sable was angry because he hadn't told her... because she would have gone with him.

His sister glared at him, letting out a slow, angry breath, three evident years of frustration finally being given an outlet. "Why."

"Coral." He said quietly, nodding to their silent sister. "I... didn't think she could handle it if you left."

"I would have gone with, obviously." Coral didn't so much as look up from her notebook. "If you are going to lie to us then at least make the lie interesting."

"I'm not lying." Jaune shook his head, "Where would you have stayed while we were at school Coral? I've lived Vacuo, it's not the kind of place young foreign girls get by safely when living alone. I knew enough to guess that even before I left."

If anything that was an understatement. He'd learned to love the desert itself, and the small tribes and villages were often pleasant... but Vacuo's cities? Jaune shuddered at the very idea of any of his sisters trying to live in one of them.

Especially Coral.

Sable cut a hand through the air, a single furious gesture. "And you didn't invite us to live with you after school _why_? I'd have covered for you and Coral wouldn't have given a shit if we went hunting. Hell she'd have probably taken your fake job, lived with your friend and sold her books. It took me twenty minutes to work out a plan to make that work, so why the _hell_ didn't you?"

He flinched and looked away, unable to really respond to that... especially since it was worse than she knew. They'd been in Vale for most of a year... he could have found them an apartment or something.

"You didn't even think about it." Sable said, her voice lowering again, still more than merely angry. "You forgot all of our games, all of our promises... the dreams we had of fighting side by side."

"I didn't want to be a hero anymore, not after what happened." He knew the words didn't really matter, he didn't have a leg to stand on... but they came out anyway. "And you didn't exactly call me or anything."

"Because I thought you _quit_ you asshole!" She snapped. "I thought you'd given up and decided that serving drinks was your life's goal, something you didn't exactly deny when you said you became a manager at a fucking club. I was going to go through with our original plan and then beat some sense into your brain."

Neo stirred once more, evidently putting the pieces together in her own head. She gave Sable a long look, eyes shifting colors as she blinked, then started lazily signing words.

"That's why you're coming to Vale next year." He translated quietly. "You're not going to college at all, are you? You were going to try and become a journeyman."

"Forgiveness instead of permission worked for you." She noted, "Thought I'd give it a chance before I'm too old to really make a go at it. And after mom told us your girlfriend was a huntress... thought it would be even easier to find someone to train me."

Neo tilted her head slightly, expression somewhere between amused and impressed, while he forced himself to not wince. His free hand rose as he rubbed at his face, cursing himself for being such an idiot. Gods, he'd been so furious at his parents, so upset over what had happened to the Academy, so focused on the quest he and Neo had decided for himself... that he'd just blocked away the thoughts of anything else.

How was he supposed to tell Sable that he wasn't going to be here next year? That no matter what happened, he and Neo would be gone?

Beside him, his partner shifted once more, glancing at up at him with pink eyes and lifting a single eyebrow. The expression made his blood turn to ice, and the words came out before he could hold them back. "No, absolutely not."

Neo pursed her lips, then shifted back so both her hands were free. They needed the help, and they needed allies who they knew would absolutely never betray them.

Jaune growled, brought his own hands around, and began signing back at her. That didn't matter, she was his _sister_ , he wasn't going to put her life in danger.

Pink eyes rolled. One, her life was already in danger just for being related to him and he fucking knew it. Two, said sister was older than him so he could knock off the elder brother routine. And three, what did he expect her to do if he said no?

The first and third points made him flinch a little... he didn't really have a response to the first, and the answer to the last one was obvious: she'd show up anyway and demand training, or she'd find some random hunter who wouldn't value her life nearly as much as Jaune would.

 _Gods... if Cinder found out about her looking for training..._ The woman would snap her up in a heartbeat as both a hostage and a potential recruit. Even if Sable found a master to train her, Cinder could still arrange for the poor hunter to get killed, and then for her to step in as a sympathetic replacement in the aftermath.

 _Gods fucking dammit... this is what you get for putting things off and trying to not to think about things Jaune!_

Sable let out a cough, her voice hot. "Jaune."

"One second." He replied, not looking away from Neo as he continued the silent conversation. Supposing he agreed, which was a big if, what did Neo have planned?

She rolled a shoulder. It would depend on what she wanted, but even unlocking her aura and getting her stamina up might enough to let her survive if, when, Cinder sent someone after his family.

He flinched again. His family would be safe enough in Ansel, the city had an over-abundance of retired huntsmen who wouldn't just stand by and let something happen, and his father was no pushover. Neo might have defeated him once thanks to a gimmick, but his old man had beaten her down severely in their rematch a couple hours later... much to her annoyance.

 _But if Sable and Coral move to the city... even if we could pay Charrie to watch them too, she can hardly protect three different women in a city this size._

Jaune lifted his hands and rubbed at his face again, his voice coming out muffled. "Sable, when were you planning on moving here?"

Sable was silent for a moment, as though surprised at the question, then answered, "We're apartment and job hunting while we're here. Wages are a lot higher here than in Ansel, so I convinced mum that it would better to live here while I save up for my first semester."

 _...fuck!_

Warning her away would require telling her that there was more going on in Vale, with he and Neo, and neither she nor Coral was stupid. They'd know he wasn't telling her everything, just like Saph had, but unlike their eldest sister neither would just let the subject drop. Well, Coral might, if he laid it out with cold logic, but Sable wouldn't. She'd be like a dog with a bone, and if the argument got bad enough the rest of the family would be dragged in and things would get messy as hell.

He tried another route, "You still want to move here, even with the White Fang and all the problems? It's not exactly the calmest of places right now."

Coral answered that, "We are more likely to be killed by a natural disaster than by a terrorist attack given the Atlesian presence and the status of the Vytal Festival."

 _Great..._ Jaune let out a slow breath as Sable spoke once more, "After everything you've done, are you seriously going to say you won't help me?"

His throat vibrated with a frustrated groan as he looked at Neo, praying she'd be usual dismissive self... and found her shrugging, because of course she didn't really care.

She looked at Sable, instead of a loving sister, saw a petty risk worth taking. If she could be trained up anywhere as quickly as Jaune had been, they'd have someone to watch their backs and extra pair of hands when they went after their next relic.

And if she couldn't hack it and ended up dead... well, the woman was in danger of that anyway, thanks to all of the plots in motion. Better she die with some chance to fight or flee, instead of just getting cut down as a pathetic civilian.

"I really don't like your thought process sometimes." He said quietly, despite the fact that Neo hadn't so much as twitched her fingers. She hadn't had to.

His partner shrugged without any trace of apology. She was who she was, as was he.

"Jaune..." Sable spoke up again, "I want an answer before we leave next week."

He closed his eyes and sighed. "...we'll have to look up the rules for Professors and apprentices and all of that... but this is going to be serious Sable. Not like when we were kids, just wanting to be heroes. The real thing is... not pretty sometimes."

"I don't want to be a hero Jaune, you're not the only one who grew up." His sister replied, "I want to be a huntress."

"Yeah."

 _I just hope you don't regret that... and that I can think of something to keep you away._

* * *

 _And this more or less marks the halfway point of the core story, with all of the pieces at least slightly teased as they were put into play. I know this one was a bit overly focused on Jaune and his family, there's a reason for that... things are going to begin moving very fast starting in the next chapter. The next six chapters (the rest of S2) are all going to happen in sequence and at speed as a half-dozen or so chess players all start moving pieces around._

 _Within the chapter itself, the goal was to show a Jaune who was older and more mature than the one in the original PA, who was more able to line up logical arguments and evidence to support his skills and right to hold his position. It also helps that his lies on his resume were far more minor, so if anything his family was more angry about his past lies in Vacuo than they were about his current status._

 _Regarding Sable... I thought it would make some degree of sense for Jaune to not be the only Arc child to have wanted to follow in dad's footsteps and have their dreams hammered down by said father._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 **Thanks, Kat**


	44. Semester II: Dance Dance Infiltration

**Dance Dance Infiltration**

* * *

Jaune collapsed onto the couch with a tired groan. "...I hate you."

Neo glanced over from where she was mixing herself a drink in the kitchen, a brown eyebrow rising in a mild challenge.

"You just had to bail on the family farewell dinner." He muttered. "Had to leave me to face the gauntlet alone."

She rolled her eyes and went back to her work, evidently not finding that worthy of a response.

Grumbling to himself, he let an arm fall over his eyes, trying to relax after a very long evening.

It was surprising how three years could change some people, and how it could leave others exactly the same. The past eight days had driven that particular lesson home _hard_ , in both good and bad ways if he was being honest with himself.

His parents had quickly gotten the hint that, peace agreement or not, he still wasn't eager to spend time with them, and Neo wanted absolutely nothing to do with either one. As a result they'd largely made themselves scarce in favor of doting on Sapphire and helping Sable and Coral apartment hunt, only stopping by once for dinner and another set of spars.

The same level of tact was only partially to be found in his siblings. Sable and Coral had also made themselves somewhat scarce, since they would be coming back to Vale within a week or two, and Sapphire had taken it upon herself to spend as much time with their parents as possible to make up for any pain they felt at his cold shoulder.

Which was unfortunate because those were his three most mature siblings.

Of the other four, Neo had quickly informed him that Lavender was the _only_ one allowed to spend any length of time in her presence. Lav preferred companionship to conversation, and thought an afternoon spent simply reading quietly in the same room while they did paperwork counted as a more than pleasant time together. As a result, Neo considered her less than interesting, but also someone whose presence she could tolerate.

Hazel and Jade, in contrast, were still entirely in their teenage rebellion phase and weren't sure what to make of him. When he'd left he'd been their doting older brother who they'd had wrapped around their fingers, and to say they hadn't known how to act around the new him would be understating things. They'd defaulted to what they'd known before, gotten rebuffed rather hard, and then gotten rather snappish with him in turn about how little time he was spending with the family.

Still, they were old enough to understand that he had both a job and a partner, and couldn't just drop everything to spend time with them. They hadn't _liked_ it, not even a little, but they'd settled into a low simmer after a few days of sniping in person and via text messages.

The same could not be said for their youngest sibling... Amber had easily been the worst of the lot. Jaune hadn't exactly been mature at thirteen, and he would admit that, but he'd been nothing like Amber. By the second day it had become clear that his parents had gotten very lax by the time they'd gotten to child number eight. She had all of Hazel and Jade's inability to understand that he had his own life, the same treating him as though he was still seventeen and worshiped the ground his sisters walked on, while entirely lacking the twins' thick skin and ability to accept him getting irritated at said treatment.

It had culminated in their one and only real fight as a family, when Amber had demanded, begged, and then thrown a fit because he wouldn't let her come with to his Tuesday counseling/sparring session with Pyrrha. He and Neo had hauled her down to the mall complex where his mother had been eating lunch with Sable and Coral, and told her that Amber was no longer allowed to visit until she acted something resembling her age.

Juniper hadn't exactly taken that well, or liked the bruise Neo had left on Amber's wrist, and it had taken her husband and Sapphire arriving to calm things down. In the aftermath Nicholas had admitted that his son was right to not let her go with, it was a counseling session after all, but he'd also been disappointed in the utter lack of tact he and Neo had displayed... and he'd been rather upset about the bruise as well.

 _So sue me... I'm not Sapphire, I'm not good with kids, and I can't blame Neo for losing control of her strength for a moment considering how much she was yelling the entire way to the mall._

Not that he'd _wanted_ to actually hurt Amber or anything like that, nor had he been thrilled that Neo had lost control of her strength, but it wasn't as if she'd struck her on purpose. It had just been a minor accident brought on by an immature teenager struggling to get away from a huntress whose temper was short at the best of times. Regrettable to be sure, but somewhat understandable.

But... at least it was almost over.

Tonight's meal had been a little more relaxed, though Amber had refused to so much as speak in his direction. It was the last time he'd see most of them for quite a while, since they would be leaving Tuesday morning, and the ball would occupy all of his time tomorrow. His parents would be there, along with most of the other professionals called in for the mid-summer assignments, but his sisters would be staying at their hotel.

 _Thankfully._ He loved his sisters, even Amber, Hazel, and Jade... but he'd forgotten how exhausting having seven siblings around could be.

"How did your evening go?" He asked when he heard Neo moving around once more, lowering his arm as she settled onto the other end of the couch. "Did he have anything for us?"

Neo tossed a folder onto his chest in response, sipping her drink with her other hand.

Jaune groaned and hauled himself into a seated position, glancing at the various pieces of paper inside, the top bearing a picture of a smiling young woman. "Amber Eld... Junior came through then. Huh, lot more in here than I'd thought there would be."

His partner shrugged, Junior was good at his job, especially when he had a large retainer from them to work with.

"That he is... I still have no idea how he runs a night club, a gang, while brokering information on the side." He covered his mouth as he yawned, "Summarize it for me?"

Pink eyes rolled, but she set her drink aside and did so. Their mysterious woman was a fifth generation huntress from an old noble family, whose parents had died on a mission when she was extremely young. She'd been raised by one of her aunts before attending Signal, and then moved on to Beacon.

"An aunt..." His fingers flicked through the pages, "Is she alive?"

She was, was currently in Mistral training tournament fighters as a kind of partial retirement. She'd had another aunt who'd died when she'd been in her early teens, it had evidently broken her up bit, she'd been excused from Signal for most of a month after. Still, they might have to track down the living one at some point, see what she knew.

"Agreed." He nodded, pursing his lips. "How did she do at Beacon?"

Top of her class academically, but had been dragged down by her team. They didn't make it past the group stage in either Vytal Festival, and the team itself disbanded right after graduation. Two moved to Atlas to become Specialists, the third went on a vacation to Vacuo and never came back. Amber had linked up with a pair of old huntsmen in Ozpin's personal employ after that.

Jaune felt his eyes narrow. "...Ozpin's personal employ. That's setting off all kinds of alarms."

Neo nodded, her eyes lightening a few shades as her expression became grim. They'd been good, very good, but had a disproportionate number of missions against criminals on their records compared to Grimm exterminations.

"His personal hit squad?"

Probably, she shrugged. Not that it did them any good in the end, they worked together for about three years before the older pair got trapped by a Grimm migration while Amber was on vacation in some village. Junior had a report that she'd run off to join them... and that all three had been killed in action during the fighting. That had been just this last summer.

He let out a tight breath, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. "...fuck. You don't think...?"

That someone who could command Grimm had picked out her teammates, attacked them, and then ambushed her en route? Neo rolled her eyes, of course she thought that, just as he did. Someone else in Ozpin's employ had apparently saved the girl, or what was left of her, and they'd tried to cover it up by declaring her dead.

 _Why hide the fact that she survived..._ He bit his lip, puzzling on it. "How did the aunt take that?"

Showed up for the closed casket funeral, hired a male escort for the night, then went back to Anima without spending more than one evening in Vale.

"Hn." Jaune shook his head, not sure if that meant she knew, was involved, and burying a guilty conscience... or that she wasn't, had bought the lie, and was trying to deal with her grief. "Let's leave the aunt for now. Was there anything on her actual skills, whether or not she might have been a maiden?"

Neo waggled a hand back and forth. She was supposed to be some kind of savant with dust magic, so that was a definite point for being a maiden, but her combat scores hadn't been at the same level as her academics. She'd been mediocre at best, and the notes Junior's hackers had pulled from storage indicated she had a lot of raw power and a giant aura reserve, but little natural inclination for battle.

"...shit, if she wasn't a serious fighter then why give her magic?" He wondered aloud, "Assuming it's a gift and not a birthright thing. And why not put her on some kind of super-elite team, or have her as a teacher like Haley had Summer?"

His lover could only sigh silently and shrug before grasping her drink once more.

 _Dammit... we know more now than we ever have, and it still seems like we don't know anything at all._

"We have to know how someone becomes one of these maidens." Jaune said quietly, re-iterating the point she'd brought up last week.

Obviously, Neo responded, but the only people who could tell them that were Ozpin, coma girl, and Cinder. Of the three, who did he think wouldn't lie to them?

"Don't be a smart-ass." He growled, nudging her with a foot, "There's more than that. Did any of his people spot Raven Branwen? She's probably our best option for answers, especially if she's the kind of bandit who takes cash."

She agreed with the point, and the idea, but Junior hadn't seen her, and the blonde brat was still obviously moping about the lack of contact with mommy. There was also the small problem that they were running decidedly low on lien after paying Charcoal and Junior.

Jaune exhaled, not thrilled with her wording, "Don't be that hard on Yang, family crap is a hard."

No. Shit. Why did he think she was drinking so much after having to deal with his family? If they stayed around any longer she really _would_ become an alcoholic.

"Don't joke about that." He admonished, "As for the cash... we'll pull a job on the next break, or a free weekend. Pick out a Councilor who voted to restrict Beacon's budget, we'll see if he's got anything worth stealing."

She blinked, then gave him a sly smile and a nod of approval as her mood shifted a few degrees towards the positive.

"Anything else?" He asked, glad he could at least brighten her evening up a little, even though his own mood remained rather low.

Neo shook her head, half-rising to shift her way down the couch, settling beside him more properly, tilting her head as if just now noticing that he was slumped more than usual. How had the dinner been? Any more fights?

"No, not tonight." Jaune answered, stretching out his legs a bit now that he had room. "Everyone was on their best behavior, it was as much about saying goodbye to Saph as it was to me, so that helped. And my parents don't seem to suspect what Sable's planning yet, so that's one landmine dodged for the moment."

There was a little shrug as she threw back more of her drink. The jerks would figure it out sooner or later, and there'd be another annoying eruption.

He sighed, letting his head fall back against the armrest as Neo finished off the alcohol. "Yeah... I'm still not happy about that. I don't want to bring her in on all of this."

Neo shrugged, tugging him over a bit so that she could swing herself atop him, straddling his waist. Would he rather she end up killed, unable to defend herself?

"Of course not." He protested, "I don't want her involved at all. I want her safe and sound back home."

That wasn't going to happen and he knew it.

Jaune exhaled irritably, "I _know_ Neo. I _know_ our choices are to tell her the truth and hope she backs off, or to train her anyway and keep her in the dark. I'm saying I hate both and wish to hell that we could think of a third option."

Her eyes rolled. They were going to have to work with Sable and he knew it, anything else was just bitching for the sake of bitching

He half closed his eyes, and let out yet another annoyed sigh. "Could you please be tactful and supportive, just once?"

A finger flicked the end of his nose, why would she ever be such a thing when she knew he loved her assertive, arrogant, occasionally cold nature? And she _was_ being supportive... she was going to train his sister to fight, she could just as easily have refused and he knew it.

...he did, and he knew it was probably a sign of how much Neo cared about him that she was going to go through with it. That she cared enough about his feelings that she wouldn't just blow off Sable as someone she really didn't care about.

And, Neo continued, she was also being supportive right now, distracting him from whatever stupid thing was dragging him down.

Jaune let out a slow breath as she wiggled her hips a little, "...not that I don't want to, but... I'm tired, Neo."

She blinked, her expression becoming one of surprise, then she actually brought a hand up to his forehead as if to check his temperature.

"Not like that." He shook his head, sliding his hands around her waist and pulling her down into a hug. Sugar scented hair fell over his face, and he breathed in slowly, "...it's just... all of this. Who this Amber is, what the maidens are, what Cinder's doing, what the Fang are doing... our quest, my parents, my sister... feels like we're getting pulled in every direction."

He felt her take a slow breath, pecking his jaw with her lips before pushing back enough so that she could sign to him. Maybe... it was time they stopped caring.

Jaune blinked. "...huh?"

She scoffed and clarified. They'd been doing a whole lot of reacting to Cinder, whether they'd known they were or not, ever since that bitch had shown up. They'd had to react to his parents. They'd had to react to Ozpin roping them into the Rally battle. Maybe... it was past time to start making everyone _else_ react to _them._

He bit his lip, frowning. "...you want to have Sable stay here instead of going back at all, don't you?"

That, and she thought that she should hit the vault. Tomorrow, during or after the ball instead of waiting until just before Vytal. The sooner they found the Relic, the sooner they would have leverage over Cinder, and then be able to make _her_ react to _them_ for once. Hell, they might even be able to finally force Roman to spill a few secrets if they could prove to him that they were winning.

"...that's still risky."

Slender shoulders rolled in a shrug. If anyone anything went wrong they'd just default to their back-up plan of outlasting the Vytal Festival by keeping Cinder off balance, and making sure Ozpin and Ironwood kept security at a maximum. Even _if_ she set off an alarm and they reacted, they'd be fine, and it would let them focus entirely on being pro-active against Cinder and her minions.

Jaune considered that. It wasn't all that different from what they had planned already, Neo just wanted to move the time frame up as much as possible, and she probably also indicating she thought it past time for them to take more risks in the interests of speeding up their search. On the side, she also wanted to force the second confrontation with his parents over Sable _now_ instead of waiting for it to blow up on them later.

He wasn't sure he could handle that... he was getting emotionally drained as it was... but if the options were to deal with it now, or wait for his parents to come flying back to Vale for a second confrontation... maybe it was best to rip the bandage off fast.

"I'll call Sable in the morning." Jaune said finally, "See if she's willing to trust Coral handling the move of their stuff, and if she wants to crash on our couch until then. As for the other bit... not tomorrow, we'll be too busy with the ball, last thing we need is you dead on your feet when you try it."

She pursed her lips, the night after then? She wasn't assigned a mission thanks to her lack of a voice, and Jaune wasn't due to take MINT out on a Grimm hunt until Friday. That would give them three entire nights to work with.

"Three nights with more and more of the students gone," He agreed. "Yeah... I think that can work."

Neo grinned, obviously pleased that they were finally going to resume being proactive.

"In the meantime, we keep an eye on Pyrrha, see if Ozpin tries to drag her off for something, and we keep an eye on Yang to see if her mother shows up." He continued, feeling himself relax a little as they settled on a concrete plan. "What about Cinder and the White Fang?"

His partner shrugged, leaning back before starting to shuck her coat off. What about them? If they did something else, unless it directly affected them... let Ozpin and the Atlesians handle it. They needed to focus on _their_ mission.

Jaune didn't really like that idea, but... she had a point. Right now they needed to push everything else aside and... his mind derailed as more pale skin became visible. "...really, you still want to?"

Neo glanced down at him midway through removing her corset, lifting a challenging eyebrow.

"Of course I _want_ you, I always want you." He immediately defended himself, "But the couch isn't exactly comfortable, remember?"

She pursed her lips, frowning, then pointed at his desk, and asked if he was in the mood to top for once.

"...I don't think I'm drunk enough." He admitted.

Well, there was an obvious solution for that.

* * *

Pyrrha was more than a little nervous as she smoothed out her red dress, once again feeling self-conscious about her choice. True, it covered her chest entirely, but the bared shoulders and exposed leg still seemed a bit much.

Especially considering that she _still_ wasn't sure how she felt about going with Ilia, even though she'd been the one to ask the other girl.

"Relax." Ilia murmured as the pair walked down the brightly lit gardens, the school having brought extra lighting for the event. The giant hall of the cafeteria loomed ahead, being the only room large enough to hold the entire student body plus all of the professional huntsmen who'd elected to celebrate mid-summer along with them. "You look great."

She felt herself flush a little, entirely aware of the fact that their fingers were twined together as they walked. "Thank you... so do you."

Her partner... her _date_ , smiled slightly. "All I did was copy yours."

And she had, wearing more or less the same dress, though hers was a shimmering black. The main difference was that she'd let her hair down for once, the orange-brown tresses hanging over both shoulders to frame her pleasant features. It was strange how something as simple as that changed her entire look, softening her appearance so much.

She realized she was staring when the freckles on Ilia's face and shoulders began to shift to a low pink, and quickly looked away. The fingers wrapped around hers squeezed gently, a silent message saying that it was all right.

"Hm," Ilia nodded ahead of them, gently letting the topic move on, "Looks like Yang is still on door duty. You ready to break her heart along with her wallet?"

Pyrrha stifled a giggle, "That's mean."

"But true." Her partner purred with a smirk as they continued walking. Sure enough, Yang was standing just outside at a podium, greeting everyone and giving them any directions they needed. If she remembered right, the hall itself would be divided between tables for eating and a massive dance floor, while all of the side doors would be open so that people could enjoy the gardens.

The interior was supposed to be mostly for the students, where they could have a lavish meal, dance, and enjoy themselves, while the outside was far more oriented towards the professional hunters who were here to help them on the mid-summer missions. Several smoking areas had been set aside, cigar smoke already rising, and a pair of small bars were doing a brisk trade.

Pyrrha caught sight of Mister and Misses Arc as they approached, though strangely the pair seemed to be leaving the party already, neither one of them looking particularly happy. The moment of confusion was cast aside when their friend and rival saw them approaching, the strong blonde woman letting out an excited cheer as they arrived.

"Oh my gods, I knew it!" Yang practically vibrated with excitement, "Same dress and everything!? That's adorable!"

"Well," Ilia purred, "It wasn't exactly intentional, I had to get it on short notice after Pyrrha asked me."

Just like a balloon popping, Yang's good mood seemed to vanish as she gaped at them, hands clinging to her little podium as if she needed the support. "...wait! Pyrrha... _you_ asked _her_ here?"

"I did." Swallowing, she pushed her social anxieties aside, gently pulling her hand out of Ilia's... so that she could slide an arm around the surprised woman's waist. "Is it really so surprising?"

Yang's expression screamed that it _was_ that surprising... then her eyes widened in shocked understanding. "Oh you jerks! You got a hold of the list didn't you?"

"Yang." Ilia had stiffened in surprise at Pyrrha's touch, but seemed to relax as her own arm slid around her, making the champion all too aware of her softness and warmth as they shifted a bit closer together. "We have no idea what you mean."

"Uh huh." The other girl grinned, "Pyrrha didn't just want to make sure her favorite member of team RWBY and her favorite professional sparring partner didn't win?"

Pyrrha flushed a little. "...it was more about making sure Cardin and Meral didn't."

"Knew it." Yang laughed, "Ah well, I just owe them comics and ice cream, could be worse, and you two are too adorable to be mad at right now. Anyways, welcome to the ball! Were you guys going to dance or eat right away?"

She glanced down at Ilia and got a lazy shrug, the movement shifting her body against Pyrrha's and making her flush a little more deeply as her partner asked, "I don't suppose you know where everyone else is?"

"Hmmm..." Yang half turned, looking inside, "Everyone else is our year is here already. Nora and Ren are on the dance floor right now, so you might want to avoid that unless you want to get involved in a dance off."

Ilia snorted, "They would... what about your team?"

"Blake, Weiss, and their dates decided to start with dinner to avoid the rush once everyone else gets hungry." Their friend sighed, rolling her eyes theatrically. "And Ruby managed to find the fourth year team from Atlas... she's already started talking shop with them."

Pyrrha stifled a giggle, "What about Jaune and Neo?"

Yang waved a hand off to the right, "Last I saw them they were outside chatting with his parents and my uncle, but I think the older Arcs just left. Still, knowing Neo and Qrow, I'd check the little bars out there."

"Thank you." Ilia said for them, tugging Pyrrha into motion before a line could start behind him. "See you around Yang, have fun buying those comics and ice cream."

"Stop trying to get me Yangry! And give Rubes the good news!" The girl called after them, making Pyrrha blush once more while Ilia rolled her eyes at Yang's favorite pun. They separated by mutual agreement once they were past Yang, though Ilia's hand found hers once again, giving it another soft squeeze as they entered. They found the massive room to be moderately crowded, and the air filled with conversation and music.

"Ruby first?" Ilia asked, her voice level but sounding quiet compared to the noise.

Pyrrha had no issues with that, and the pair set off to try and find the young girl. Thankfully it wasn't all that difficult, given Yang's information, and they found a bright splash of red near where several students from Atlas were lingering near a window. The latter were easy to identify, since nearly all of the boys and maybe half of the girls had gone with military styled dress uniforms rather than normal suits or dresses.

And they were much better about the gaping at her and Ilia than most of the other people they walked past were.

 _Never thought I would appreciate Atlesian discipline like that..._

"Pyrrha! Ilia!" Ruby cheered as they approached, a glass of punch lifting as she threw a hand up, nearly falling over in her heels before catching herself. "Stupid stilts... come meet my new friends!"

"Salutations!" One of said new friends cheered, nearly as loudly as Ruby. "Greetings new friends!"

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile at the over the top greeting, calling back as they arrived. "Good evening."

"This is Penny." Ruby proclaimed, gesturing at the beaming girl as if she was some fascinating new discovery that Ruby had only just found. "And her team leader Ciel, they're on team CPPR, fourth years from Atlas! Penny, Ciel, this is Pyrrha and Ilia."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," The second girl, Ciel, gave them a little bow. "Ruby and I were just discussing the most appropriate way to deal with Grimm at range."

That was entirely too Ruby, discussing weapons and work in the middle of a ball intended to celebrate the continuation of life, and Pyrrha found herself swallowing a laugh. Ilia made a strangled sound as she didn't quite manage to keep her own amusement down, and the fact that her eyes and freckles turned orange gave her away in either case.

"Hey!" Said young woman glared at them both, setting her punch on a table she could plant her hands on her hips. "Would you two stop looking at me like that, I'm not a fancy-dancy girl, this is way more fun! Wait a second... oh-my-gods you're holding hands! I thought you had a plan or something!?"

Ilia laughed, "Pyrrha decided you and Miss Neo winning was acceptable, so she asked me."

The wording made Pyrrha's good mood take a minor hit... _that makes it sound like the bet was the only reason I asked you._

And it wasn't! She'd asked her because she... wasn't sure, but Miss Neo had said the best way to figure it out was to try, and if nothing happened then she would know. Or something _would_ happen and she would know the other way.

... _but Ilia doesn't think it's just about the stupid bet, does she?_

The small team leader abruptly vibrated in nearly the same fashion her sister had, clearly more than a little excited by the news. Thankfully Pyrrha's abrupt internal crisis went unnoticed as the dark skinned Atlesian girl let out a polite cough, speaking before Ruby could erupt with more questions. "Miss Rose, I was hoping that we could finish our conversation."

"Ugh!" A finger promptly stabbed in Ciel's direction, Ruby immediately refocusing on the apparent debate that their arrival had interrupted. "I don't care how many bullets your rifle can throw out, a high quality, high caliber air dust round just _can't_ be beaten for efficiency!"

Ciel put her hand on her hips, and the two promptly appeared to lose track of the fact that anyone else was present. Even when Penny retrieved chairs and settled them behind both they simply sat down and continued their argument without pausing. Not that she really minded, it let her affix her smiling mask back into place and force herself to relax once again.

"They will likely be occupied for a while." Penny smiled as she stepped away, "Would you like me to locate you once they have returned to normal social conversation?"

Pyrrha blinked at the odd phrasing, but Ilia quickly nodded, "If you could."

"Of course new friends!" The girl beamed all the more happily, even when Ilia tugged Pyrrha away from the debate, which had shifted to whether or not rockets were an appropriate secondary weapon.

"Only Ruby." Ilia shook her head as they started wandering aimlessly, "Here less than an hour and she already found two people as socially awkward as she is."

Pyrrha smiled, "You were thinking that too?"

Her date laughed, "Well... who did you want to track down next? Maybe step outside to find Jaune and Neo, then go for food?"

"That sounds splendid." She nodded.

"And maybe you can tell me what's wrong when we're outside." Ilia continued, making Pyrrha stutter-step. "Pyr, I know the difference between your real smile and your smiling for the crowd smile, and you're wearing the second one right now."

"I..."

There was a sigh as she steered them away from the dining area, probably to avoid their friends' attention right now. "You're still conflicted about being here with me, aren't you?"

"I'm not conflicted." She responded at once, "I'm just... uncertain."

Ilia stared directly ahead for several steps before shaking her head, "Well, isn't that what tonight's about? Helping you decide? I thought that was why you asked me."

Pyrrha felt her heart relax, of course Ilia hadn't thought that this was just about the bet. "It was, I'm sorry, I'm just..." Her fingers squeezed the other woman's, "...I've never been on an actual date before."

"And the fact that I'm a girl, and you're not sure if you like girls, isn't helping?" Ilia asked, but Pyrrha could hear the teasing tones coming back. "Don't worry, I'll be gentle for your first time.."

She felt her skin heat up a little, "You don't have to say it like that!"

Her partner laughed, stepping a little closer as people began to notice them. Ilia would have probably been happy enough to simply bull through everyone to get to the nearest door, but Pyrrha held her back, politely talking to Meral, Dove, and a dozen others who all wanted to know who had asked who and whether or not they were serious. The former was easy enough to answer, even if it disappointed and confused almost everyone, while the latter led to awkward pauses and the pair of them saying they were taking things one step at a time.

But while dealing with their friends and comrades in their year was acceptable, there was more than just other first years present. Several older students who'd never really had a chance to interact with her quickly took note of the chance to approach Pyrrha, and did so with varying degrees of tact and politeness. She bowed out of those conversations as quickly as they could, under the excuse of looking for Jaune, but they both felt their moods souring a bit as the crowd seemed to press in.

After nearly twenty minutes they managed to escape out of one of the open side doors and into the open air. The summer heat was still pervasive, but for once it wasn't all that humid out, and after the warmth of the crowded hall it felt positively cool. They paused long enough to receive a glass of water from a harried looking waiter, then began their search for their favorite teachers.

While she didn't spot Jaune, she did see Mister Branwen strolling away from a bar, and a quick pursuit later found the two of them arriving just as the huntsman collapsed in a lawn chair beside Jaune and Miss Neo. The latter was sitting in the former's lap, her back to his chest, and she lowered her own drink to give them a cheerful wave.

"Yo." Mister Branwen lifted his cup in salute, noticing them first, "What are you kids doing out here us old timers?"

"Pyrrha showed up to a ball with a faunus girl on her arm." Ilia grumbled, "We got mobbed and hated it, you mind?"

Jaune laughed and waved at the long chairs remaining, "Feel free."

Pyrrha quickly sat, trying not to sigh in relief, then froze in startled shock when Ilia nudged her over a bit instead of taking one of the open chairs. Thankfully she didn't sit directly in her lap or anything so forward, instead simply fitting herself beside her hip.

"So," Jaune prodded once they'd settled into place, "Who won?"

"Ruby and Neo." Ilia said, all of them but Mister Branwen laughing when the woman in question promptly clapped her hands in happiness. "Pyrrha asked me."

"Good on you." Professor Arc beamed at her, making Pyrrha blush again. "Now we just need find Qrow here a date and we'll all be set for company."

Mister Branwen snorted, his drink and hand stabbing vaguely in Jaune's direction, "Don't even start on that crap, I got the worst luck with women."

Neo rolled her eyes and made a quick motion with her hands that her partner translated for them, "She says prove it."

"Kitsune-Chan." Qrow responded promptly.

"You dated Miss Tsune..." Her voice trailed off as both Jaune and Neo winced. "Um, she seemed nice when we met her after our mission."

Yang's uncle laughed, "You know how she didn't want to give you an anesthetic for those burns you had on your face?"

Pyrrha blinked, remembering that slightly odd conversation. "Yes?"

"Apply that to sex. Pretty sure I still have scars."

She blinked again, then blushed furiously. "Oh."

Everyone laughed at her reaction, though she noticed Ilia's freckles betraying her own mild embarrassment. That only grew worse as Neo decided that the needed more evidence, and Qrow seemed to show absolutely no shame in going through his long and less than illustrious career as a ladies man. By the fifth woman Pyrrha was quite sure he was simply making it all up to make the stories more fun, because no one could be _that_ unlucky.

Especially a man who wasn't exactly unattractive.

 _That_ thought made her go right back into introspective mode, her eyes glancing between Qrow's chest, Jaune's everything, and then Ilia as she tried once again to be more certain about... well, everything going on in her head and heart.

"So." Jaune spoke up when Mister Branwen had finished, the man leaving to chase down an old friend who had evidently just arrived. "Don't tell me you two are going to hide out here all night. You should at least get a proper dance or two in."

"We will," Ilia replied for them, "Just wanted to relax a bit before going back into the chaos."

He didn't quite look like he believed them, and Pyrrha quickly spoke up before he could push, "What about you two? I saw your parents departing, I would have thought you might come inside after that to see everyone or maybe dance as well."

To her surprise Jaune grimaced while Neo let out a silent huff. "...let's just say we both needed a drink or two after that conversation."

"Oh." She swallowed, catching the implication that it hadn't been a pleasant one. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault." He waved away her apology, "And to be honest it'll affect you both a bit. One of my older sisters, Sable if you remember her from last week, wants to become a huntress, she's going to go the journeyman apprentice route because of her age. She asked us to train her, and Neo said yes."

"That sounds..." Pyrrha caught herself, remembering counseling sessions where he had admitted that his own familial relationship was strained due to his career choice. After how nice and pleasant everyone had in their impromptu visit last week she'd though they had found a way to move past that.

But... maybe they'd just buried it instead.

"Oh dear." She said instead. "They don't approve?"

Neo rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Spent all day trying to talk her out of it," Jaune provided, "And when that didn't work, came here to try and convince us to talk her out of it. Once they realized we weren't about to do that, they left to go try again."

Ilia shook her head, leaning back a little towards Pyrrha as she did. "But she's an adult, older than you, and isn't your dad a huntsman? Shouldn't they be supporting her?"

Jaune let out a sharp breath, "They would be, if she wanted to be anything _but_ a huntress. And no, I have no idea why neither of them has ever wanted more hunters in the family. When we were young, I could see their point, we wanted to be glorious heroes and didn't really understand the job. But we're not kids anymore, and they won't explain themselves beyond the obvious risks that Sable's already said she's accepted."

Her date shook her head once more, "Wow... talk about screwed up."

"Yeah..." He agreed, "But it's not very good conversation for a party. How about we all go inside and get some food, maybe see if the two of you can dance half as well as Nora and Ren."

"That won't take long." Ilia groaned as she got up, turning to off Pyrrha a hand. "I can't dance at all."

"Well," The smile quickly began to return to his face, "Then you and Neo have something-omf!" He coughed as his partner dug her elbow a little more sharply into his stomach, glowering as she levered herself off of him none too gently. "I mean I'll make sure something slow is on."

They both laughed as Ilia helped her stand, their hands remaining together as they headed inside.

* * *

Yang leaned against the wall near the front door, watching with a lazy smile as her friends danced.

She wasn't really a fan of the classical stuff that Jaune had changed the music to, but she'd admit that it was least providing more of a show than people just jumping around and bumping into each other. Watching the normally precise Neopolitan stumble as Jaune dragged her through a waltz was hilarious, though not nearly as surprising as Ren and Nora gliding around the dance floor as if they'd done it a million times before.

Ilia was about as unsteady as Neo, but she was game enough to keep up with Pyrrha, both of them laughing and wincing occasionally as they stepped on each other's toes.

Yang had absolutely no idea if the two were actually going anywhere, but at least they were cute. The same could be said of Sun and Blake, the boy so earnest in his attempts to make sure Blake was both having fun and remaining comfortable that her partner actually _did_ seem to be relaxing a bit.

But... not everything was perfect.

"He still in the bathroom?" She asked.

Weiss huffed quietly, cradling a glass of champagne in one hand. "Supposedly."

Yang winced. "Sorry Weiss."

"It's hardly your fault." The smaller woman sipped from her drink, sighing as she turned, Yang following as she walked away from the dance floor and towards the exit. "It isn't as though dinner went well either, so I'm not exactly surprised."

"Really?" She sort of was. Neptune had seemed fairly cool, for a guy. Gentlemanly, funny, if a bit of a nerd.

"He's polite, attractive, and engaging." Weiss allowed as the warmth of the hall gave way to the cooling night air. "But it quickly became clear that we had little in common. He was far less interested in my opinions and far more interested in telling stories and appearing suave."

She winced again... she'd kind of picked up on that too, in her few runs over to see how everyone was doing. He'd seemed like the kind of guy who was determined to be really cool in all the ways it mattered, and who tried _way_ too hard at it as a result. He'd probably been a lot more relaxed when they were all doing their White Fang research together, but as soon as they'd gotten here...

"You think he panicked about having Weiss Schnee on his arm?"

"I think he panicked over the fact that he can't dance." Weiss replied, a bit of frost in her voice. "I hardly have the time to waste caring about a man so absorbed in his self-image he can't admit such a minor thing."

Yang let out a slow whistle, "Sun told you that?"

She nodded as they slowed to a stop, just enjoying the breeze after too long indoors. "Neptune departed right when Nora came to invite us to dance with Professor Arc, while Sun was getting Blake more punch. He actually slapped himself in the face when Blake told him what had happened, and drew me aside before we walked over."

"Geez... he at least offer to go get him for you?"

"Of course he did, and I politely declined." Weiss sipped more of her drink. "As I said, if he is that shallow about himself, I dread to think what he thought of me."

"Well..." Yang drawled, "You want to be my date then? I know it's a little late, but it was kinda weird being the only one on our team without one."

Weiss let out a petite little snort, "You're forgetting your sister."

"No, I'm not." She shook her head, "Ruby's not allowed to date until I'm at least thirty. Come on, we can dance as friends, make fools of ourselves, laugh at Sun and Blake, maybe try and cut in on Jaune once or twice while the other person distracts Neo."

That at least drew an honest, if quiet, chuckle. "Thank you, but no. I'm not really in the partying mood anymore... I believe I'm just going to relax, maybe take a quiet walk in the gardens."

"Well then," She gallantly offered her an arm, "Allow me to escort you."

Weiss gave an unamused look, "If you're coming on to me I'm going to stab you."

"Don't flatter yourself." Yang rolled her eyes, "Friends don't let friends drink alone when a boy was just a jerk to them."

"There's hardly any... oh nevermind." Weiss shook her head and started walking, Yang dropping her arm and following alongside her. "Though on the subject of men, I'm still surprised no one asked you."

"Oh they did, I just turned them all down." She paused, thinking about it, "There was a couple of third years from Beacon, then four or five of the exchange students. Don't tell Meral but her date asked me first and only went to her after I said no."

The ice queen made a surprised sound, "Why? I thought this kind of thing would be rather enjoyable for you."

Yang sighed, "Weiss, I know we're not as close as you and Rubes, but you know me. I'm a brawling adrenaline junkie of a huntress. I'm about as comfortable in this dress as Ruby is in hers, I'm just better at handling it. It doesn't help that I apparently inherited my uncle's dating luck... I never had one that went well. Kind of turned me off the subject, at least until we're all a bit older."

"Because of your preferences or because teenage boys are imbeciles?" Weiss asked as they turned down a side path, aimlessly wandering away from the ball.

The bark of laughter came out before she could even think about holding it in, "Let's go with both. Being taken to sappy romance movies while getting my chest stared at really didn't do much for me the first time, and forget the second and third times. What about you?"

"This was it." Weiss shook her head, "Assuming you don't count corporate dinner parties where I was expected to sit at the same table as whatever rich young man my father was throwing me at that month."

Yang's tongue stuck out as she made a disgusted sound, "Gods, every time I think my family is screwed up I remember yours... at least what you've implied about it."

The heiress pursed her lips, clearly not ready to say anymore, but just as clearly not denying it. "It is rather depressing to realize that Blake possess the most normal home life of us four, isn't it? And that she at least partially threw it away."

"Well... she didn't really... well not _entirely_." She shook her head, trying not to grimace at the idea. She'd never really thought of it like that before, but Weiss... rather had a point.

She and Ruby had a dead mother, a disappeared criminal of a mother, a well intentioned but partially alcoholic uncle, and a well intentioned but occasionally manic-depressive father. Weiss had a military sister, a brother she'd only ever spoken of once in the coldest possible tones, and a dad who sounded like complete corporate sleaze. She'd never even _mentioned_ her mom, which set off about half of Yang's internal alarms.

Blake's mom hadn't seemed to have any issues beyond the usual ones any mother or faunus might face, and her stories of her dad made him sound like a normal guy. A politician maybe, but pretty normal beyond that.

"I'll give you that, kind of depressing." Yang sighed. Not that she didn't love Blake as a friend and partner, but... well, to use a Sun-ism, she was just so _Blakey_ sometimes that it made her want to tear her hair out.

Weiss was silent for a little while as they walked, then cautiously asked, "No news from your mother?"

"...Rubes told you?"

"She tells me everything." Came a tired reply, "Often whether I want her to or not."

"Heh, same old Ruby... no, nothing." Yang's feet slowed as they reached one of the broad circles, various paths all converging onto the main avenue. "No messages, no letters, no mysterious calls... just more nothing. Don't know why I expected anything different."

Weiss turned, opening her mouth as if to say something, then blinked and froze. "Yang... I think we have a problem."

Yang blinked. "Uh, is my mother standing behind me?"

"No," The heiress set her glass down before her legs started going, moving around Yang. "But I don't see any guards at the CCT tower."

She jerked her head around, moving on reflex to follow her teammate as she checked the building. Sure enough, there was a decided lack of security even though Yang _knew_ there should have been a half-dozen guys to make sure no one wandered into the closed structure during the ball.

"Do you have your scroll?" Yang asked, struggling to keep her balance a bit as they moved. _Dammit, running in heels..._

"In what pocket?" Weiss replied. "Oh gods, I see one of the guards."

"Me too!" They split apart slightly as they reached the tower, both going to a pair of downed men who'd been mostly dragged behind bushes. Yang quickly felt at the guy's throat beneath his armored helmet, relaxing slightly. "He's alive. Weiss?"

"...I think... yes." The heiress's voice was relieved as Yang whipped her head around just in time to see Weiss shake herself and stand. "Right, we need to get them help and draw attention. There should be an alarm inside."

Yang needed a moment, then nodded. "Yeah... right. Stay behind me, you don't have dust and whoever did this might still be here."

The proud woman looked a little displeased at that, but couldn't deny the fact that Yang was more suited to leading right now than she was. Yang took an extra second to get rid of her heels, tossing them aside, prowling on bare feet to find the tower's door cracked and very much not locked as it should have been. Stepping inside found more guards sprawled around, she couldn't tell if they were all breathing because her eyes were drawn to the elevator.

"It's going up!" She gasped rushing forwards, "They're still here!"

"Yang, wait! Dammit!"

Yang was already moving around the central core to the next elevator, stabbing furiously at the controls. The door dinged open and she threw herself inside, Weiss barely getting in after her as stabbed the top floor, and began repeatedly slapping the close button.

"That doesn't do anything." Weiss snapped, knocking her hand away and pushing the bright red fire alarm button instead. There was a long, silent beat, then the pale girl cursed again. "Dammit, how could they disable the alarms!?"

"Don't worry about that." She countered, pushing her teammate back behind her with an arm. "Get your game face on."

Hers was already in place, her semblance rolling down from the back of her neck. She could hear her hair beginning to crackle and spark as she brought her fists up, letting her eyes roll to the red as she braced herself. Whoever was up here would notice their elevator coming up, just as they'd seen the first one, and they'd be ready with some kind of attack.

Behind her, Weiss's heels clicked on the floor as she seemed to prepare herself as best she could without her weapon or any dust.

She didn't get a chance to ask her what her plan was, the fast elevator dinging open in short order.

Yang threw herself forwards into a forward roll just as a black arrow whipped through the air where her head had just been. She came up fast, surging towards a burly figure wearing a White Fang mask and armed with a bow. He whipped the weapon around as she began her assault with a quick jab, the wooden haft blocking the punch a masculine grunt of effort.

"Weiss, flank him!" Yang waded in with left right combo, following it up with a low kick, growling in frustration as the man nimbly parried the first two and leaped back and over the last, another arrow whipping out in a quick shot.

She flung herself back on reflex, anyone using a _bow_ had to have some kind of semblance or nasty affect attached to it, and wasn't surprised when the tiny arrowhead exploded. What _did_ surprise her was the target, one of the light fixtures right above them. Glass and sparks fell in a shower, forcing her back several paces and leaving Weiss to try attacking alone.

The heiress didn't get very far as the attack easily blocked a punch, kicked the small woman away, then sent another explosive arrow into a nearby monitor.

"Yang!" Weiss's shout was hard to hear as sparks sputtered and a the firefighting system kicked on. "Go left!"

Rather than reply, Yang simply did so, sprinting left along another row of monitors while Weiss went in the other direction. Their opponent froze for half a second, then drew a cylinder from his belt and threw it at his own feet just as she arrived.

Yang had sparred with Ilia enough to know a grenade when she saw it, and she flared her aura while squeezing her eyes shut just before the flash-bang went off. The ringing in her ears didn't let her hear the incoming attack, but she felt something smack into her left shoulder hard enough to drive her back a few paces.

She got her eyes open in time to see her opponent ducking, getting his annoying weapon behind her knee before upending her entirely. Snarling, she rolled away from a nasty stomp, her semblance gaining a minor surge from the first blow. The momentum carried her back into a crouch as she arrested it, the asshole using the brief moment to draw a new arrow.

Her hand snapped up in time to bat this one aside... or to attempt to, since the moment the thing touched her it evaporated in puff of yellow dust. Her throat vibrated from the surprised scream as she fell on her ass, muscles contracting as lightning played over her. Her semblance drew in more power from the pain, and she flared her aura against the follow-up she knew was coming.

Instead the faunus jerked his head around, her own gaze following to see the third elevator's numbers cycling as someone else came up. The mask shifted, as if whoever was wearing it was cursing, then they turned and...

…threw themselves out the window about three seconds before General Ironwood and an elevator full of soldiers arrived.

She watched woozily as the Headmaster stormed forwards, staring out of the new hole in the room's exterior, then turned and waved for his men to get back downstairs. For his part he quickly walked over to where Weiss was curled up, having not noticed the flash-bang in time, then picking her up with surprising gentleness before carrying her over.

"-Long!? Can you hear me!?" He shouted.

Yang blinked and shook herself, ears popping as her aura slowly got to work trying to fix things. "...kind of..."

"What. Happened?"

"Faunus. White Fang." She groaned, letting go of her semblance as slumped back. "Had a bow, stupid tricks."

"Stay. Put." He continued, his voice firm. "Doctor is on her way!"

Her chin moved in a tired nod as she reached out to check on Weiss, then quickly jerked it back as the heiress abruptly got up onto her hands and knees and starting throwing up champagne and bits of dinner.

She was trying to think of a good pun involving Weiss' name and vomit when another sound got through to her ears... a low distant whine that seemed to rise and then fall away. It repeated itself after a moment, and she looked back to the General to see if it was coming from him. Instead she found Ironwood staring out of the window, his scroll flashing furiously in one hand...

...and Vale's lights turning red as the city's alarms grew in volume.

* * *

 _And here we go._

 _I'd apologize for the cliffhanger but... well, to be honest I'm not sorry at all. The goal here was to start a bit slow, let the fluff of a nice party go on for a bit, and then for things to ramp up rather quickly right at the end._

 _Not entirely happy with this chapter, a lot of crap went down with my neighbors and condo association today that both obliterated the head of steam I had going and left me with too many annoying phone calls to make and angry emails to send. The fight is supposed to be quick and frenetic, and a bit confused, hopefully that comes out properly._

 _As I implied last chapter, from here on out, things will be happening very quickly, and we likely won't get a proper Villain POV until the aftermath. Hopefully everyone continues to enjoy._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 **Thanks, Kat**


	45. Semester II: Locomotion

**Locomotion**

* * *

Winter Schnee tore her sword out of the woman she had just stabbed, ignoring the unpleasant sound the faunus made as she collapsed and the blood that spurted over her white and grey uniform, the Specialist's feet already carrying her deeper into the complex.

"Continue the advance!" She shouted, aura flaring as a pair of stray rounds impacted her arm and shoulder. "Captain, we need reinforcements!"

Zaytun's harried voice crackled in her earpiece, " _I've dispatched all available ground forces, but Grimm are being drawn to the battle! The mechs are being diverted to form a perimeter, while Company B is entering the underground as we speak!"_

"Confirmed!" Winter replied, vaulting over the scrapped remains of a ground car to engage the three terrorists on the other side. Her saber flicked, removing a pistol and the hand holding from her first opponent, and then she was atop the others as they reeled back in shock.

"Huntr-!" Her fist struck the man's throat before he could finish, and she absently ducked a bayonet idiotically aimed for her head rather than center-mass. A sweep of her weapon sent the final terrorist stumbling, and then a hard thrust through his heart ended him.

All around her the other members of her personal unit were entirely engaged with the enemy, along with what soldiery from Blue Two that had been in the area when they'd stumbled across the White Fang's underground base. More soldiers were piling in, racing this way down various subway entrances and other tunnels to join the battle, but she wasn't sure if they would make it in time.

If _she_ had even made it in time.

" _Schnee."_ General Ironwood's powerful voice came on the override, the signal making it underground only thanks to the battleships above relaying it. " _Status report."_

"We have engaged the White Fang beneath Mountain Glenn." She reported, throwing herself behind a structure as the terrorists in question finally managed to form a proper line of battle ahead... they must have sent the poor fools she and the others had been fighting on ahead to buy time with their lives.

Gunfire and rockets punctuated her words, "All units take cover! Move by fire and advance! General, they're entrenched near what may have been the central railway hub. I could see a train and many ground cars, I believe they were preparing to depart when we located them!"

 _"I need more."_

Her mind raced as she leaned out of cover, ignoring the occasional gunshot as she inspected the distance and the vehicles in question before leaning back.

"The train is heavily loaded, I counted twelve, that is one-two, battle-suits of the Paladin type. More faunus were boarding it even as I observed." She narrowed her eyes, "I believe they plan to assault the city from underground."

" _Zaytun,"_ Ironwood grasped the situation immediately, as he always did. " _Can you hold the city with just Blue-Four?"_

 _"Yes sir."_ The senior captain replied, " _Blue Two is swinging around for Vale as we speak."_

The General made a low sound of approval. " _Good man. Winter, we need to block that train if at all possible. Can you reach it?"_

Winter looked back, spotting several dozen men and women taking cover, returning fire. Her various other Specialists acting as the vanguard, drawing attention to their aura protected bodies as they darted forwards... but the White Fang had come prepared. Rocket-propelled dust grenades came screaming out whenever a Specialist appeared, they must have had an experienced veteran directing a unit specially equipped with them.

"I personally can, my team cannot." She stated after a moment. Not that her people were incapable of keeping up in normal circumstances, but the situation was anything _but_ normal. Her glyphs would accelerate her to the train, but none of them possessed similarly capable semblances, nor did she wish to leave the rank and file without aura-infused support.

Her mouth was opening to propose a flanking manuever with herself and one or two of her people when a low rumble began to cut through the gunfire. Wasting no time, she once again leaned out, and saw the old train lurch for a moment as its engine struggled to come online... then it slowly began rolling as a last batch of terrorists struggled to get aboard the now moving vehicle.

"The train is mobile! Orders!?"

"... _Pursue!"_ Her feet were moving and her semblance rising to her command while the General continued, " _Lieutenant White, assume local command and establish a perimeter! No risks until reinforcements arrive!"_

Any reply from her second in command was lost as glyphs appeared by her will, her right foot stepping upon the first to send her careening forwards at reckless speeds. The familiar whiplash pressed against her as she fought the instinctive urge to slow down, more glyphs working to accelerate her further.

Gunfire and at least one rocket whipped far behind her as the faunus tried yet utterly failed to lead her blurring form, and she was fairly certain she killed one when her knee smacked into his masked skull on her way past. Additional calls of power adjusted her angle of approached as she breached their lines, allowing her to ricochet to a course parallel to the slowly accelerating train... and to allow her to bleed off some speed.

A final bounce put her on approach, while her last glyph appeared on the top of the car to break her movement, letting her fall into a roll atop it.

"I am aboard." She reported, glancing back and taking a better view of the defenses from this side. "Lieutenant, there is a rocket equipped unit on your right flank being lead by two faunus with halberds, probably hunter level opponents."

" _Confirmed ma'am."_ White replied as the train carried her away from the battle. " _Good hunting_!"

Winter brought her saber up in a salute in the moment before the ruined city vanished from sight, then turned and regarded her new mode of transportation with a critical eye. "General, the train is obviously old but intact. It is difficult to count but I presume there is more than ten box cars, six to eight flat-beds, and then an unknown number of additional box cars ahead of that."

" _Move forwards and investigate the train, stay in contact as long as possible."_ Ironwood replied at once, " _We do not need a third crisis tonight."_

Winter fought down the urge to ask what the first two were, knowing better than to waste time or thoughts when she had a mission of her own to complete. "Understood."

It was very short walk to the roof entrance of her car, and a sweep of her blade dealt with the lock. She hauled it open to regard a darkened interior, a minor effort of will creating a snowy Nevermore to bathe the interior in soft white light... and her breath hitched in anger and concern.

"I have found the stolen dust." Winter snarled, pushing more aura into her construct to increase the lighting she inspected it. "At least the fire and gravity dust, and there is some kind of home-made bomb in the center of the car."

 _"Can-…-diffuse it?"_

She peered more closely at it. All specialists needed to be a least familiar with the various basics, but it didn't take her long to know this would be well beyond her limited abilities in that field. "It is most definitely jury-rigged, and there appears to be additional cabling beneath it. It may be rigged to detonate if tampered with."

" _Con...ed."_ The General's voice became harder to make out as the train moved deeper under the mountains surrounding Vale. " _Alerting...teams for...ment. Stop...all costs."_

"Confirmed." Winter replied, knowing what he was attempting to say. "General? Sir?"

Nothing.

Exhaling once, she nodded and rose, long legs carrying her along the creaking metal roof as her mind raced to come up with a plan. The notion that this was the largest suicide bomb in recorded history crossed her mind before she dismissed it almost at once. There were far too many terrorists on board, and the dozen Paladins definitely indicated that this was an attack. Still, the plan was partially irrelevant. Whatever the White Fang's goal, she could hardly allow them to bring this much rigged dust along with for whatever purpose they wanted it for.

Her legs quickly carried her down the back car, and then the one before it, allowing her to drop between it and the one ahead of it in turn. Bracing herself via old, rusted handholds, she inspected the connection point between the cars for several seconds before locating the appropriate lever. A kick of her right foot detached them, marking her first step as complete.

Not wasting a moment to watch them slow and fall behind, she hauled herself back up the top and began moving to the next. Detaching every other car would accelerate her progress more than attempting every single one, and so she bypassed the next in favor of the one beyond that.

It was just as she was about to lower herself down once more when the cars she had already detached exploded. While they much too far away for the blast to affect her, the unexpected flash and roar still nearly threw her from the train, leaving her cursing in a very un-Schnee like fashion as she barely kept her grip on the handholds.

"Gods damn them all, what are those bloody cretins doing?" Winter hissed as she hauled herself back up, looking back.

It was already far behind, but she could see sunlight pouring down, the sheer force of the blast more than enough to break through to the surface.

And while it may have just been the wind, she thought she saw something dark move within that cloud.

Narrowing her eyes, she let out a huff and quickly dropped back down, kicking the next two cars free before scrambling back up top... just in time to see another figure rising to join her much farther ahead, at the probable end to the bomb-filled sections of the train.

Winter stared hard at the white clad form form, the utterly massive weapon being removed from his back. Two more terrorists came up after him, both in black; one wielding a long halberd, the third a much smaller figure, possibly female, holding something that may have been a dagger or pistol in one hand.

She couldn't recognize them from this distance, but she knew those uniforms. The Mistralian Branch's poor imitation of Specialists or Hunters... Taurus had evidently called for reinforcements. Very well, two could play at that game.

Her pace slowed to a stop atop the next car, her opponents evidently content to wait for her to come to them.

 _Fools._

She flourished her saber, then rammed it down into the sheet metal before her as she focused, drawing on her full semblance. Glyphs began to appear all along the car, spinning and whirling before snowy-white Beowolves began to drag themselves up at her command.

Winter allowed herself a smile as she rose, seeing the two smaller faunus take a step or two back at the sight of more than a dozen ethereal Grimm, all of whom were staring directly at them.

 _Knock them off the sides!_

At her mental command, her personal army let out ravenous howls and stormed forwards. She began to move as well, intending to use the assault as a distraction, when another flash of light made her twist back to see the next set of cars detonating in the far distance... and a moment later, the very last car still attached abruptly disconnected on its own, slowing and trailing back.

Worse, this time she could definitely see movement in the tunnel behind them, and it didn't take her more than a moment to realize the bomb's true purpose.

Grimm had entered the tunnel behind them... and with that knowledge came the realization that this wasn't a suicide mission; this was a full blown invasion. The White Fang no doubt intended to breach their way into Vale, and to move towards some other objective while Grimm poured in behind them, occupying any hunters who would instinctively move to block their true enemy rather than spend time battling terrorists.

Whatever the other crisis the General had referenced were likely distractions, occupying the local authorities... the combination would leave the White Fang entirely free to act. It was viciously ruthless, even by the White Fang's standards, but... she could see a dark cunning to it. Of course that left a dozen or more questions, such as how the Grimm were being attracted so quickly, what the diversions were, and others, but they weren't relevant to her current problems and Winter shoved them aside for now.

She turned her head around as she felt her constructs engage the enemy, several being cut down at once while more charged forwards, trying to obey her orders to simply bat the targets off, to let them die on impact. The faunus had formed up into a tight formation right in the center to try and prevent that, all of them holding their ground.

Snow and ice puffed as the summons were cut down, the towering faunus leading the battle with great sweeps of his weapon, the two behind him anchoring him when he was struck, dealing with those wolves that attempted to flank him. Winter felt her natural aggression rise, wanting nothing more than to properly join in the battle... but she had a duty to perform.

Kicking off of her back foot, she divided her attention, more glyphs whirling as she risked exchanging more slices of her aura for more Beowolves, but her true focus was on the cars beneath them as she worked through the logic.

Their intent had to have been to create as many openings as possible, to maximize the number of Grimm drawn in, and to make it as difficult as they could for anyone to block off the resultant access points. While she couldn't diffuse the bombs, she _could_ minimize the damage by detaching as many of them as possible all at once, so that they went off in a sympathetic detonation much as the two pairs she'd already removed had.

That would leave just two to three large craters that the fleet could cordon off quickly instead of a dozen smaller ones that could absolutely not be. Blue Two was already en route back to Vale, and would assuredly notice massive explosions and gaping sinkholes. The ship had already offloaded all of its troops, but it could at least bombard the area and thin out the Grim as they attempted to enter the tunnel.

It was a gamble... but she didn't have time for a better alternative, nor did she have the aura. Between the few hits she'd taken in the city, then the glyphs she'd used to accelerate, and now her summons, she felt certain she was at or around seventy percent. Still high, but the longer this engagement went on, the less certain her own survival would be.

Winter kept her saber up as she raced forwards, more wintry howls coming as her second wave stampeded into battle alongside her.

The bear of a faunus with the chain-blade, Qrow's report had named him Gray, saw her coming, weapon slashing through one of her wolves to come for her throat. She fell into a hard slide, saber parrying the attack higher above her. He seemed to roar, whirling his oversized sword in a circle to clear space, his companions disengaging to pursue as she returned to her feet and continued sprinting.

"Get back here!" The scream came from the woman as she threw a hand forwards, some kind of webbing snapping out... and promptly being blown laterally thanks to the rushing wind. "Dammit! Stop her!"

Winter was landing on the flatbed car just ahead before the man could do more than lunge ineffectually with his weapon. Her new position allowed her to see several of the old prototype Paladins set in a neat row, terrorists scrambling to get inside of them. Unable to deal with that just yet, she whirled around to disengage the bomb cars, then swept her weapon back to protect her neck just before a cane could attempt to break it.

"None of that ice queen! Rather need those!" Roman Torchwick shouted, the coward must have been hidden behind one of the Paladins, emerging the moment she'd begun to turn her back.

Her saber flashed in reply, turning aside his weapon before lashing out at his throat in a quick thrust, driving him back before she reversed her own motion, trying to aim a hard kick at the rusting release lever. Her foot hit it just as a scream of challenge brought her attention up to see the slim faunus woman flying down in a tackle, slamming her into Torchwick, all three of them going down in a confused melee.

Snarling, she summoned a glyph, bouncing the two off of her and hurling them into the nearest Paladin, clearing space if not dealing with them permanently.

Winter scrambled to her feet just as the two men behind threw themselves off of the now slowing bomb cars. The man with the halberd failed his landing, back foot slipping on the edge, leaving him to fall with a scream and the bouncing form of his corpse.

She felt a minor surge of satisfaction at the sight, and at accomplishing her objective... all of the rigged cars rapidly falling behind.

Of course that was the only good news, as her largest old foe had managed to arrive safely, and her attention was split back as the first Paladin began to shudder and move. The master thief and the female terrorist quickly rose as well, leaving her something close to surrounded as the two kept hands wrapped around the battlesuit's legs, and she heard the chain-blade biting into the car's metal floor as the man behind her dug it in to likewise prevent her from easily knocking him away.

These three, at least, wouldn't underestimate her... unfortunate.

"That was a mistake, Schnee." Gray rumbled, "Surrender and I'll behead you painlessly."

She didn't bother responding to the obvious lie, checking angles as rapidly as she could instead. Fighting three hunters, even if only two likely deserved the title, and four Paladins on a narrow, shaking train car was a rather tall order, even for her. That was especially true when even the slightest misstep might send her crashing into the ground before she could even think about using a glyph to save herself... and with eight _more_ Paladins stirring to life on the cars ahead of her.

Although... _defeating_ them would be far simpler than _fighting_ them. She merely had to expand her original plan. If she could reach the engine, she could theoretically disconnect all of the cars behind it, leaving these scum to their well deserved fates at the hands of the very Grimm they were trying to lure into Vale.

"Come on Winter." Torchwick catcalled as he brought his weapon up, "Go ahead and admit that you're-"

A motion of her hands split her weapon, both blades gleaming as Winter charged forwards, just as the bombs behind them went off behind them.

* * *

Ozpin stood in the wrecked CCT master room, flickering displays showing the city of Vale, the ruins of Mountain Glenn, and then the available lists of hunters, students, and James' military units. His mind was racing through various chains of logic as Salem's latest plan unfolded, comparing it to past actions and considering the proper responses.

His options were... sadly limited.

Salem, or whichever misguided pawn was executing this particular operation, had planned it very well. It was a vintage plan, almost a classic... a multi-pronged assault executed in rapid order, all intended to divert, divide, and cripple the defenders of the city. In many ways it was nothing new, nothing he hadn't adroitly handled before, but neither he nor the city of Vale were quite the vibrant, active creations they had once been.

In hindsight he had allowed himself to become too confident in decades past, too arrogant... and Salem had learned to adapt to a rapidly modernizing humanity more quickly than he had thought she would. Having failed at direct action in the past, she had adjusted, begun playing the long game of politics and economics against him more ably than he had been able to defend himself.

 _All because I did not realize I was under attack until it was nearly too late... and now it is all culminating in this._

"Glynda." He asked, not turning around, "State of the southwestern suburbs."

"Chaotic." His deputy replied at once, having just ended a call with the VPD. "I was only able to get a partial report, but men and women in army uniforms engaged in verbal and physical abuse towards several faunus at a block party... which touched off an altercation when both faunus and humans objected, and that escalated into a full riot when one of the soldiers opened fire."

His fingers curled around his cane, "Can the police contain the situation?"

"It is still escalating."

So it wouldn't be contained anytime soon. Negativity would be rising, and there had already been numerous Grimm packs moving into the area as the city's mood grew dark. That had to be their primary focus, even above the threat from Mountain Glenn and the White Fang. If Grimm reached the city's interior, everything could end.

"Dispatch all fourth year teams and their huntsmen to the Wall to bolster the army... and tell Taiyang and Nicholas that under no circumstances is the army to leave their perimeter defenses. Use the emergency line to direct any other hunters in the city to the Wall as well."

Heels clicked as she backed away, her voice becoming muffled as she started snapping out orders to the various parties. A glance out the broken windows revealed students by the score rushing back from the locker and dorm rooms. Party dresses and suits contrasting with deadly weapons, arming belts, and combat boots. Peter and Bart were organizing them by team and year into ranks so that their assigned huntsmen could locate them quickly, and beyond them the school's entire Bullhead fleet was being roused to life by frantically laboring crews.

"James?"

His old friend's voice was somewhat harried, "Your Council is scattered across the city at various charity balls, but I managed to get a quorum onto a conference call to give me military command. Your self-defense force is largely staying at the Wall or in their base, but at least one detachment went into the city to back up whatever idiot began this mess."

Ozpin stared hard at the map, then nodded. "I'll dispatch the third year teams to locate and corral them, and to assist the VPD in containing the riot."

"Understood." James' tones for once lacked his habitual dislike of sending students into chaotic situations, he knew as well as anyone that they didn't have the time for such qualms. And the third years would at least be experienced enough, and hardy enough, to contain a few wayward, possibly drunken soldiers without causing undo casualties.

Their ability to help calm a situation would be slightly more suspect, but at the very least they would be in far less personal danger than the police, and in his experience little quailed angry civilians more than the sight of aura-released persons shrugging off blows.

"However," The general stepped up on his left, pointing at the second map. "The situation at Mountain Glenn is growing worse. Zaytun and Winter found a full White Fang complex in the process of being evacuated beneath the city, I just dispatched Captain Schnee in pursuit of a train supposedly heading in this direction... she had to go alone, I don't know if she will be able to stop them."

There was definite pain in his voice at that, the other man all too aware he may have just sent a promising young woman to her death in a vain hope to prevent a greater tragedy.

Ozpin nodded tightly, doing rapid math, consulting various memories regarding Mountain Glenn and access to it. Thankfully there were all from this life, which made them relatively easy to locate in the exhausting labyrinth that was his soul. "The locomotive can hardly be new or in good shape... we have at least thirty minutes to prepare a response, and Winter will have plenty of time to mitigate whatever plans they have."

"I've already shifted my flagship to an over-watch position above the old central station." James nodded, pointing at the appropriate area in Vale. "But the last report from Winter before the mountains killed the signal was that the train was loaded with weaponry and dust bombs, and I only have one task force of soldiers and mechs available to contain whatever they have planned."

He frowned, "What of your other ships?"

"Zaytun is keeping Blue Four at Mountain Glenn along with the bulk of the mechs and troops to try and capture as many White Fang as possible before they can melt away again... and perhaps find evidence of what they were doing." The general reached out to tap the map, "Blue Two is accelerating back towards Vale, but they just reported some kind of explosion in the forest along with sizable Grimm movement. They're diverting to investigate."

Fingers tapped on his cane once more before he nodded, "I'll give you the second years. We'll dispatch them to join your people directly, I'll trust you to lead them well."

His fellow Headmaster nodded once, "I'll take care of them Oz. What about your first years?

"I've already allocated half to defend this building." And sent for computer experts to try and find out if anything had happened to the system during the break-in. "The other four I was going to keep as a reserve."

"I need them." Ironwood stated firmly. "There are two additional plazas near the station that were hosting Mid-Summer galas. If there are still civilians present they need to be cleared out and protected, and Vale Northern Hospital is perilously close to the station as well."

All excellent points. "Tsune and Jaune can take CRDL and MINT to the hospital, the former's expertise may be of use during the crisis, and Jaune can handle defending the structure." He took a moment to remember that best teams of the year had no huntsmen assigned, and another moment to call up who was available to guide them. "Bartholomew and RWBY will go... here, and Miss Neopolitan will take RAVN to the other plaza."

James nodded again, turned to offer him a hand, and after a quick shake departed to take command of the city's defenses. A quick relay of instructions to Glynda had her dispatching the various teams appropriately, and then his deputy was gone as well, to ensure the school was locked down and the first year teams were properly settled around this tower.

Leaving Ozpin alone with his thoughts and his maps. Older, more ancient parts of him clamored for him to depart, to take up arms beside his students... but he could not give in to them, not tonight.

Amber's attacker was still at large, and still possessed a solid percentage of the Fall Maiden's powers. Worse, with Summer and Spring missing, she may not have been the only Maiden active in the current crisis. If any of them revealed themselves, or if any of them came for Amber, he _had_ to be in position to engage them. He was the only one who could with any expectant degree of success.

Especially as he knew the first was active tonight. They had not quite had the time to thoroughly question Miss Xiao-Long or Miss Schnee, but the short conversations with both had provided wildly different descriptions of the infiltrator. One had seen a titanic, burly man, the other a slender, elegant woman, though both had been wearing all back, borne concealing White Fang masks, and fought with a bow.

 _An illusion based semblance, to be sure... and perhaps something more._

He would have to massively increase security, and be personally on guard from this point on.

A flick of his scroll set it to his personal pilot, "Ensure my Bullhead is engaged and ready for emergency take off if required."

" _Yessir."_ The woman replied, the same young lady who had so impressed her fellows in the dogfight above the docks some months before. " _I can put it down right next to the CCT for easy access, might scuff the lawn a bit."_

"However close you can be." He told her simply before ending the call, staring once more at his maps.. It would be upon his people to handle this crisis, to prove to everyone the strength and skill of Vale's hunters.

He had put them in positions to succeed... now all he could do was wait for his enemy to make her next move, and begin adjusting his own plans as best he could.

* * *

Of all of the ways Ilia had thought her holiday date with Pyrrha would end, she'd never even considered anything like this.

"Ma'am," She tried again, forcing her temper to remain in check, "You _must_ evacuate the area by order of the Council."

"Now see.. _hic..._ here!" The drunken woman who really should _not_ have been wearing the shorts and tube-top that she was attempting to pull off, swayed as she stabbed a finger mostly in Ilia's direction. "I paid good lien to reserve this entire place for my party! I will _not_ be told off by some tiny brat in a cheap dress!"

Ilia felt her spots flare red as throttled the urge to simply electrocute the idiot. The sight of her lighting up made the woman frowned severely. "Whatsh... with that? You're turnin'... all... spotty."

"Semblance." She lied, giving up on rationality, "It means Grimm are coming!"

Brown eyes widened. "G-Grimm!?"

"Yes." Ilia nodded fervently. "You need to go home! They won't find you there!"

"Grimm!" The woman yelped, turning to run away... and promptly tripping thanks to her too-tall pumps and face-planting into the ground.

Ilia just stared at the sight before a cough drew her attention to a middle-aged man nearby. "...I can get her out of here."

"Just do it fast." She ordered, already turning away, back towards where Neopolitan and Ren were near the center of the plaza, consulting a scroll and a tablet as the situation continued to change. Elsewhere the last of the civilians were being chased out by Nora and Pyrrha, most of them staggering around nearly as much as the woman she'd been 'talking' to had been.

Her team leader glanced up as she approached, noting the man carrying the inebriated woman away. "Is he her husband?"

"I didn't think to ask." She admitted, "But he said he'd get her out of here, and we're out of time."

Ren didn't look entirely pleased, but Neo smacked him once on the arm to draw his attention back to the tablet in her hands. He glanced at it, then nodded and resumed speaking into his scroll. "We're just clearing out the last of the civilians at the Eastern Greens... yes Doctor Oobleck, we can see Miss Schnee's scroll approaching as well."

Ilia felt rather alarmed at that, and quickly stepped around to look as well. Sure enough the map showed a zoomed out view of Vale's streets, along with a tiny blue dot that was moving closer... and doing so pretty quickly.

Neo let out a piercing whistle the moment she opened her mouth to ask a question, making her and Ren wince even as it got Pyrrha and Nora's attention. Ren gave the teacher a look of mild reproof, which for him was practically a screaming rant, and then continued, "We'll be ready."

She waited until he'd closed the scroll before speaking, "Do we know what's coming?"

Her leader shook his head, "White Fang, no other information. The General may have been able to contact Miss Schnee but if so he didn't tell Oobleck, or us. There's some kind of Grimm migration that's tying up one of his ships, and there's already action at the Southern Wall as well."

Ilia swallowed as the magnitude of the crisis began to sink in, glancing down at the image once more, watching as the icon continued to close. Her hands fell to her belt, drawing her weapon and checking the few grenades she'd been allowed to take from the school's stores. She knew she looked ridiculous, with her sleek black dress with its bared shoulders contrasting horribly with her combat boots and arming belt... but at least everyone else looked just as ridiculous.

Excepting, of course, Miss Neo, who'd been in her usual clothing along with their other teachers and professionals.

"They're almost here then?" Nora asked as soon as she arrived, Magnhild resting across a shoulder as she tugged a bit at her dress, making sure it was still covering everything. She'd been scowling almost since the alarms had gone off, and it hadn't taken Ilia long to realize that Nora had been hoping for a _lot_ more after the Ball than she had. "Good... I really want to beat someone up for ruining our holiday."

Ilia, Pyrrha, and Ren all shifted in discomfort while their professor merely gave the younger girl an almost parental smile and a pat on the arm.

"Ma'am." Ren sighed, weapons appearing in his hands as he carefully inspected the magazines and blades. "Please don't encourage her."

Neo merely rolled her eyes, her parasol shifting as she joined them in a last minute check of her weapon. Her thin blade gleamed as she checked it, and after a slight pause, she hit a second button to release a sharp spike from the end, turning the already bizarre weapon into something like a short spear.

For her part, Ilia checked her whip, making sure she had electrical, gravity, and fire dust loaded, glancing at Pyrrha... and forcing herself to look away almost at once. Where she just felt awkward in her dress with weaponry added, Pyrrha somehow managed to look even _better_ wearing her scarlet dress with Milo and Akouo in her hands.

Of course looking away just showed her favorite teacher laughing silently, smirking with bright pink eyes and making a 'close your mouth' motion with her left hand.

"Shut up." Ilia hissed, knowing she was probably at least slightly pink. "How long do we have?"

In hindsight, she shouldn't have asked that question... because Remnant answered.

The entire far side of the plaza, where Third Street ran through it, simply exploded in muffled flashes as charges went off in sequence somewhere underground. While all five of them and the tardy civilians still clearing the area reeled from that event, there was a muffled roaring sound that rapidly grew in volume until a full sized locomotive _erupted_ upwards from the dust and debris.

Ilia had fallen to a knee after the blast, and could only gape as the train crashed onto the street, sparks flying from its wheels and from an engine block that looked half-crushed from some impact. Its various cars came up after it, many separating, skidding along or falling onto their sides, and it slowly occurred to her that someone must have built a ramp in the subway specifically so that the train would come up mostly intact.

The sheer noise of the impact was an almost physical assault on her ears, something not helped as it just kept going on and on. Combat suits, prototypes the reports had called them, came tumbling free from their flat cars to smash into shops that had been thankfully closed for the festivities. Others cars came up more evenly, Paladins slowly working their way free from flatbeds, while box cars began sliding open to reveal shell-shocked men and women in White Fang uniforms.

One car managed to disconnect entirely, its left wheels breaking away as it hit the ground, leaving it to careen in their direction before groaning to a stop against a low concrete wall.

Ilia jerked when Neopolitan let out a sharp whistle, charging the nearest car, clearly angling to keep it between them and the small army of White Fang trying to recover their wits. The four of them lurched in motion on reflex, chasing after her just as the sliding door opened to reveal staggering and groaning figures.

The man who'd opened the door hopped down, then seemed to start at seeing hunters in party attire charging him. "Huntsmen! Kill the humans!"

It wasn't much of a rallying cry, but it galvanized the people behind him to sort themselves out more quickly, while he went for his gun.

Neo got there first.

Ilia felt a dark pit open her stomach as the diminutive woman rammed her weapon right into guts, yanked in free in a shower of blood, then cut it high and across his throat before he could finish his scream. Pyrrha stumbled beside her as the man went down, thrashing, vainly grasping at his throat to stop the bleeding.

Their professor danced backwards as the rest of the faunus charged forwards to avenge their companion, trying to simply swarm over her tiny form with weight of numbers. Ilia sucked in a breath as she adjusted the grip on her weapon, snapping it forwards as she pulled the trigger. Lightning played over the metal as it cracked out, lashing across two women, making them scream and collapse as their muscles spasmed.

"Formation two!" Ren ordered calmly as he ran past, himself and Nora moving left, Pyrrha going to the right. Her partner got her shield up as sporadic gunfire started flying in every direction, charging in with the intent to wound and disable rather than kill. Her shield became her primary weapon as she tried to simply knock out anyone who challenged her, her semblance flaring to rip away weapons... at least until she realized that the faunus simply threw themselves at her with bared hands or claws regardless.

Ilia fought the urge to rush in as well, half-watching Neo kill someone else, and witnessing Nora kill a cat eared man when she tried to break his arm and his flailing attempt to dodge put his head in her hammer's path instead.

Her focus snapped to her assigned role as enemies started moving left and right, instinctively trying to flank the dangerous people in front of them. Snaps of her whip corralled them, driving them back or dropping them with more pained yelps as she helped keep them pinned in place for the others to deal with.

The pain in her chest grew each time she struck, each time she heard a fellow faunus screaming in pain. This was strangely worse than the rally... there it had just been other veterans, Adam, Gray, people she'd known... but people who were tough enough to really fight. Whoever these people were... they weren't up for this level of fighting, nowhere even close. True professionals, even without aura, _could_ fight huntsmen if they were smart, prepared, and well trained.

These faunus... these civilians, weren't any of those. But they were determined, evidently fanatical, and exceedingly well armed.

That list bit came home when a high powered dust round smacked into her calf, making her snarl in pain as she lashed out at the woman who'd hit her, the antlered faunus going down with a scream when the whip cut a deep gash across her face. That shot had _not_ been civilian caliber, not even slightly... gods this was bad.

"More are coming!" She shouted as another group started racing across the park, one of them shouting for everyone to take cover and focus their fire, to bring down the hunters with massed bullets. "They're flanking us!"

Neo promptly threw herself backwards, letting out two sharp whistles as she did; the same pair she used to stop spars, and made a frantic _bail_ motion with one hand.

"Retreat!" Ilia echoed the order, falling back as the other three quickly joined them, leaving confused and traumatized faunus behind. The firing line got set and opened up as they sprinted away, rifle fire blowing chunks of pavement and grass into the air, hammering at their auras before the five of them found shelter behind the heavy wall separating the park from the main street.

"What do we do?" Nora shouted, flinching as bullet started sounding like rain against the wall.

Neo promptly mimed shooting, gesture at Pyrrha and Ren.

"They don't have aura!" Pyrrha protested, flinching as a round managed to break through their cover.

"Pyr!" Ilia called back, grabbing her by the shoulder. "They're trying to _kill_ us!"

Her partner flinched, eyes scrunching up as tears welled in them... but she choked down whatever other words were on her lips as Milo whirred into its rifle form. Ren, his eyes flat, betraying the active use of his semblance, simply hefted both of his weapons up as the two rose to begin returning fire.

Ilia glanced at Neo, "What about us and Nora?"

The fact that she only knew the barest level of sign language became crippling almost at once, but she at least knew enough to grasp that the professor wanted the two of them to watch their flanks while Nora shot any mech that came their way.

"Got it!" Nora called, hammer folding down as she poked her head up. "Here comes-woah!"

Ilia felt herself flinch, expecting a missile or something, "What!?"

"Several people just shot out of the hole!" Pyrrha shouted as she pulled the trigger, her eyes somehow both watery and dead. "I think it was Miss Schnee, she was being chased by several others!"

"Do we go after her?" Nora asked, "Uh-oh, mech coming!"

Neo shook her head, pointing firmly at the ground as she tossed her scroll onto it, the emergency signal already transmitting.

"We stay put!" Ilia shouted as she, and everyone else, flinched as the Paladin opened fire... poorly, mostly demolishing the closed stores behind them rather than hitting the short wall they were hiding behind. "Nora!"

"On it!"

* * *

Jaune raced down the hospital steps, team MINT hard on his heels as he kept his scroll to his ear, CRDL staying behind to protect shell-shocked civilians as they coughed and staggered into the building. "We're one block north, heading to join you at twenty-second street!"

" _Confirmed."_ Bart replied, shouting over the sounds of gunfire. " _The good news is that most of the White Fang moved directly towards the correctional facility, and General Ironwood has taken his soldiers to engage them there."_

"Trying to rescue everyone taken in the rally?" He shook his head, "This seems extreme for that!"

" _Understatement."_ His friend agreed, " _Wait... Taurus is here, faster is better!"_

The line clicked dead after the rush of words, leaving him to curse, "Shit. Meral! Get your team ready, we're going right into a fight!"

"Yes sir!" The normally cocky girl gasped as she pushed herself to keep up with him, the gauntlet on her hands expanding to cover her entire forearms while her semblance began creating ethereal blue armor over her chest, thighs, and head. "Isa, stay on my left, Tealle, protect our backs. Nean? Cover the professor."

Three too young voices called out in agreement as they ran, turning down the appropriate road to find absolute chaos at the other end, Bart and Yang playing rear guard while Blake provided covering fire... and Weiss and Ruby struggled to pull a limp woman back and way from the engagement.

Jaune had a split second to realize that the woman was Winter, and that her clothing was heavily covered in blood, before he was past them. His semblance might help, but Bart, Yang, and Blake were being rapidly pushed back... they didn't have the _time._

"Nean, help get her to the hospital!" He shouted over his shoulder, not looking back to see if the quiet boy did as ordered. His attention was entirely ahead, Crocea Mors cutting as he moved past Bart's right to drive his sword against Taurus' crimson blade.

"You! You'll die this time!" The terrorist leader snarled, twisting away and kicking him back. "Yuma! Kill that Schnee bitch!"

A man with actual freaking _wings_ threw himself back, away from Yang as two men with halberds rushed to push her back, giving him the moment he needed to get airborne.

"Ru-" Pain slammed up and down his arms as he blocked a direct slash from Taurus, "-by! Incoming high!"

The faunus snarled, resuming the rematch in earnest while his burly lieutenant, despite bleeding from half a dozen wounds, charged Bart to keep him back. Jaune focused as their swords rang and clashed, cautiously giving ground, throwing light cuts and thrusts to try and bait his aggressive opponent into a mistake... but the bastard had learned from their last fight, was being far more cautious. His own attacks were strong but not flashy, the very picture of conservative swordplay as he refused to let Jaune properly parry and counter.

Sparks flew as their blades locked, Jaune growling as he tried to lever the other man back. "What the hell is this about!?"

"Retribution!" Came a growling reply, "For centuries of pain, we will pay you back tenfold!"

Jaune stepped forwards, then abruptly retreated, overbalancing his opponent for the split second he needed to get a good punch in, hammering his fist into the guy's gut. Taurus rasped in pain, barely keeping sword up as Crocea Mors came around for his neck, then retreated in turn as Jaune kept up the pressure.

"The White Fang," He snapped, each word punctuated with heavy slashes. The reason for Taurus' conservationism seemed obvious now that he was in retreat... the man was exhausted, Winter must have gotten to him hard before she'd been mobbed by sheer numbers. "Is for equality!"

"We'll be equal when you're all dead!" Taurus screamed, throwing himself into a roll, shotgun coming up and forcing Jaune to extend his shield, falling back and flinching as heavy rounds slammed into it.

"Psycho much!?" Jaune shouted back, trying to take the man's distraction as a moment to get a feel for the fight.

Meral and her team had jumped in to back up their old friend, the three of them plus Yang now holding their ground against the same elite guards that had been at the rally, turning the fight into a chaotic four on four as they fought on and around a pair of crashed cars. Bart was easily holding back Gray, but a tiny woman with a dagger kept cutting in at his flanks, stopping him from finishing the giant man.

"Surrender!" Jaune said as Taurus got back to his feet, keeping his sword and shield up, noting the extreme glow of the man's hair and clothing. His semblance was definitely primed... he had be careful. "You're pinned down, the army is here, your mission failed!"

"Has it!?" Taurus laughed, slamming his sword into his sheath, making Jaune shift to keep himself between the terrorist and the others who wouldn't be able to react to the danger. "I think it's just getting started, Professor!"

Jaune was lowering his blade to charge when he saw the man shift slightly, turning sideways as... as a Beowolf howled, and Jaune's heart almost stopped. "...what have you done?"

"We brought you playmates." Taurus replied smugly as the fighting sputtered to a confused halt. "It's a huntsman's duty to protect poor little babes from Grimm, isn't it? You should be thanking me for bringing your job to you."

His fingers clenched around his weapons as more howls sounded, joined by the much deeper roars of Ursa. Far behind he could see the first Grimm step out into the street, masked head upraised as it sniffed, as if stunned that it found itself in the heart of Vale, not certain where to even begin its killing spree.

"Bart?" He asked as the terrorists began quickly backing away, clearly about to run off to do something else horrifying, trusting that their bringing of Grimm would keep them from pursuing.

"...we cannot let the Grimm invade the city." The Doctor shook his head, "Let them go, but don't take your eyes off of them!"

Yang, fire trailing behind her, slammed a foot down, "We can't just let them-!"

"Yang!" Jaune snapped. "The Grimm!"

The girl vibrated with fury and emotion, but kept herself from charging Taurus and the others as they accelerated from a cautious shuffle into a run towards the nearest alleyway. At the older man's signal, Meral and her teammates cautiously followed the Doctor around the other side of the street, their own speed rising as they moved to charge towards the Grimm.

He glanced behind him as Yang got moving as well, seeing Ruby and Blake reluctantly letting the winged man and someone else retreat as well, though it seemed as though Winter had been removed to safety.

Jaune waved for them to follow, setting off after Yang, catching up before she could cross the alley. He kept his shield up, a bit of paranoia that felt justified when he saw the scarlet glow in the darkness. "You won, asshole! Beat it!"

There was an echoing laugh, "Tell my love that I look forwards to our next reunion!"

"Leave Blake the hell alone!" Yang shouted in reply, planting her feet and nearly making him run into her. "Abusive creep!"

He blinked, then shook himself and tried to nudge her into motion as Taurus spoke again, "Don't worry, I'll make sure she learns the error of her ways. I think I'll start by having her watch you and the little traitorous bitch bleed out in front of her."

"Yang!" Jaune grabbed her as she tried to surge forwards, feeling the heat of her semblance, "He's trying to-!"

The moment his shield was down, the red blade flashed.

Taurus must have been saving up the power through the entire trip because the blast was on level it hadn't been at the rally. Jaune twisted, dragging Yang as he threw them down, energy roaring out of the alley to scream above and past them... but more of it tore through the buildings to either side of the faunus leader.

Concrete, bricks, glass, and gods knew what else began to rain as the structures sagged, people screaming as they began to collapse. He tried to haul Yang up and found her limp, making him stagger in surprise at the lack of assistance. The first debris hit him a millisecond later, his shield vainly coming up as he tried to protect them both.

The roaring sound as the buildings fell atop them was deafening.

* * *

 _ **And so part one of the breach ends, part two coming soon. This one is another one that was written a bit awkwardly for me, the home front remains exceedingly stressful thanks to a number of personal factors that I won't bore you all with. I'm hoping to go out tonight, get a good steak dinner, and then come home and pound out the second half of this so this second cliff hanger won't result in a long wait.**_

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 **Thanks, Kat**


	46. Semester II: Round Two, Rage

**Round Two, Rage**

* * *

Ruby... was confused.

One moment she and Blake had been running after Jaune and Yang, trying to catch up so that they could help stop the Grimm from getting into the city.

The next she was flying down an alley, rapidly catching up to figures in white and black as something in her head throbbed with pain.

Why was she doing that again... it seemed like a bad idea, even by her standards. Heroes weren't supposed to rush off alone, not even super badass huntresses. That was how mom had gotten killed.

Yet here she was... off alone.

Ruby puzzled on that as her body moved on autopilot, semblance carrying her at impossible speeds while Crescent Rose came around. The man in black twisted at the last moment, catching her attack along his blade, forestalling her momentum. She kicked her legs off of his thighs before anyone could tag her, falling into a backward roll as a bullet roared through the space she'd just occupied.

There was a buzz in the air, and her semblance shot her straight upwards before the beam of narrow red light could strike, leaving it to gouge slashes in the buildings on either side of the alley.

 _Red light..._

It seemed oddly important as she sailed through the air, gravity slowly returning its hold as she contemplated the people below her, still puzzling over what she was doing. There was a bunch of them, all baddies, but the only one who really mattered was the guy in black.

She was sure of that... even if she wasn't quite sure why.

Ruby landed atop a building, continuing to ignore her headache, legs shifting as she ran along the ledge, keeping pace with the people below.

"...following!" Someone with a really deep voice shouted. "What the hell is up with her!?"

"Doesn't matter!" Her prey replied, "She's one of Blake's, she dies too!"

One of Blake's? She was Blake's teammate and leader, but it was really Yang-

Pain nearly flattened her as it radiated through her skull, and everything seemed to get painfully bright before it faded back into the darkness of the evening. She nearly fell off the edge as she stumbled, only catching herself by virtue of running into a rooftop air conditioner.

"What the fuck was that!?"

"Doesn't. Matter! Get to the next intersection and then we'll kill the little bitch!"

Ruby shook herself, growling in annoyance as she got moving again. She couldn't afford to lose ground on him, she couldn't! Whatever she was doing chasing him, she knew she couldn't let him get away!

Another use of her semblance carried her past a weird statue of a Beowolf on the next roof over, a second bounce getting her onto the building beyond that, putting her just ahead of the people down below.

She timed her approach perfectly, rose petals scattering in the air as Crescent Rose boomed, slowing her down as she landed in the center of the intersection, weapon whirling as the baddies came at her. There was a lot of them... four in weird outfits with long spears, a really big guy with a chain-blade, a short woman with a dagger, and then her target.

All of them slowed on seeing her, and began spreading out, leaving the man in black directly in front of her.

Which was good, it made him easy to shoot.

He blocked her first shot with his sword, but the second one made his aura flare and knocked him back a step. She had to get her feet off the ground and use shot three to throw herself backwards when a halberd came swinging in at her head. She struck an abandoned car, kicking off as people dropped their melee weapons for guns and started shooting her way.

Crescent Rose twirled as she blocked a few shots, her aura taking a couple of hits, and then she was back up to speed.

"Out of my way!" The shout seemed to come from somewhere near her, and it was only after she'd hammered the other short girl out of her way and her throat began to ache that she realized she'd been the one to scream.

The woman yelped as she tumbled, leaving Ruby a clear path, her semblance carrying her once more as her weapon locked against the man's red sword. His lips curled in a snarl as he held her back, "Gray, take the others and continue the plan!"

Ruby twisted away, twirling her weapon over as she cut at his legs. He leaped above the slash, falling back as she pursued. He was fast, not quite Pyrrha fast, but at least Ren or Blake fast, and he kept blocking her even when she used her semblance to shift her attacks to his sides.

She pulled out every dirty trick and technique that uncle Qrow had ever taught her involving a scythe. The haft and trail end was as much a weapon as the blade, and she put it all into use when she caught a swing, twisting her entire body to drive his attack aside while also slamming the back half of her weapon into his left knee.

He hadn't expected it and stumbled, falling as the limb buckled. That let her skip a step back and twirl, building momentum to bring her blade down at his neck. The man surprised her by taking the impact on his aura and surging into a lunge that forced her to back off before he could get inside her guard.

"Just letting my people leave?" He challenged as he threw a quick slash at her, then aimed a high kick at her belly. His boot flew through rose petals as she vanished backwards, feet carrying her into an angled run as she fired off a round.

The man in black deflected it with a contemptuous sweep of his blade, the strange glow around him growing, "You must have cared deeply for those blondes."

...the blondes?

Her feet slowed as she blinked. That had to mean Jaune and Yang, but they-

"Ah!" The pain seared its way behind her eyes again, one of her knees hitting the road as she dropped, a hand clutching at her head as the strange light came back. "Ow... what..."

She shook her head and looked up in time to see nothing but red coming right at her, reflexively bringing her baby between it and herself as she went to block the sword stroke... except it wasn't a sword.

The energy blast, charged up by every attack she'd level at him, cut deeply into the haft of her weapon and threw her back against a building. Ruby heard herself scream as Crescent Rose was driven against her sternum hard enough to knock whatever breath she had left from her.

Her vision swam as the light faded, her body stumbling for the second it took the man to cross the distance between them, his real blade striking out...

...and cutting her broken weapon in half.

Ruby reeled as the two halves of Crescent Rose fell from her hands, then was driven into the brick wall once more as the man punched her as hard as he could in the stomach.

"Not a bad show little girl." He told her as she slumped down, struggling to breath. "You cost me some aura... don't worry, you'll be with your friends soon."

Friends...

...Yang.

Yang was... and Jaune was... they were...

It finally came back to her. Walking beside Blake, trying to catch up to Yang and Jaune, hearing this man saying those awful things... seeing her sister react, seeing that damned crimson light as the pair threw themselves at the ground.

Seeing the avalanche of rubble crash over both of them as Jaune futility raised his shield.

The scream that came out tore something in her throat as her right hand blurred behind her, drawing Bladed Rossete from its place on the back of her belt, her javelin expanding as she thrust at his heart.

He'd stepped back in surprise at the volume she'd managed, and let out a vicious swear word when her blade slammed into his aura, making it crack as it came close to breaking. She tried to follow it up, but her angle was poor... she had no leverage, and he swept his sword between them to knock aside her second attack while drawing his own reserve weapon with his other hand.

She tried to get up, to dodge, but he pulled the trigger before her rage and grief addled focus would let her call on her semblance.

The first shotgun round battered her aura and knocked her onto her butt once more, the pain in her head and her lack of breath leaving her only able to feel the second shot because it shattered what meager bits of aura she had left.

"Little bitch!" He liked to kick her apparently, because he did so a bunch more times, knocking her other weapon out of her hand as her wrist cracked, making her whimper breathlessly before he got her in the face. She fell at some point, maybe after the third one, struggling to breath and process what was happening.

"Fucking human trash!" Kick four... or maybe it was five or six, rolled her prone form onto her back, and kept her pinned as she instinctively tried to curl back up into a ball.

She couldn't see much out of her left eye, just blurry stuff, but her right let her watch as he brought his shotgun around, aiming it right at her left boob.

Ruby could only stare as his finger tightened... and then at his body as it twisted away from something, the gun roaring when he dodged away... and making pain explode all through her left side. She heard herself let out a choked cry that grew louder when hands seized her, and someone screamed right in her ear.

"Weiss! Now!"

Remnant whirled and rocked, then her face was being pressed against soft skin as someone carried her away. Even through the pain she felt an odd rippling sensation, and saw Blake... a Blake made entirely of fire, appear for just a moment before she exploded.

The heat was followed instantly by cold as something rushed past them, and she fought to find her voice. "...Bl...ake..."

"Don't speak." Blake replied, seemingly moving even faster. "Don't look at it. We've got you!"

Look... at it? At... wha...

Oh... right. She was shot.

That was... not good... bad even.

Really bad...

She tried to look around and found a hand grab onto her neck, pressing her face into Blake's sweaty shoulder. "Just stay awake Ruby!"

Awake? But... everything... hurt so much... it seemed so much easier to-

* * *

Cardin Winchester was having one hell of a bad day.

It had all started out so well. He'd found himself a hot Atlesian date who could actually come close to looking him in the eyes, and as an added bonus she was strong enough to bench an Ursa Major. He'd have preferred her in a dress to the military uniform thing she'd gone with instead, but at least it had been tight enough to show off her impressive rack a bit.

She'd seemed to be pretty into him, especially when he'd taken her out waltzing, shocking half the idiots from his class. As if Lord fucking Winchester would have allowed his grandson to be anything but high-class... and damn it but showing up most of the other guys had been fun as hell.

Sandy had even been dropping a few hints that he might have a chance to get lucky, if he played his cards right...

...and then everything had fucking gone to shit.

"Fuck! Off!" The teen growled as he hammered a juvenile Beowolf out of his way, the unarmored Grimm dying instantly as he split its skull open. "Arc! Xiao-Long!"

To call the footing treacherous would be a massive understatement, it left him and Russel stumbling as they scrambled over the wreckage strewn over the street. The other guy's daggers were blowing out slow streams of wind from wind dust, trying to clear some of the crap out of the air.

It helped somewhat, but both had to flinch back as another piece of a building slid away from what was left of the apartments and stores, and Russ quickly lowered the power further to avoid setting anything else off.

"Where the hell is Schnee when you need her?" His partner grumbled, sacrificing a bit of his pride to admit the stuck up little bitch would have been far better at the fine control than he was.

"Chasing down Rose." He replied, steadying him with a hand, trying to listen for people or Grimm... and giving up as MINT and Oobleck continued their brawl in the plaza somewhere beyond this stupid cloud. "Arc! Xiao-Long!"

Nothing.

Fuck! Cardin couldn't say he really liked either of them, but that didn't mean he wanted them _dead_ either. And speaking of dead...

He winced, adjusting where he was about to bring his right foot down so that he didn't step on a half-buried man in a business suit who definitely wasn't getting up anytime soon. He couldn't even imagine how many other civvies were stuck in here, who had been listening to the brawl from the safety of their homes, and then...

 _Fucking White Fang._

"Arc!" The bellow almost tore his throat. "Yang! Gods dammit, where the fuck are you!?"

Silence... the sound of a brick falling somewhere, gunfire and howling echoing from the ongoing battle throughout the area. Then what might have been a cough, and a woman speaking made his head whip around. For a brief moment he thought he saw a white glow, then he blinked again and it was gone. "Professor!? Yang!?"

This time he was sure he heard a man hacking as he inhaled dust before replying, "Cardin! Over here!"

"Go man!" Russel called, "I'll clear more of this so you can see!"

Which would be critical for his damned footing when he was dragging two half dead people back to the hospital, assuming both were alive. He nodded and accelerated a bit, stumbling and sliding over crap as he headed for where he'd heard the voice. It didn't take him long to see a pair of shadows in the dusty air, a standing woman and a kneeling man.

"Xiao-Long, how the fuck..." Cardin's voice trailed off as he got close enough to see thick black hair rather than blonde curls. "...who the fuck are you?"

"Cardin!" Arc snapped up at him, drawing his attention to where the teacher was kneeling over Yang's limp body, hands ripping at her shirt. "Get down here and help me!"

He needed a moment, only slowly comprehending what he was seeing.

The three of them were inside of a long, clear depression within the piled debris, as if something had simply consumed anything that had tried to fall on them, leaving a coffin like furrow of safety. The woman was dressed in cast-off Mistralian clothing, with a macabre Grimm style helm hiding her features, and seemed to be standing guard as Jaune frantically began wrapping Yang's prone form in make-shift bandages.

"Cardin!" The professor all but screamed his name in frustration.

"Shit!" He started, then quickly moved down to help him. "Oh crap, her arm-"

"Don't think about it!" Arc ordered, "Tie that bandage off tight, her leg needs work too."

Cardin did so, his hands running on autopilot as his mind ran through everything that had happened.

He'd been heading over to back up Rose and Belladonna against the assholes they were fighting when they'd all heard the Grimm start howling. He'd heard the conversation that had followed, then the taunting words the Fang's prick of a leader had thrown at Belladonna and at Yang. The bastard had succeeded in distracting everyone for just long enough for the faunus girl to scream a warning, and for them all to see Arc try and tackle Xiao-Long beneath the semblance powered blast.

He'd only partially managed it.

Her right arm was just... gone, about halfway down her bicep. Somehow the band he'd already gotten into place had stopped the bleeding, and she didn't look as pale as she should have considering her horrible wounds, but Cardin wasn't about to ask questions. Especially as that wasn't her only injury; there was a vicious burn all along her right leg, it must have gotten kicked up into the trailing end of the energy blast.

The professor was carefully checking the burns as Cardin tightened the tourniquet, probably looking for bleeding wounds, before he jerked his head up when something crunched nearby.

Russel promptly opened fire with dust attacks from farther back, shards of ice whipping through the air to bury themselves into another immature Beowolf just as it emerged from the settling cloud. It let out a raspy howl of pain as the conjured weapons dug into it, collapsing backwards with a clatter of rubble.

"Of course there's Grimm coming..." Arc growled, "Branwen, I don't suppose you can get your daughter to the hospital?"

 _Daughter!?_

There was a tense moment of silence, then a cold, muffled voice came out from the macabre helm. "I suppose my efforts to save her would be wasted if I did not."

"Whatever," The professor replied, drawing his sword as he rose. "Just get her there! Cardin, where are the others?"

"Rose tore off after the Fang." He reported, ignoring his confusion and hauling himself up to his feet. "Teammates went to drag her back before she could get killed. Everyone else is up ahead, trying to contain the Grimm."

Arc shook his head in frustration. "Gods damn... which way? Right, you two! Escort Yang back to the hospital, if the huntress gives you orders follow them!"

Cardin barely had time to nod before the professor was charging off, already digging his scroll out. For her part, the huntress... Yang's supposed to be dead or something mother, was already scooping Yang up without any signs of difficulty, turning back towards the hospital. Russel quickly moved over to join him, the pair of them keeping their eyes open for more Grimm as they followed the woman back.

"Shit." His partner breathed as he got a good look at the former queen of Signal Academy. "She gonna make it?"

"She'll survive." The woman replied coolly as she walked, looking not at all bothered by the treacherous footing despite her burden. "She's strong."

He and Cardin exchanged a dubious look, but kept their mouths shut on the subject and followed.

"Any orders in specific?" He asked as they cleared the rubble, picking up a bit of speed on the level street.

"Hospitals draw Grimm like flies." A shoulder twitched, "I assume you intend to protect it, be ready for whatever comes."

That was both obvious and less than helpful, and he glowered at her back.

They got back to Sky and Dove quickly enough, both of them starting at what they saw, the latter quickly waving the woman inside. Cardin was just starting to get them all spread out around the main entrance so that they'd have good views down both streets when two familiar figures came sprinting around a corner.

Schnee skidded along the pavement, then flung out a fireball to immolate a Creep that was in hard pursuit of Belladonna... and the very still Ruby Rose in her arms.

Cardin let out a furious growl as several more Grimm came tearing around the corner in pursuit, hefting his mace up as he lumbered into a charge of his own.

And the hell day just kept getting worse. Fucking... awesome.

* * *

Blake caught up to Jaune just as the professor got back to the main street, his sword cleaving open a miniature Deathstalker that had been fleeing out of the alley he'd come from. "Jaune!"

"Blake!" He replied, stepping back a bit, away from the avalanche that _should_ have killed him and Yang both. She still had no idea how they'd survived, though Yang's suddenly present mother seemed a likely culprit. "How are they?"

"Bad." She admitted, "They both lost a lot of blood, Tsune wouldn't say more. Weiss stayed to back up CRDL, they were having problems with how many ways Grimm could get to the building."

"Shit." Jaune cursed, hefting his simple blade up and onto a shoulder, turning to stare at the chaos in the plaza. "They're getting out faster than we can stop them... and everyone's too engaged to pick up their fucking scrolls. Come on, I need you."

Blake tightened her grip on her weapon as Jaune started moving, simply bulling his way through and over the debris, "What about survivors?"

"No time." The professor replied, his voice almost as cool as Yang's mom had been when she'd asked for an update on her partner. "Containing the Grimm has to be our priority, or there's going to be a lot more dead."

She thought she heard something shift under the debris as they moved, and desperately prayed that it had just been a result of them walking around and wasn't someone trying to dig their way free. "Yes sir."

For once he didn't admonish her for the respect, the pair of them accelerating as they got clear of the worst of the rubble. She followed the teacher out into the park to find absolute chaos waiting for them.

Doctor Oobleck and team MINT were near a massive sinkhole in the ground, a thin line of hunters trying to hold back a tide of Grimm. But like an actual tide, the Grimm were simply rolling around the point of resistance, exploring and finding other directions to go. On the other side of the plaza she could make out gunfire and flashes of color, the characteristic blazing yellow line of Ilia's whip showing team RAVN fully engaged as well.

But for every three or four Grimm they killed, at least one was getting away... and moving into the city.

"I'm going to grab Meral, and take the southwestern exit!" Jaune shouted as they drew closer to the fight, "I need you to run across and get Neo's attention! Get RAVN to the northwest, we can at least pin them in on this side!"

"Got it!" She replied, shoving her own rising guilt and horror at what her people had done aside before it could truly begin to sink in. There would be time for that later, right now she had a job to do.

"And find out why the hell we don't have reinforcements yet!" Jaune bellowed after her as she accelerated past him, running down a sidewalk, trying to skirt the edge of the fight. "Find out what Ironwood is doing!"

Blake nodded as she got up to a sprint, switching her weapon to her left hand, letting her fire into the dark shapes while her right brought the scroll strapped to her wrist up to her mouth. Using her chin to hit the buttons was awkward, but less awkward than letting a Beowolf pounce on her, and she managed it just after putting a dust round into the creature's mouth.

" _State your priority!"_ A woman's voice not quite snarled at her as she got the emergency line open.

"Grimm at the plaza!" Blake answered, "We need hunters to contain them!"

There wasn't so much as a pause. " _We know! None are available!"_

"They're getting into the city!" She shrieked furiously, "Professor Arc says we need help _now_ or they're going to just roll over us!"

That at least made the woman hesitate before her voice turned all business. " _Confirm your team and Grimm types!"_

"RWBY! RAVN and MINT are present but we _can't_ hold!" She skidded to a halt as an Ursa roared at her, bounding into her path. "All types!"

Whatever else the woman was going to say was lost when she drew the second half of her weapon, setting herself as the Grimm rumbled towards her in a charge. Three shots dug into its hide but failed to kill the massive creature, forcing her to back-peddle as paws swiped. Her blades did better work, cutting off the claws of one hand, making it reel backwards in pain, opening its throat for a slash from her main blade.

" _...alive!?"_

"Yes!" She guessed what the woman had been asking as she jumped over the melting corpse, "We're trying to secure the northwestern and western street exits!"

" _Confirmed, General Ironwood is dispatching teams from the main battle to control the eastern streets."_ A quick pause, " _He has released us for close support, we are moving to provide supporting firepower!"_

...we?

Blake glanced up and around, then barely made out several new lights high above the city to the east, orange light flaring as engines throttled up. When she'd been a child she'd had nightmares of Atlesian battleships bombarding White Fang bases... bombarding Menagerie itself, but now she found herself wishing they'd hurry up about it.

"We're in close! Watch your fire!"

" _Confirmed, we're descending for accuracy!"_ Came the immediate reply. " _ETA ninety seconds!"_

Thank the gods. Blake put on more speed as she neared her friends, finding Nora and Ren first. The pair were firing from behind a wrecked Paladin, ignoring the rather gruesome corpse half-hanging out of the mech's cockpit, trying to thin the horde of Grimm as Pyrrha, Ilia, and Miss Neo were all engaged in melee around their makeshift position.

"Blake." Ren greeted, as if they'd run into each other on a walk, his voice unnaturally calm despite the circumstances. "What's the situation?"

"There's..." She gasped for air, it had already been a long night, and it didn't seem as if it would be getting any shorter. "Grimm getting around you to the left. Jaune wants you to move and block the western street-way... the battleship is coming."

The boy looked up into the sky for just a moment, then nodded and raised his voice. "Formation three! Retreat left!"

Ilia and Pyrrha broke off from the Beowolves they were engaged with at once, Miss Neo taking an extra moment to kill a Creep before disengaging as well. Fighting back a groan, Blake got her aching feet back into motion and moved with them, firing backwards as the six of them retreated towards the street.

"How bad is it over there?" Ilia asked as they moved, her once well done hair now flat across her back, sticking to her bare shoulders with sweat.

"Yang's hurt, badly. So is Ruby." She called back. "Adam. He and the others bailed after the Grimm came up, ran off somewhere."

Her old friend started to flare red, then shook her head and sagged slightly. "Fuck..."

"Yeah." Blake agreed, her ears flat as they reached several cars that had been abandoned right in the streets. "...I have to get back to Jaune, I'll-"

"You're exhausted." Ren spoke over her calmly, his weapons letting out a short burst as the Grimm started to flow after them. "You need a moment, stay here. Miss Neo can help them, if she trusts us to hold here."

The tiny teacher glanced at them all, then nodded once before turning and bounding back the way Blake had come, racing off to join her partner and the leader of MINT.

Nora grabbed onto Blake before she could protest or try and go off anyway, hauling her up and over the hood of a sedan just as easily as Yang might have. "Catch your breath Blakey. Pyrrha, Ilia, you too! Formation three, remember?"

Both redheads fell back, panting for breath as Ren and Nora moved forwards, hammer and blades flashing as they engaged the first Grimm to arrive. After a moment Blake got up on a knee, resting her weapon across the car and opening fire, Pyrrha doing the same while Ilia guzzled water from a canteen.

"Where did the rest of the White Fang go?" She shouted to the latter as her bullets softened up an Ursa for Ren to finish off.

"East and south!" Ilia replied, "Towards the prison, and towards some kind of business gala!"

Blake flinched. "A rescue plus an assassination?"

"This is too much for either!" The other girl sucked in a breath, then snapped her whip out, shattering a Beowolf's mask just as it went to pounce on Nora from the side. "Some of them stayed behind to hold us off, then retreated when the Grimm showed up!"

Because they'd done their job. They'd kept the hunters in place until the Grimm could handle that for them, leaving them free to run off, break open the prison, fight Atlesians, maybe kill a Councilor or something.

 _It's the 'or something' that worries me..._

She was opening her mouth to ask if they'd seen anyone important, or heard how the rest of the fight was going, when the Atlesian warship announced its arrival via raw firepower.

Blake felt all of her ears ring in pain as the first round slammed into the plaza, a massive plume of smoke, soil, and bits of Grimm flying into the air in the instant after the flash of light. A second boomed down from above a second later, pulverizing a tree and the Alpha Beowolf beneath it. Those were evidently just ranging shots, because after a pause of a few seconds, the rest of the guns opened fire in rapid sequence.

Her weapon lowered slightly as she just stared at the spectacle... fire and gravity dust rounds exploding in red and violet light, burning and melting Grimm as the gunners patiently walked their fire back and forth across the park.

It didn't take them long, not more than a minute before the entire place resembled the Grimmlands... smoke and dust falling as the guns shifted into a slower firing pattern, blasting right down into the open hole that the train had emerged from.

Pyrrha shook her a few moments later, making her blink and realize that she couldn't hear the champion even though her lips were moving. The other girl seemed to notice, instead pointing far across the way. Her eyes followed the motion, letting her see four figures in white, Atlesian specialists in their dress uniforms, leading a dozen or so equally well dressed students and what might have been a team of professional hunters.

They battleship ceased firing as they reached the pit, their smaller guns flashing as they leaped down to start clearing the Grimm in earnest.

Blake glanced at the team around her, saw them heft up their weapons... and sighed before doing the same, the five of them running forwards to help.

* * *

Civilians screamed as the Beowolf tried to shoulder its way through the doors of their home, then screamed even more when Jaune's sword rammed into the Grimm's back, emerging from its chest in a shower of black ooze that spilled all over their living room's carpeting.

"Is anyone hurt?" He called, kicking the expiring creature onto the floor, finding a woman clutching a child against her while her shaking husband lowered a fire poker. Not much of a weapon, but he'd give the guy props for being between the door and his family. "Stay put, we're clearing your street!"

The man wobbled a little but nodded, "Thank the gods for you huntsman."

Jaune tried not to wince as he turned, heading down the condo's stairs and back onto the street. They might have held off the worst, and the Atlesian specialists and proper hunters were even now working to clear the tunnels and find a way to barricade them, but plenty of Grimm had gotten loose into the city before they'd been able to encircle the entire plaza.

He'd been in time for this family.. but they'd found more than a few others already mauled.

Worse, team RWBY was effectively out of the fight. Blake had gotten her second wind, but she and Weiss had all but fallen apart mentally over their partners' conditions, even if they'd tried to put up a brave front. Not that he, or MINT, or RAVN, or anyone else was doing all that great either, but he at least had experience in tuning out things and then falling apart in the aftermath. Most of the other students were only upright because they hadn't lost anyone they knew yet... he could only pray that that trend continued.

Still, understandable or not, it had left them down when Bart had sent Blake to join Weiss at the hospital to help CRDL defend it; the building had started drawing Grimm almost at once thanks to its nature. Since he no longer had a team to guide, the good doctor had then started acting as a central controller to start dispatching student teams on hunts around the city.

"I think that's all of them in the area prof." Meral met him on the street, her once pleasant green gown soaked with black Grimm muck and flecks of red blood, a shoulder strap torn to reveal a black sports-bra. She'd had her partner cut off everything below her knees after it had almost tripped her at the park, leaving her looking both ragged and dangerous, "What next?"

"Let's find out." He replied tiredly, pulling his scroll out. "Bart, we've cleared the condominiums on twelfth street, where to next? Want us to head back west?"

 _"Negative, the second year teams largely have that area locked down."_ Oobleck replied, his voice as rapid-fire as ever. " _More Grimm are being attracted to the battle zone, please head north by east and resolve the situation. Peter and Neopolitan's teams will be converging to join you."_

"Got it." Jaune sighed, closing his scroll and relaying that information to Meral.

The girl bit her lip, waving for the rest of her team to join them, "We're... going to get drawn into the real battle, aren't we? Like RAVN was."

"You've done great so far." He replied quietly, reaching out to rest a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry too much about it. We'll deal with the Grimm, Ironwood and his soldiers will deal with the White Fang."

The leader of team MINT wasn't stupid, she definitely noticed he hadn't answered her question... but she gamely drew herself up a bit all the same. "Right, we won't let you down."

"Good girl. Come on, let's get moving."

She nodded, flinching a little as something exploded just north of them.

Up there, where they were going next, was the real fight; a running battle between Atlesian soldiers and the retreating White Fang. Ironwood had supposedly fought off Taurus personally, and finally killed that Gray asshole, wounding the terrorist leader when he'd tried to hit a gala that three Council members and half of the city's super-rich had been at.

 _Maybe Ruby softened him up a bit... dammit Rose, what were you thinking?_

She hadn't been, obviously, and it had only been Weiss and Blake's' all out pursuit that had gotten them there in time to save her... to hopefully have saved her.

Jaune shook himself violently, This wasn't the time, especially since Ironwood's successful defense had been countered by _Roman,_ and what in the actual _fuck_ was his friend thinking helping this, when the gentleman thief had hit Vale Correctional. Criminals, faunus and human, had been released in droves before the terrorists had been driven to retreat.

Now the mass of criminals was running east, probably hoping to breach the gates there, gates that hadn't been designed to keep people _in_ , and then escape into the wild... assuming they weren't already trying to melt into the city's panicked and cowering population.

 _Or both..._

"Battleship can't deal with them?" Isa asked quietly as they moved, the mousy girl replacing the clip in her submachine gun before checking the red dust bayonet she'd just attached. "It tore up the Grimm earlier, but it's just been sitting there since."

Jaune winced and shook his head. "Bart said it's out of ammo for the light guns, only things it has left are the really big cannons and missiles. Not really stuff they can shoot off in a city."

Tealle moved up, his polearm lowering a bit as he used his long legs to get ahead of everyone, checking the corner on the next street. A bit of paranoia that the kids had worked out without needing much prompting, much to Jaune's approval. "Well, that's what we're here for, right?"

"Right." Jaune agreed, "Let's speed up a bit, keep your eyes open and what's left of your ears listening."

The weak joke drew weak chuckles from the teens, all of them getting up to a quick jog as they resumed their Grimm hunt... and found only a few, but even those few were far too many. A woman dressed in the remains of lacey lingerie was clinging to a drain pipe, screaming as her would-be client was savaged by a Creep, and even after Isa had killed it, no amount of coaxing from anyone could get her to come down.

They found more dead in the streets, people who hadn't known what the alarms had meant, who'd wanted to keep partying, the five of them cutting down the Grimm responsible and checking for signs of life before moving on as quickly as they could.

Three blocks, four Creeps, and two Beowolves later they ran into at least one familiar face, Port and a team he thought went by CVFY finishing off an Ursa Major before it could get into a diner packed with whimpering civilians.

"Peter." Jaune waved as they approached, noting the numerous melting Grimm throughout the intersection. They'd been busy, it seemed; there had to have been at least a dozen or more dead just in this street alone. "How's the evening going?"

"It's a long one lad." The older man allowed, hefting his strange weapon up onto a shoulder as he came over, the pair of them exchanging a firm hand-shake. "We've cleared out the Grimm in this area, nothing south or east of here remains, and if you came from the west you must have handled anything in your path."

Meral blinked, "...really? Already?"

Port let out a rumbling, though weary, chuckle. "I didn't get my job by random chance young lady. Bart must have sent you over to assist us not realizing how quickly we'd handle it."

"Something like that." Jaune agreed, "We're supposed to link up with you and Neo, then head up towards the battle. He thinks there's going to be more Grimm up there."

The student's leader, a very stylishly dressed girl with brown hair stepped over, glowering at a pair of broken sunglasses in her hands before tossing them away. "There's always more Grimm... hate to say it Prof, but I think the freshmen are more rested up than us."

Peter glanced at her, at the sweat stains soaking through her clothing, at the way both men were breathing heavily, and at the drooping ears of their faunus teammate before nodding, "Aye. Jaune, take your team on ahead, we'll follow along as soon as these brave students get some water in them."

He glanced over his own student team, and found them looking tired but not nearly so exhausted as CVFY... gods, he thought he'd been pushing MINT pretty hard, they looked positively fresh compared to the older teens.

Then again... Peter and his team had been with Ironwood in the actual fight, and had only disengaged when the Grim had started to pour into the city. MINT had mostly been standing useless guard at the hospital for the opening moments, before they'd joined him in the impromptu what-the-fuck-is-going-on run, then gotten a breather as they'd tried to sort out who to send where after the battleship had cleared the plaza.

"Right, we'll get moving and see you there." Jaune nodded, clapping Peter on the shoulder sharply.

His friend rumbled in laughter and struck him back twice as hard, staggering him a little. "Don't get too stuck in without us lad. Right then, Fox, get into that diner and see if the water still runs. Velvet? Tell the good citizens to remain in there and get ready to barricade the doors until the all-clear sounds."

He tuned out the rest of the orders as the five of them got moving again, turning north now that they'd gone far enough east.

At a quiet order from Meral, Nean took point, the quiet boy's small warhammer folding backwards and down to reveal a quad-barreled hand cannon, the weapon up and following his eyes as they moved ever closer to the chattering gunfire.

The kids dealt with the pair of Grimm they found along the way, shooting down two Beowolves on sight as the creatures vainly tried to claw their way through a storefront's armored security door. Isa had shouted through it and gotten word that an entire block party had secured themselves inside, and she'd told them to stay put while they cleared the area.

The ragged cheers that had come through the door, and the sight of people rushing up the second floor to point and wave at them through windows had seemed to buoy the kids morale more than any of his words could have.

They'd gotten their third or fourth wind from that, moving with a bit more alacrity, Meral and Tealle pouncing on a juvenile Ursa that seemed overly focused on wandering towards the battle rather than trying to get into the surrounding buildings. In that, Jaune supposed they were lucky... as much misery and fear as there was in the air, the battle would be the epicenter of it, probably drawing most of the Grimm in its direction.

"We're ahead of the fight." He called as they reached Fountain Plaza, the city landmark looking like the aftermath of a hurricane and rolled through. Empty band-stands, garbage everywhere, fallen electronics... and the first edges of the Vale University campus looming over it all.

And just beyond that, he could see the dim shape of the city's eastern wall against the street lights, along with the equally shrouded tower that was the Royal Hotel. Though he knew from experience that hotel at least had a modern bunker built beneath it, so the vast majority of his family would be safe. All of his family, if Sapphire was with them as he expected her to be given the arguments that had been going on earlier.

 _Gods, that feels like a lifetime ago already..._

Jaune stared at the buildings on the eastern side for a few more moments, exhaling slowly and trying to push his worries out of his mind. "Take a quick rest."

While they gratefully did so, he did a quick sweep of his own, and waved as he saw bright colors appear a block down. Neo waved tiredly back, team RAVN shuffling along behind her as they approached.

"Bart," He said into his scroll as the students noticed their friends arrival, waving and cheering quietly. "We're at Fountain Plaza, Neo and RAVN just arrived, Peter's going to try and catch up soonest, his team is run ragged."

" _Understood. Deal with Grimm as a priority, but please do not allow the White Fang to spill into the campus either."_ Bart instructed.

"Please tell me the rest of the fight is going well."

" _For the first time tonight, I can honestly say that it is. We believe we've dealt with most of the Grimm that escaped into the city, the rioting in the south has largely dispersed due to the alarms and VPD, and the police are already dispatching units north to assist you."_

Something eased in his chest, "What about the walls?"

 _"The southern wall is still engaged with Grimm attempting to breach, but your father has taken local command and is handling the situation adroitly."_ Came the reply, " _Mister_ _Xiao-Long and Professor Fall have been released with their teams to reinforce General Ironwood's pursuit, and the military is releasing bullheads for air support."_

Cinder... if she was responsible for all of this...

He shook his head, this wasn't the time to worry about Cinder, or Ruby, or Yang, or her mother's sudden appearance, _or_ the fact that his oldest sister was probably in her dorms not more than a few blocks away.

His scroll closed as Neo and RAVN arrived, his partner examining him critically. Jaune didn't bother, instead simply grabbing her and pulling her against him in a tight hug, uncaring for the blood and grime joining all of what was on him already. Neo's small arms tightened briefly around him before she pushed him away, her cheeks and eyes both a light shade of pink.

Then, to his surprise, he found himself getting grabbed by Pyrrha as the champion gave him a hug in turn. He blinked at Neo, got a shrug, and awkwardly patted the girl on the back before she let go.

"I'm sorry," She said quietly, "It's just... everything and... it's good to see you Professor."

"It's all right." He assured her, then warily took a step back as Nora stepped his way. "...please don't."

Nora cackled and instead held her hand up for a fist bump that he returned, Isa and Nean both laughing a little at the sight.

"How is it going?" Ilia asked, her own smile bemused as Meral held a fist out in turn, the two girls rapping their knuckles after a moment.

"We're winning." He replied, glancing west as the sounds of fighting grew closer, "But we're not at the finish line yet. VPD and fourth year teams are on their way, military too. We just need to keep an eye out from Grimm and keep the White Fang out of the campus."

The kids all seemed to sober up a bit at that, nodding and checking their weapons as Ren spoke, "We should get into cover behind several of the fountains."

Jaune and Neo waved them to handle it, the eight of them of spreading out and finding good spots while the pair of criminals found a gaudy old statue of some long-dead noble to lurk behind. Neo promptly sagged against his side with a puff of breath, leaning on him as he slid an arm around her.

"I almost got crushed by four falling buildings at once... how's your night going?"

She'd almost had a Paladin fall on her because she'd frozen on remembering she couldn't use her semblance to just get out of the way.

"Heh." He shook his head, pulling her a bit closer. "...Yang lost an arm, Ruby's down. Raven Branwen is here."

Neo blinked... then shook her head. She wasn't about to touch any of that, not right now. He hear about Roman?

"Yeah... trying not to think about that either right now."

She twitched her chin in agreement, then waved a hand at the campus as something massive exploded not more than two or three blocks away. Any of them in there? If Sapphire was around, then Charcoal might be nearby... and she might have a job from Roman as well. A job they might not approve of.

Charrie wouldn't betray a contact, she'd keep Sapphire alive, and she wouldn't go after Jaune or Neo, not while they had an open job for her come Festival time. That being said... she was mercenary to the core and he knew it. A little thing like an open terrorist attack on a major city wouldn't make her bat an eyelash if the pay was high enough.

"...shit, I didn't think of that." Jaune grimaced, pulling his scroll out. It rang once, then again, then his oldest sister picked up.

" _Jaune!? What's going-"_

"Saph." He cut her off. "Tell me you're either at the hotel or in the school's panic room."

His sister hesitated for a beat, then replied, _"I'm at school, but it was built twenty years ago by the lowest bidder."_

Meaning it was either poorly built, too small for everyone, or both. "You're in your dorms then?"

There was a telling pause, " _...Sable, Coral, and I can see you."_

He jerked his head up, and saw a third floor window flicker as a light turned on then back off at once. The twins must have tried to escape arguing with their parents all night by hiding in Saph's dorms for the evening, and then been trapped on the campus when the attack had begun.

" _Security doors are down, and the glass is supposed to be reinforced and bulletproof."_ Sapphire continued, " _Oh gods, we can see more flashes behind you... they're coming this way, aren't they?"_

"...yes." He couldn't bring himself to lie to her, not when it was so blatantly obvious. "Stay away from the windows, lay on the floor if you can. Keep your scroll by you."

" _Jaune-"_

The dull roar of an Ursa made he and Neo both turn, and he interrupted Saph again. "Do it! I'll call you when it's clear!"

He hung up before she could respond, tossing his scroll into a pocket and drawing his sword as the first Grimm arrived from the north, drawn by the incoming violence.

* * *

 _And one more chapter of the breach to go. I know it's going on a bit, but as you can tell, this is a rather traumatic series of events that's going to affect and change everything once it ends. The only tease I'll give right now is the fact that none of the series villains are very happy with how this is going, for a wide variety of reasons. Next chapter will wrap up the combat and kick-start the aftermath, at which point we'll be about at the end of S2._

 _In regards to other notes in reviews... I'm going to break my usual rule and actually respond to something I simply don't understand. To those of you saying that I'm forcing an orientation change on Pyrrha: I have no idea what you're talking about._

 _I believe I've been blatant in the fact that Pyrrha is, at the very most, slightly bi-curious, and that she still finds men attractive (Jaune and Qrow as examples from the ball scene). __If haven't been blatant enough then I apologize, but I thought Pyrrha's conflict on the matter was very clear. If you wish to discuss it in more detail, feel free to go to the Professor Arc forums here, and bring up your thoughts in the story's thread, I'd be happy to discuss them further._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 **Thanks, Kat**

* * *

 ** _Team MINT Quick Notes_**

 _Meral ~ Yang's friend and understudy from Signal, Meral is an able combat planner provided she has time to make said plans; she struggles with improvisation. Despite her 'punk' appearance, her fighting style is a more cerebral variation of Yang's, fighting with dust enhanced gauntlets and a semblance that provides ghostly blue armor over most of her body._

 _Isa ~ A short, bookish girl who prefers to speak via actions rather than words, with an intense distaste for Sky Lark and Russel Thrush over events at Signal several years prior. Fights with a two handed submachine gun capable of being armed with dust-blade bayonets._

 _Nean ~ One of Yang's poor dates in the past, he has a poor habit of crushing on whatever woman paid him attention last. Armed with a one-handed warhammer capable of folding back into a quad-barreled pistol._

 _Teale ~ Isa's on-again, off-again boyfriend of several years, arrogant and somewhat resentful of his place in the lower section of the class. Weapon is a halberd, with the back half equipped with fire-dust blasting spikes._


	47. Semester II: Last Call

**Last Call**

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos felt numb as she cut down a Creep with a negligent slash of Milo, absently raising her shield when a White Fang grunt stumbled into the plaza, panicked, and opened fire on her as well as the dying Grimm.

His gun clicked empty after a moment, and Ilia stepped up beside her, whip flaring out. She'd run out of dust earlier in the battle, and so when she struck she did it with full force. Red misted into the air from a cut across the man's face, his scream of pain joining plenty of others as he went down to clutch at his head.

"Another Grimm on the left." Her partner half-said, half-shouted.

Pyrrha nodded, moving that way, trusting that Ilia could handle the small intersection alone. She'd have worried far more if the White Fang weren't so obviously finished, whatever fanaticism they'd had to make it this far completely spent.

They'd surged into the plaza and park without so much as slowing down, half of them having already thrown off their masks, weapons, and uniforms. What few were still game for a fight had been near the back, trying to hold off General Ironwood and his small army, and failing miserably at it. Pyrrha was fairly certain that they'd died to the last, and hadn't slowed down the pursuit by more than a few seconds.

She could already see the first soldiers arriving, though many were being diverted by the police Bullhead overhead, chasing down the last of the White Fang before they could try and vanish into the city.

For its part, the park had become an epicenter of chaos as the faunus tried to find some way, _any way,_ to escape the jail-time or executions that awaited them. They were fleeing in every direction, trying to force their way through sewer grates, into alleys, side-streets, trying to vanish into the campus grounds...

...and their utter panic and despair was trying all of the remaining Grimm this way as well.

Pyrrha took several long steps, foot striking hard on the last, then vaulted herself up and over an idling yet abandoned truck to come down on an Ursa as it mauled a wolf faunus. It felt her land on its back, roaring and rearing backwards, then its sound cut off as her blade was driven into its neck.

A twist of her upper body tore it free as she leaped back down the the ground, not bothering to check the still form nearby.

Just another death... one of so many tonight.

Her ninth morally acceptable victim was a juvenile Beowolf that was in hard pursuit of three faunus women who'd thrown away their weapons, and who likely regretted that decision. A hard throw of Akouo sent her shield bouncing off of its snout, stunning it long enough for her tired legs to catch up to the fleeing group.

It turned, showing its youth by snapping its jaws at her rather than swiping an arm, and it was simple enough to remove the top half of its head with Milo as a result, her movement not slowing in the slightest as she raced past to catch up to the fleeing terrorists.

She was out of ammunition, which was in many ways a blessing, and so rather than shoot them she again cast her shield forwards, her semblance adjusting its angle to collide with the back of the center-most woman's knees.

There was a cry as she went down, knocking one of the others to the ground with her while the third spun around to help them. She seemed to freeze on seeing Pyrrha's charge, then brought her fists up and screamed for the other two to run as she came running back towards the young huntress.

 _Oh dear..._

A punch came flying at her head.

Pyrrha didn't bother blocking... or bother to slow down either.

The woman's knuckles popped as she rammed her fist into solid aura, her choking gasp not having time to get out before Pyrrha drove her shoulder into her sternum. The blow knocked her off of her feet, the woman actually half-clinging to the champion before she 'helped' her to the ground by getting Milo up and ramming the hilt into her teeth.

Her weapon proved stronger than the almost dainty fangs, breaking them and flinging the faunus off of her.

"Surrender." Pyrrha spoke to the other two, trying to ignore the way the reeling woman clutching at her mouth and the blood pooling from between her fingers. "...please surrender."

"...w-we s-surrender!" One of them blubbered. "We're s-sorry! We quit!"

"Tend to her, please." Pyrrha said tonelessly, stepping back from them, a quick glance and a wave summoning one of the policemen who'd been dropped off by the first Bullhead. He was an older gentlemen, but aging handsomely, and he showed no signs of his years as he came running over. He kept his gun in one hand as he drew handcuffs with the other, nodding politely to Pyrrha as she turned away to find another battle.

"Alpha Beowolf left!" Nora's shout drew her attention that way, seeing the elder Grimm leap down from a building before rushing towards a small group of surrendered faunus.

She had no idea where she found the strength to start running again, nor where Ilia found hers as she came running as well. Her partner's whip lashed out over the kneeling terrorists, cracking against the Grimm's mask, forestalling it for a bare moment.

Pyrrha flicked her thumb, extending Milo to its javelin form before hurling it on the run. The weapon exploded out of her hands, lashing out to bury itself in the Grimm. A normal creature would have likely died then and there, but the Alpha was tough, merely howling its defiance even as it staggered.

The soldiers who'd been guarding the prisoners finished the beast for them, the three young men getting their rifles around and pouring fire into it until it finally collapsed.

"Huntress!" One of them called in thanks, thumping a fist on his chest before they got their prisoners moving again.

Pyrrha tiredly waved back, trotting in that direction to recover her weapon, while Ilia was drawn off to deal with a pair of Creeps as they charged out from an alleyway... that quickly became a half-dozen as more poured out after them.

Snatching up her blade, Pyrrha waded in along with her partner, accounting for three despite her late arrival. Not that she held the showing against Ilia, close range work was not her forte, even when she wasn't exhausted from far too long in battle.

In the wake of their falling a kind of awkward silence began to fall, broken only by the occasional gunshot or sob as more soldiers poured into the plaza to help corral the prisoners and check the wounded. The only fighting left was much farther back, nearer to some kind of book store, where MINT was dealing with the last bits of Grimm, and a second year team had set up over by the campus along with Professor Port.

So far as she knew they hadn't let so much as a tiny Nevermore reach the college.

Closer matters drew her attention as Ilia seemed to waver in place, and she quickly caught her friend before she could collapse.

"Easy there..." Pyrrha murmured, holding her gently. "I think... I think we won."

"Not yet..." Ilia replied, slumping against her in a way that would have made her blush horribly not more than a few hours ago, "...we haven't seen Adam yet."

Oh right.. him. "No Torchwick either... they must not have come this way."

The young woman grumbled, burying her face in Pyrrha's shoulder for a moment before steadying herself. "We gotta find Ren and Nora, plus Neo."

Pyrrha nodded, keeping a hand on her shoulder to support her... and so she had someone to lean on as well as they started walking. While they didn't find their teammates, or their assigned professor, they did run into someone far higher ranked as he came marching into the plaza along with Professor Goodwitch, Mister Xiao-Long, and an honor guard of exhausted looking fourth-years.

"General Ironwood." She murmured in surprise. "He's not even hurt... I thought I heard Ren say that he'd fought Taurus."

"Guess it wasn't much of a fight." Ilia shook her head once, "Maybe he knows a few things."

"Um... I don't know if-" She was already moving that way, leaving Pyrrha with little choice but to follow.

Their combat teacher noticed them first, breaking away from the others to quickly move in their direction.

"Miss Nikos, Miss Amitola..." For a split second Pyrrha thought she saw tears in the woman's eyes before she nodded firmly, "Of course you're all right. Where are your teammates?"

"They were helping Miss Neo with a Deathstalker, last we saw them." Ilia replied, "We were about to go looking when we saw you... thought we'd get news."

Goodwitch nodded, then gently seemed to usher them away from the General and the other full adults as Professor Port came jogging over to speak with them. "I can update you as we walk, come along."

Ilia tried to resist, but she was far more gone than Pyrrha was, and it wasn't difficult to turn her around.

"The fighting is winding down across the city." Their professor stated, her head on a swivel as they moved. "And outside of it as well, the pressure against the walls has largely ceased."

"Good." Pyrrha said quietly.

"What about Adam?" Her partner asked at once, "And Torchwick?"

Goodwitch hesitated then let out an angry breath, "Taurus sacrificed his personal bodyguards to escape after General Ironwood wounded him badly in the opening moments of their fight. We were occupied protecting the Council members and were unable to capture him before Torchwick arrived to haul him away from the battle."

Ilia started to flicker red, but the teacher continued before she could speak, "However the sight of his rapid defeat and flight broke the morale of the White Fang, resulting in what you saw here. We were also able to capture several veteran leaders, but..."

"Cyanide pills." Ilia said flatly.

Pyrrha wanted to feel horrified at the notion... but could only shake her head numbly. She supposed it made a dark kind of sense. Any senior members of the White Fang who were taken would assuredly face execution sooner rather than later.

"...yes." The professor allowed. "In better news, Professor Oobleck was able to seal the subway, and one of the Atlesian warships greatly reduced the amount of Grimm attempting to enter them in the wilds. We also already have word from Mistral that Sienna Khan is already denouncing the attack, I'm certain she will release some kind of taped diatribe as soon as the scope of this becomes clear."

That seemed fast... but maybe Misses Belladonna's warning had put her on her guard for new from Vale. The major news programs would have probably lit up across the kingdoms as soon as it had started. Khan and the rest of the White Fang likely had no idea as to the scope of it, she didn't think anyone here except maybe the General did, but they'd probably heard the words 'faunus' and 'Grimm' used together and started running away as fast as they could.

"They'll blame Adam, throw him under the charging Ursa." Ilia murmured. "Do everything they can to look peaceful and helpful."

Goodwitch nodded, though there was a frown on her face. "Likely, though that will be for others. For tonight I want my students back in Beacon and resting... where _is_ the rest of your team, and Jaune for that matter?"

Pyrrha blinked, looking around as well. They'd reached the center of the mostly flat park, and apart from some truly hideous statues and a few shot up trees, there really wasn't all that much blocking them from seeing everyone. MINT was nearby and seemed to notice them, coming their way when Goodwitch impatiently called to them.

"Where is Professor Arc and Professor Neopolitan?"

The team's leader shook her head, absently peeling off the the torn remnants of her dress, leaving her in little more than a bra and ragged skirt. "They left with Ren and Nora, like fifteen minutes ago, right when the fighting started."

Goodwitch froze. "They _what_? Why in the gods names would they do such a thing?"

Meral took a surprised step back at the older woman's tones, "I... t-they saw Torchwick driving a stolen car, grabbed a truck and went after him! I saw them on their scrolls, thought they told someone!"

The relative quiet made the distant explosion all too easy to hear, everyone in sigh jerking around to see a cloud of dust obscuring the downtown lights.

 _Oh dear..._

* * *

Lie Ren was rarely glad for his semblance... but today he felt willing to thank any god or gods that had seen fit to bless him with it.

His body hit the cab door as the truck took a corner too sharply, Professor Arc cursing as he worked the wheel and put his foot down again. "Stupid truck!"

He was fairly certain it wasn't the truck's fault the professor was a surprisingly horrible driver, but he wasn't about to mention that. For all of his faults behind the wheel, Jaune at least knew the city well enough to have taken a shortcut that allowed them to catch up with their target.

"There they are." Ren leaned forwards against his tight seat belt, speaking into the scroll in his left hand. "Nora, do you have them?"

 _"I see 'em!"_ His partner shouted from the back, where she and Miss Neo had been hanging on for dear life through most of the pursuit. " _Do we blast them?"_

"Yes!" Jaune shouted, gunning the engine further as they continued to close the distance.

Torchwick's vehicle looked as if it had once been a family sedan, but one that had failed to protect its occupants against whatever Grimm had peeled the roof off to get at them. The make-shift convertible at least made spotting the thief's bright hair easy enough, along with the two terrorists in his back seat. One was definitely Taurus, and he looked limp even from a distance, while a smaller form was frantically doing something to him.

Miss Neo opened fire first, her tiny holdout pistol barking just over his head. He wasn't certain she accomplished anything except to more thoroughly alert the criminals to their pursuit, but it made the other car wobble a bit as if Torchwick was surprised.

" _Bit closer!_ " Nora's voice blared out from his scroll.

"Doing my best here!" The professor growled, breaking slightly as he swerved around one of the many abandoned cars up on the sidewalk, accelerating through a cast-off bicycle and shattering it.

Nora, of course, howled with laughter at that, her first grenade sailing out a moment later. Whoever was in the back noticed it, rising and throwing an arm forwards, something dark flicking out from their wrist. The first shot missed, but the second collided with the grenade, leaving it to explode harmlessly in the air.

His partner shouted something about that being no fun at all, then fired again with similar results.

"Hold off." He instructed, "You're low on grenades, wait until we're closer. We're catching up every time we get on a straight road."

"And," Jaune noted as their prey swerved onto an on-ramp. "We're about to hit the freeway."

Ren frowned as they turned, following them up onto the elevated streets. "Why go up here, he has to know our vehicle is in better condition."

"If I had to guess..." The teacher glanced at his side mirror and winced. "...because he's got help waiting up here."

That made him purse his lips and look at his own, spotting several lights behind them already at speed, and closing rapidly. His semblance dealt with the minor panic that came up as he realized the situation, leaving him to calmly work things out. "Ah... the other criminals he broke out of prison, they scattered and located rides of their own."

"And I'm betting they're all old friends of his." An arm reached back, yanking the back window open. "Going to need the extra guns back there."

"Yes sir." Ren unbuckled himself at once, shifting over and then stick his head out of the back.

Small hands grabbed his shoulders as Miss Neo helped pull him out of the cab and into the whipping winds, the noise level rising as he shifted his hips around so that he wouldn't get stuck. She waited until he was clear, then nimbly slipped through the window to take his place inside, knowing she wouldn't be of much use with just her holdout weapon.

"Hey Ren!" Nora shouted, already kneeling and facing backwards. "Can I borrow a Storm Flower!?"

He was already passing her one of his weapons as he settled in beside her, "Three cars, we should focus fire on the wheels!"

She gave him a thumbs up, then pointed at the rightmost car, a fancy sports model that was already getting close while its windows rolled down. Both of them started shooting single shots, conserving ammunition, and found that firing from the back of a moving vehicle at another swerving vehicle when both were travelling at high speed wasn't exactly easy.

After a few misses, he moved forwards to rest his weapon the back gate, steadying himself as a man started shooting back from the opposing passenger window. Thankfully the criminal had even less luck, not hitting much of anything with his first round, and that was all he had time for before Ren put two bullets into the right front tire.

The sports car swerved hard that way, the driver over-corrected, and then it started rolling... adding two more people to the number he'd killed today.

His semblance throttled that thought at once, leaving him focused as he and Nora turned to the next car and found it decelerating quickly, evidently no longer interested in this black game. The same could not be said of vehicle three, which turned out to be a truck much like their own, but with two men armed with assault rifles in the back.

" _We're catching up!"_ Jaune's scream was barely audible from the scroll on Nora's wrist as they both started shooting, flinching as dust rounds came back. Their aura held the occasional lucky shot, but the simple vehicle proved less hardy. " _Slow them down!"_

"Working on it." He replied calmly as Nora got a few shots into the left tire, and he put out the right light before finding his target. Unfortunately the bucking motion of their own transportation indicated that they'd lost pressure in a tire as well, and Jaune began cursing over the open line.

" _Fucking... Nora! Front! Now-now-now-"_

Magnhild nearly took his head off as she ripped it off her back, twisting around and firing her remaining grenades as rapidly as she could.

He had no idea what it exactly was that she'd just shot at, but he knew it made an absolutely titanic explosion. His back slammed into the cab, and then Nora was flattened against him in turn as the truck decelerated, wavering madly as Jaune slammed on the breaks. The screeching of tires only grew worse when one of the back ones gave way, making metal scream as it was dragged along the pavement.

Nora grabbing onto the roll bar and physically pinning him against the cab was the only thing that kept them both from being thrown off, and even with his talent he was more than a little woozy when they finally slowed to a stop.

"...I hate cars." His best friend groaned as she pulled away from him, staggering a little before jumping over the side. "Oh my, that's burning nicely, don't you think Ren?"

He needed a moment to turn around, blinking a bit as he saw a wall of fire roaring across the entire street. "...what did you hit?"

"Hm? Semi I think." She replied as he slowly followed her off, the doors swinging open as the teachers got out as well. "Must have had dust in it. Oh look, bad guys!"

The comment drew Ren's attention to one side where the man was bailing from his own crashed vehicle. A limping Adam Taurus was beside him, along with a short, silver-haired woman, all three of them holding weapons.

A glance behind showed their pursuing truck stationary far behind, though four or five men had gotten out and were definitely armed and ready to keep fighting.

"Ren, Nora." Jaune ordered quietly, "Head back there and deal with them, then catch up to us."

Ren flexed his fingers around his remaining weapon, rather hoping the other was still in the back of the truck where Nora had dropped it. The math was easy enough to do, Torchwick looked fresh, but Taurus was barely upright and would need the woman to protect him utterly. Jaune could easily hold off the thief while Neo handled the others, provided they weren't worrying about getting shot in the back.

And once they were done, numbers would work in their favor. "Understood, we won't take too long."

Professor Arc huffed out a quiet breath, "I know, I've seen Nora fight. Go."

He nodded, glanced at Nora to see her grinning, and the pair charged without another word.

* * *

Jaune watched the kids depart, then returned his eyes to Roman's as he and Neo began to stalk forwards with their blades at the ready.

Their old friend grinned, stepping away from the terrorists, watching as Jaune turned to follow him. "That's a rather homicidal look in your eyes Jauney-boy."

"I wonder why." He replied flatly, starting the fight with a probing slash that was countered by a negligent parry. "You couldn't think we'd approve."

"Hm, no." Roman agreed, falling silent as he made an aggressive push. Jaune parried an incoming thrust, falling back a step as he deflected a slash, then countered with a quick advance before cutting at the older man's shoulder.

The thief growled and stutter-stepped backwards, leaning away from the blow to mitigate the hit, trying to drive Melodic Cudgel into Jaune's hip at the same time. He twisted away, snapping a hand out to try and pop the asshole in the mouth, only to get his fist caught as the two men strained against one another.

"Those two can't hold off Neo." Jaune growled, "You know it."

"Of course I fucking do." Roman replied angrily, "Why do you think I let you see us at the campus?"

His eyes narrowed at the implications of that... if he'd done that on purpose, if he knew that... this had never been about running away.

This was about Roman tying up loose ends.

The thief noticed his distraction, abruptly shifting his resistance to a sideways push that left Juane open for a hard knee to his stomach. The blow made him cough and fall back as the cane rapped hard against his left forearm, then his sword was up again and parrying two more attacks before they broke apart and began to circle one another.

"Ya can't capture me, kid." Roman reminded him, speaking just loudly enough to be heard over the sound of Neo fighting... a glance showed Taurus down and bleeding, and faunus woman looking utterly overmatched as his partner's blade lashed out. "Not with everything I know."

"...I know." Jaune replied shortly. "Either let you go, or fight to the death."

"And could you really manage that against the guy who helped you so much?" The taunting tones made it all the more infuriating, the sheath of his weapon all but blurring into his hands, expanding into his shield as he charged.

"I wouldn't have yesterday!" The snarl came as he hammered at Roman with blade and shield, pressing the older man back through sheer ferocity rather than technique. He took more than a few counter-blows in return, but he didn't care... he had aura to burn, and Roman was running out of space with the fires behind him. "Today could be different!"

Melodic Cudgel caught an overhand swing, Roman grunting with the effort as he planted his feet. "I didn't have a gods damned choice kid!"

"Bullshit!" He spat, pressing harder, trying to _will_ the jerk back and into the heat of the flames.

"Ask my fucking boss what that mutt over there was _supposed_ to do!" The thief hissed in reply, twisting his entire body to send the sword whistling past him, gouging a line in the pavement before lashing out in a vicious counter-attack of his own.

Jaune reeled back as a fist got him in the cheek, shield blocking a cane strike that still knocked him back enough to give Roman room to work with. A flare screamed out of the weapon, then was effortlessly caught as the thief played with his semblance, using the live round to enhance the punch he threw when his cane hooked behind Jaune's shield and dragged it down.

A hand grabbed his belt, hauling him out of the way and leaving Neo's parasol to take the blow instead.

Her eyes were colorless with anger, her pupils little more than dilated pools of black as she held the two parts of her weapon in either hand, and Roman quickly backed off again as the two fell in beside one another without having to think about it.

"You're good, Roman." Jaune said quietly, glancing far behind to see the kids still occupied. "But you're not as good as both of us put together. We'll kill you... so I'd start talking."

Roman regarded them darkly, hair fluttering in the slight breeze. "Two part plan. Smash and grab at the prison, assassination of racist Councilors. Distracts everyone, lures Ozpin from Beacon. Nothing like a full fucking invasion."

Leaving free to search for the Relic. The thief's part in the plot would be obvious, Roman had probably been arrested at least once before, and had gotten his people out of prison if he hadn't escaped himself.

"Make up your mind kids." Roman growled as the gunfire cut out, Nora throwing someone around like a toy in the distance. "I don't have the time for the full fucking details right now. We fighting or am I running?"

Jaune felt his fingers clench as he glanced at Neo, and found her lips pressed into a thin line before she twitched her head once. Furious as she was, she didn't want to kill Roman either... and a subtle shift of her left hand reminded him that she could always kill him later, if they didn't like his reasons or excuses.

He wasn't honestly sure if he was going to agree... or charge back in, but the decision was taken out of his hands before he could make up his mind either way.

"Behind you!" Ren's shout got him spinning around in time to see Taurus starting to glow, the man barely able to stand but evidently putting whatever aura he had left into charging a final attack. The blade was already drawing free when he got his shield up, Neo's parasol rising as they braced themselves.

The blast was... well, rather weak really, barely knocking them back while Taurus collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut. The terrorist leader bounced off of the wrecked car before sliding down to the ground, weapon falling from limp fingers.

Jaune lowered his shield, glancing behind them to see what he already knew: Roman had bailed, probably thrown himself off of the freeway the instant he and Neo had started to turn around. He'd break his fall with aura, and find the first entrance to the underground he could... the jerk knew all of the sewers, and all of the ways they connected to the old, old underground bunkers built during and after the wars.

That or he'd hot-wire the first car he came across to get some distance... either way, unless Neo was going to start teleporting around in pursuit, the bastard was gone.

 _For now... you're going to explain this Roman, or I'm going to kill you myself._

Neo shook her head angrily as he sheathed his blade, then turned to stalk towards the downed terrorist. He followed, mildly surprised to see that he hadn't quite expired yet despite his rather severe wounds.

Taurus had at least two gunshots from something utterly massive, one in his chest, the other in his left leg, and from the looks of things Neo had gotten the tendons on his right ankle, and then expanded the wound in his guts before leaving him as crippled. It must have been agonizing as hell for him to even have tried standing in the first place... he had no idea how he'd managed it.

The guy must have had one hell of a will... and he'd wasted it on all of this. Whatever this even was.

"If you wanted Roman to kill us while we were distracted, you didn't know him very well." Jaune noted quietly. "Or were you just trying to kill me one last time?"

A brown eye blinked slowly from behind a cracked mask, his voice weak and rasping. "...coward... all humans... cowards..."

"Cowards who kicked your ass." He replied, holding out a hand as he heard Ren and Nora approaching. They'd seen enough today... they didn't need to see more, and he wasn't about to offer to heal the man. It probably wasn't the smart play, considering how much he might be able to tell them under duress. Even if it exposed him and Neo, if exposed Cinder's plot it could save thousands of lives...

But it wouldn't be the _right_ play. This son of a bitch had let _Grimm_ loose in a city... an agonizing death on a cold, empty road was all he deserved.

"Why do all of this?"

The man shook his head once. "...you'll all pay... for what... what you've done. All... of you."

Jaune lowered himself into a crouch, watching he struggled to breath. "I don' think so."

"You will..." Taurus managed to focus on him as his voice grew weaker. "You... will. She.. queen... will kill... you all..."

He blinked. The Queen? Cinder was arrogant, sure, but he didn't think she was _that_ arrogant. "What Queen? Sienna?"

There wasn't a response, just a final rattling breath... then stillness.

* * *

 _And so ends Adam Taurus, and there was much rejoicing (I presume). I know, I know, this one's a little short, but it just seemed appropriate to end it here rather than start piling on the aftermath right away... and if nothing else, you're getting it the day after the last one went up, so that's something right?_

 _Obviously a lot going down in the aftermath of this, figure two chapters worth as we end S2, but we're going to be sticking primarily with Jaune and Neo's points of view. We'll probably get someone from team RWBY in the next chapter, then RAVN in the one after that, but expect our two heroes to get the bulk of the attention._

 _I know the story is getting long and the pacing seems slow as a result, it's honestly the results of an experiment. In my AR series, readership/favorites/etc tanked after I concluded AR: Arrival and moved on to the sequels, even if reviews stayed relatively even thanks to an awesome group of readers. So instead of posting each Season as separate stories (which is how I have them in my head, in my general outlines, etc)... I'm just running them all right together in one big run._

 _Maybe not the best idea, but it's what I'm rolling with.. and now you know why the fic is going to end up fairly beastly in terms of word count._

 _We'll have on more semester to go, expect a heavy dose of changes to S3 now that the butterflies have truly started messing with things._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 **Thanks, Kat**


	48. Semester II: Helping Hands

**Helping Hands**

* * *

Jaune hopped down from the police Bullhead as it landed in the Eastern Greens, perversely thankful he'd been too tired to feel airsick. The once beautiful park was now mostly a blasted landscape of shell craters and wrecked train cars, with a gaping hole in the ground surrounded by Atlesian soldiers and Valean police officers as they tried to figure out what the hell to _do_ with it.

But more importantly, General Ironwood and Glynda were both waiting for his make-shift team as they disembarked, and neither of them was looking entirely pleased to see him. Probably because he and Neo had torn off without alerting anyone to what they were doing, and had largely ignored their scrolls during the flight back.

Telling his sister that he was fine, and making sure they were as well, had been a larger priority for him.

"Arc." Ironwood said flatly, "I hope you have a good reason for ignoring orders and departing mid-battle."

He glanced at Neo, his partner rolling her eyes as she pulled the trophy off of her back. A toss saw the Atlesian catch it one hand before almost gaping at the sight of Adam Taurus' weapon. Well... his lips parted slightly, but on Ironwood's habitually stern expression, it was basically gaping.

"His body is in the Bullhead." Jaune waved vaguely behind them. "Plus a White Fang Huntress, Neo got them both, but Taurus was already pretty screwed up. That your work?"

Ironwood gave them a vague nod, still staring the trophy in his grip. "He was already weakened when I encountered him during the attack, yours and Miss Rose's doing I am lead to believe... you truly finished him?"

Neo shrugged and nodded.

Glynda coughed, almost looking amused, "You're going to become quite the celebrity my dear, the woman who killed the man behind all of this."

His partner blinked a few times, then pointed at herself.

"She is quite correct, you'll have interviews with the press at a minimum." Ironwood informed her, lowering the sword but still hanging onto it. "Given your disability, speeches are not likely, but I imagine both Ozpin and the Council will want to put the focus on a local huntress. They'll want a grand hero to buoy the public's spirits after this debacle."

Neo's hands flashed, leaving him to translate. "She's Vacuan, hardly local."

The older man shrugged, "She teaches at Beacon, that will probably be local enough for the people, especially after your own exploits at the docks and rally Mister Arc. We may also need to locate a few faunus students in particular to emphasize, racial tension is likely to explode as it is... even a minor break there could be worthwhile."

"James." Glynda shook her head, as Neo stared blankly at nothing, clearly not relishing the idea of what was ahead of her. She was probably remembering all of Pyrrha's horror stories. "That's more than they need right now, we can worry the politics later. Jaune, if Taurus is dead, what of Torchwick? Team MINT indicated he was present as well."

"He was..." Jaune grimaced, remembering his hesitation, and what it may have cost everyone. "He slipped away when we were distracted by Taurus."

Ren cleared his throat behind them, speaking up in their defense before either Glynda or Ironwood could respond, "The terrorist attempted to take the professors down with him with his semblance. Torchwick fled when they were occupied blocking the attack."

The General didn't look overly happy at that, but another glance at the weapon, and then at the cops hauling a shrouded stretcher out of the aircraft behind them saw him relax him once more. "I suppose I can forgive you in light of your success, but please remember you are no longer in Vacuo. There are chains of command for a good reason, and I would have approved if you'd merely informed me when it happened."

Neo's silent scoff indicated she didn't exactly care, Jaune smiling and patting her shoulder while tactfully declining to translate the gesture she followed it up with. "That's pretty much our story, what news do you have for us?"

"Plenty, but Glynda is correct, there is a great deal of work to be done that you're not required for. Glynda? Please help them a place to rest." Ironwood said, already turning away, "I need to coordinate the recovery and triage. We will speak later, Professors."

He tipped his head slightly as the man walked deeper into blasted landscaping that was the Eastern Greens, soldiers who'd been waiting impatiently already running over to start handing him things and receiving orders in return. The deputy headmistress waved for them to follow her back towards the hospital, the four of them falling behind her.

"Your teammates are waiting for you." She told Ren and Nora, "They are in with Miss Belladonna and the Xiao-Long family."

That drew prior events, events he'd been doing his damnedest not to think about, back into his head. "Ruby and Yang? Are they all right?"

"Both are stable, unconscious, and in dire need of peace and quiet." Glynda replied, "Though Miss Xiao-Long will need a second surgery for prosthetic implants, probably once the emergency cases have been resolved and everyone is back at Beacon."

He let out a slow breath, noting Nora sag in relief as well. "Any other kids hurt?"

There was a weary shake of her head, "Many... but none so severely as either of them. Mister Bronzewing was likely the next most severe case, he was hurt severely by an Alpha Beowolf that tried to break into the hospital, but he was already patched up and is resting. The remainder are mostly suffering from aura exhaustion or simple weariness."

Jaune was about to nod when the left the clearing for the streets, and once again saw the rubble where he'd nearly been buried to death. The sight reminded him of just how many people had to have been inside those buildings then they'd come down, how many people hadn't had Raven Branwen suddenly throw a portal in front of them to eat the avalanche. "...how many civilians?"

"Unknown." Her voice quieted. "It may be several days before we know for sure, but hundreds dead at a minimum, thousands wounded. There was a great deal of apartments and condominiums in this area, and the Grimm..."

She didn't need to continue. To a hunter or huntress, even a student level one, something like a Creep or a juvenile Beowolf was barely a threat worth noticing. But to a civilian? It was nigh-unstoppable killing machine that only got more excited the more you felt entirely rational fear and panic. And that was a pathetic little Grimm... a properly aged beast, never-mind an Alpha, could probably clear out an entire apartment building in a matter of minutes.

Even if it didn't kill everyone directly, the killing machine would probably wreck so much of the structure that it came down around them.

"What of the soldiers and hunters?" Ren asked as the five of them skirted around the worst of the debris, several civilians directed by an old cop carefully shifting through bits of it. A few started to give them angry looks, probably because they weren't stopping to help... then seemed to relax as they saw the amount of red and black covering everyone, and the weapons they held.

Jaune lowered his head as a few actually applauded them as they went past, cheering people they saw as heroes.

"There were losses, but they were generally light." Glynda answered once they were past. "The strength of the White Fang's plan was in avoiding conflict with military and hunter level opposition, they were well equipped but poorly trained for open battle and trusted the Grimm would be in place to occupy us. The worst casualties were at the prison complex, many of the guards and staff there were killed."

 _Dammit Roman..._

"What about Winter?" He inquired. "She looked bad."

There was a noticeable hesitation, "She... remains in critical condition."

A slow breath came out. "How critical?"

"She is not expected to last the night." Glynda replied softly, "It was a minor miracle she managed to continue moving after the impact given her wounds. I'm sorry Jaune, I know you enjoyed working with her."

He bowed his head once more, breathing slowly. A gentle touch of his left hand saw Neo staring at him, reading his thoughts. She pursed her lips then seemed to shake her head wearily... if he wanted to do it, she wouldn't stop him.

And he had to do it. He'd let Roman go... intentionally or not, he'd let someone responsible for all of this go.

If he was still a good person... if he was better than his actions... he _had_ to do it.

His fingers squeezed hers in return as they made the turn around the street corner to find the hospital being mobbed. Police and EMT's frantically trying to control the chaos as civilians, many of whom probably didn't need to be here... many of whom _definitely_ did, tried to force their way in.

Glynda glowered at the confusion as if personally affronted, "Our wounded are all on the fourth floor... if you'll excuse me, I think my services are needed here. You'd best take the service entrance on the side, I believe Mister Winchester and his team are defending it against intruders."

Jaune nodded and waved her on ahead. She stalked forwards, shouting for calm, and when that didn't work, using a bit of dust to make a harsh cracking sound that shut everyone in sight up.

"Everyone please clear the entrance!" She shouted as they kept going, moving towards the side-street. "Officers, please assist the crowd with basic first aid and begin dispatching those with open wounds to the front!"

Leaving her to get control of the situation in her usual way, they slipped past the crowd, past a smaller group at another door, then turned down the alley between the hospital and its attached parking garage.

Cardin Winchester was sitting bare-chested on a chair outside of a security door, his mace leaning against a knee as he tossed the shredded remains of his expensive dress shirt away before noticing them. "Hey. How'd the battle go?"

"We won." Jaune said simply, jerking a thumb at Neo, "She killed Taurus."

"Good fucking riddance." The young man grunted, pulling his suit coat back on, not bothering to buckle it. "Everyone's up on the fourth floor, do me a favor and find out why Russel and Sky haven't gotten their asses back down here yet?"

He shrugged, "Sure."

A quick entering of a security code later had them filing past him, wearily trundling up some stairs and finding the rest of CRDL, or at least the healthy pair, already on their way back down. Their reaction to the news of victory was as muted as Cardin's, just a tired nod from Russel and then he and Sky's feet carrying them back down to their leader.

The fourth floor proved to be a long term care floor, he assumed it had just happened to have some space free and had gotten the wounded hunters as a result. Team MINT looked as though they were supposed to be on guard around the elevators, but only Meral was awake. Isa and Teale were slumped against one another in chairs, while Nean was flat on the ground with his head resting on Merla's bare feet, the three of them utterly gone.

He quietly padded over to Meral, whispering his request, and got murmured directions in response. Jaune thanked her, asked after Tsune, and was told she was helping in the ER. He nodded, reminded her she'd done a great job tonight, then went back to everyone else.

"You two go on, Pyrrha and Ilia are in room four-ten, it's the open one right down there." He nudged Nora gently, "We're going to see Winter first, we'll find you after."

She nodded while Ren spoke up, "Thank you professor, for everything."

Jaune felt his heart lower a little, "I... you're welcome. Go on, get some rest. The pair of you earned it."

Nora gave him a tired, but grateful smile, tugging Ren along after her. He watched as they did, something like a smile coming to his lips when Ren found Nora's hand. The barbarian girl in her torn, blood-splattered dress seemed to sway woozily at the simple touch, recovering only after stutter-stepping.

"That's two hundred lien." He murmured to Neo, his partner letting out an annoyed huff while glowering at Nora's back. "I think it's going to be a long couple of weeks as the school's counselor though."

Neo gave him an unimpressed look, wondering why he was bothering to state the obvious.

"You don't have to be like that about it."

No, she didn't, but he was delaying and she wanted to get this over with.

He winced, couldn't exactly deny it, and let her tug him into motion, moving in the opposite direction until they found a room with a taped sign asking for quiet due to critical injuries. He checked the handle and found it unlocked, gently nudging the door open before slipping in. The sound of humming machines grew as Neo followed him inside, closing the door behind them before locking it and remaining in the background.

Winter Schnee lay motionless in a bed, thin hospital blankets making her look slender and vulnerable even without all of the tubes and wiring running into her body. The dim lighting did her no favors either, she seemed shrunken and aged, especially with the bandaging around part of her face.. Her sister sat beside her, still in her grime and blood covered party dress, her weapon leaning against her chair.

"Professors." Weiss greeted quietly, not looking away from Winter as fingers brushed a few locks of hair out of her sister's face.

"Weiss." Jaune replied, padding across the floor as softly as his aching body would allow, resting a hand on her shoulder. "How is she?"

"Her right eye is gone." The young woman said tonelessly. "Her right knee was shattered, she was entirely using her glyphs to move, and that led to aura exhaustion. Severe wounds to her stomach and intestines, she was impaled at one point. Liver damage... some kind of poison... it's inhibiting her aura recovery. They can't find a counter-toxin, they think it's a natural venom from a unique faunus. It's affecting her heart as well... they don't think she'll last the night."

"Tsune couldn't do anything?"

Weiss shook her head once. "...she said she can accelerate healing by pooling aura in critical areas to stabilize someone, but that requires the person actually have some degree of aura. Normally she would just use boosters to give her a pool, but whatever is in her blood is negating their effects. They gave her as many boosters as they dared, but..."

He glanced at the machines, and while he couldn't even begin to read most of them, he could at least read a simple aura meter.

It was holding at a steady zero.

"They're... just leaving her here, they aren't treating her further?" He asked.

"Triage." Weiss replied, somehow making the word sound disgusting despite not changing her flat inflections. "The time it would take them to try to save her is time they believe better spent on wounded with better chances of survival. If she makes it until morning they're going to try and find an available specialist who can enhance her recovery, give Miss Kitsune-Chan aura her semblance can work with."

Jaune exhaled softly, nodding. It was a horrible decision in many ways... but it was probably the right call by Tsune and the other doctors. The hours of work they spent on Winter could very well turn out to be wasted if she died regardless... better to spend those hours saving people less grievously wounded. Especially since anyone else with a talent like his, and he had to assume there was at least one or two in the medical profession, would be in extreme demand right now.

 _It's me or no one._

Biting his lip, he glanced back at Neo and found her regarding him without any real expression on her beautiful features. She still didn't approve of risking this, even this way. Winter was not one of theirs, not someone Neo thought they should reveal things in order to save her.

He met her mismatched eyes and shook his head once. It didn't matter. He had to. They were at least partly to blame for all of this... for selfishly not turning on Cinder at once, for not forcing Roman to be more open. Saving Winter wouldn't balance those scales, that would come when they found their Relics and used them, but... saving her was the right thing to do. Something a good person would do.

And he badly needed to prove, to himself if no one else, that he still was a good man.

She sighed and shook her head once, then waved for him to get on with it.

Jaune gave her a small smile, then turned back to the comatose woman, resting his dirty fingers against her motionless hand.

Everyone's aura felt different when he used his semblance... he thought it had to do with both their nature and their mood at the time. Sometimes it felt physical, others more mental... but it usually fit in some kind of theme.

Neo most often felt like warm desert sand running along his palms, but if she was angry or afraid those little grains became ragged shards of glass. In contrast, Roman was like heated candle-wax, while Charcoal reminded him of cold, weather worn stones. Yang, when he'd spent a critical moment stabilizing her before she could bleed out, had felt like the warmth from a gently blazing campfire.

In contrast, Winter's soul washed over him like cool water, but there was something warm and strong beneath it... but it was something he could feel fading even as he gently reached out to her.

"Profess...or..." Weiss stumbled over his title as his aura began to manifest, white light playing over his right arm. "What..."

"Please don't tell anyone about this." Jaune murmured, closing his eyes to focus. "And give me a quiet moment."

She fell silent as he reached out with his semblance, letting his aura flow down his arm and into Winter's hand. Her body seemed to devour it instantly, consuming the power of his soul in a desperate effort to survive. It was always hard to gauge how much he'd given away, and how much someone had taken, but normally he could feel their aura pushing back against his as it neared their body's maximum limits. Winter's... felt like it was still trying to cling to his when he slumped backwards and broke the contact, his vision swimming as he reached his own limits.

"How..." He groaned as Neo rushed across the room to catch him before he could pitch over. "Ow... how is she?"

Weiss shook herself, then rose and began checking the various monitors. "Her... she has aura! Not much, but eight percent... her heartbeat is... it's picking up... what did..."

"I gave her my aura." He answered her question as his partner threw one of his arms over her small shoulder, wrapping her own around his waist. "...a lot of my aura. It's my semblance."

"But your semblance just heals... you..." Weiss's voice trailed off as she stared at her sister, the woman's breathing evening out, a bit of color already returning to her features. "...you... you lied about it. Why?"

Jaune inhaled slowly, a shaking hand reaching out to rest on her shoulder again. "A lot of reasons... please Weiss, for me. Don't mention this to anyone. Let it be a miracle."

The heiress' lips parted as her eyes welled up, her head shaking. "I... oh, oh you did Yang too, didn't you? The doctors said she should have been so much worse, they said her aura seemed oddly full for her wounds."

"Well... yes, but-" Weiss threw herself at him before he could finish, hugging him as she immediately began sobbing into his disgusting shirt, small hands clutching at him. He would have fallen if not for Neo bracing him, his partner giving the girl a sour look before she glanced back as someone began pounding on the door.

A second later keys jingled, then a dark skinned nurse was rushing in. "Her vitals just spiked, what happened!? The Doctor is on his way!"

"H-her aura spiked!" Weiss managed in between sobs, pulling back and giving him a look of such profound gratitude that he had to look away. He didn't deserve to ever be looked at like that. "The boosters... they must have finally kicked in."

The woman gaped at her, then stepped past them to start checking machines, and then Winter's pulse and breathing more traditionally.

"Gods..." Her head shook once, "We need to get her back into surgery, right now while she still has aura for Doctor Kitsune to manipulate! Please clear the way!"

Neo gently tugged him back as another nurse, and then a regular doctor piled into the room, all of the speaking rapidly as they got her bed's wheels unlocked and into motion. Weiss gave him another look that made his soul writhe, then ran out after them.

"I had to." He murmured once she was gone, wincing as he leaned over to grab Myrtenaster from where Weiss had left it in her panic. "I'm sorry.. I'm a noble idiot."

His lover sighed, shaking her head and getting them moving towards the door. He really was... but at least he was also a decent pillow.

Jaune smiled tiredly. "Love you too Neo."

* * *

Raven Branwen glanced at Tai as he stared at their daughter, his head swinging between her and the little Rose in the next bed over. Yang had awoken only briefly after her surgery, long enough to see her sister and panic before being calmed by her father and collapsing back into sleep. Raven wasn't even sure she'd noticed her or Qrow in the room, but then with how many drugs she was on that was hardly her own fault.

"They'll both survive," She admonished Tai as that hideously concerned expression grew worse, "Stop looking at them like you are about to burst into tears. It's pathetic."

Qrow scoffed from somewhere behind her, "Tactful as ever sis."

Raven rolled her eyes and didn't bother to respond to that. "You heard the doctors as well as I did. Rose's brat will be upright and fighting within a few weeks, Yang in a similar time if the implant surgery goes well."

Her brother made another sound of annoyance. "Fucking hell, you can't even show a little concern about the fact that your daughter lost an arm?"

"An arm is nothing against survival." Raven replied, this time turning to glower at him. "She can overcome it, if she is determined enough. Coddling her will hardly-"

"Ray." Tai's voice was flat as he rose from his chair, moving over to his other daughter to gently towel at her forehead. "Keep your voice down."

Her eyes narrowed to slits as she regarded her ex-husband, then she huffed once, turned back to her idiot of a sibling, and resumed in a more level tone. "For having two elite hunters train her, you both failed miserably at teaching her to control her temper. She mistakes her tantrum of a semblance for actual skill all too often, and has next to no self control once her blood is up."

Qrow didn't quite growl at her as he stepped away from the wall, but it seemed a near thing. "Don't you dare criticize us, not after you bailed on her."

A hand slipped to the hilt of her weapon. "Who else should I criticize? You boast so often of being a teacher, yet all I see is a raw girl never properly taunt restraint. You're wasting her potential instead of hammering her into strength, you've already wasted years of her life, and you continue to do her no favors by being gentle."

"Why?" Her brother shifted his feet, planting them. "Because we didn't break her jaw when she was ten? Because we didn't act like the maniacs in the Tribe?"

"We are hardly the only ones who espouse proper training." Raven retaliated. "Or are you forgetting her favorite teachers? I doubt they would tolerate her temper if they had more time to work with her, and neither will I."

Tai went still in the corner of her vision, his fist clenching for a moment before he forced it to relax. "Raven-"

Qrow spoke before he could continue, his eyes narrowing before going wide. "No. No fucking way. You are not taking Yang to that murder camp you call a home."

"I _am_ taking her, and you can hardly stop me." She replied flatly. "She needs proper training, and she needs to know the truth. I will not allow _you_ to blindly lead her to her death like _he_ led Summer, Qrow."

His upper lip twitched back from his teeth, and it was his turn to reach for his weapon. "Where the fuck do you get off acting maternal all of the sudden? You got no right to her, not after you bailed on us."

Raven stiffened as she felt something else nearby, a ripple that she could only vaguely describe... but she knew the touch of magic when she felt it, even if she couldn't put the sensation into words. Her voice turned scathing as she faced the new arrival directly, neither man present being quite as alert. "And whose fault is that?"

Qrow looked ready to blame her, but a man spoke from the doorway before he could start. "Mine."

Both Tai and Qrow jumped and spun at the sound of Ozpin's voice, the man having used some kind of spell to silently open the door when no one else was watching. Raven felt her anger mount as the charlatan stepped inside, attempting to look contrite and humble.

"Raven, It is-"

Her sword flew into her hand before he could finish the greeting, the tip tickling the edge of his chin. Qrow's appeared against her own neck a moment later, her left hand snapping up to hold his over-compensating blade off an inch from her jugular as reddish aura flickered around her palm and fingers.

"I." She said flatly, ignoring the loyal dog on her left. "Know exactly how much damage you can do with that silver tongue, wizard. Shut. Your. Mouth."

Ozpin regarded her stoically, as if a sword made of pure dust being held to his throat was nothing unusual. Given the scope and nature of the bastard's life, it probably wasn't... and he nudged Qrow back with his cane, making her brother seethe but retract his weapon, though he pointedly kept it in hand. That didn't cause her to relax any, her body tight as she ran through her options.

He was quite likely beyond her abilities to handle, especially with Qrow and Tai present... she would throw a single attack to distract him, and then go for the window and take wing. She could return for her daughter another time.

"Ray, Qrow." Tai said, for once being the only person on their team to keep his temper. "Please, we're in a _hospital_."

"I am aware of our location." Her eyes didn't leave the golden ones staring at her, and she desperately wished her mask was on her face rather than her belt. She wasn't sure if Ozpin could sense the latent magic within her, but she of all people knew better than to risk touching him. "You can tell I am showing restraint because I did not throw him through the nearest wall on sight."

"By the gods..." He shook his head and walked over, arms spread. "Everyone calm down, it's a miracle they're drugged up enough to sleep through this so far. Oz... you have terrible timing."

The wizard gave her brother a rather pointed look, and the fool had the good graces to look embarrassed at what his semblance had likely influenced.

"Ray, can he at least talk to Qrow?"

Raven considered that, then twitched her head once.

Ozpin waited for a moment, then turned to face her brother, not reacting when she shifted her blade to rest against his carotid artery. "I need you to return to Beacon. Peach is standing watch at the CCT, but she could do with some relief. I will of course find someone to replace you when Miss Rose and Xiao-Long wake up."

Qrow didn't look thrilled, "You can't find someone else?"

"Everyone else is rather busy tonight." Ozpin replied dryly, "Or is already comatose and not answering their scrolls. Please, Qrow, we cannot afford a second attempt there, not until we know what the first intended. And to be frank, a hospital is a less than ideal location for you to be."

Her brother's face scrunched up as he tired to find an argument for that... and failed miserably. He collapsed his weapon, took a few moments to gently ruffle the sleeping girls' hair, gave her a final black look, and then slipped out of the room.

Ozpin made to speak again, then closed his mouth she nudged her sword against his flesh. Tai noticed, groaned, and shook his head. "You need to talk to me?"

The wizard nodded very slightly, leaving Tai to give her a searching look in turn, clearly evaluating whether or not it was safe to trust her with his daughters. Raven made a disgusted sound and rolled her eyes, "I can hardly take someone hooked up to medical equipment to the Tribe. I will stand guard while you and this fraud discuss things, and then I will be departing."

He didn't seem perfectly happy with that, but Ozpin slowly stepped backwards, keeping his eyes on hers until he had cleared the room. Tai slowly made to follow, though he paused at the door.

"Raven... thank you for what you did tonight. You saved my daughter's life."

"She had her one save." She replied. "She will not receive that kindness again, not unless she earns it."

Tai bowed his head, shook it once, and then slipped out after the headmaster. She followed just far enough to close and lock the door, sheathing her blade before exhaling and speaking to the room at large. "Qrow and Tai may be idiots, but I am not. You can stop pretending."

There was a very weak groan, then her daughter spoke. "...mother...? What... the hell... was that?"

"Which part?" Raven asked, turning around. Rose was evidently still out, but Yang was struggling to get upright, and visibly trying not to react to the sight of the bandaged stump on her right side. "I am sure that your uncle told you he and I are no longer on polite speaking terms."

Yang coughed once, flailing around with her one arm until she found the glass of water Tai had left. She downed it in a single go, and her voice was a moderate degree stronger when she spoke again. "...you... Ozpin said it was... his fault? He's why you left us?"

"You can't even begin to imagine how many things that man is at fault for." She said flatly. "But yes, my departure and absence are among them."

Her daughter stared at her, hand falling limply into her lap. "...that doesn't... make any sense."

Raven twitched a shoulder, "Only because you don't know the truth, or my truth, at the very least."

" _Your_ truth?"

"Truth is as much perspective as anything else, Yang." She rolled a hand. "A story of glorious victory for the Emperor of Mistral was a story of violent genocide for the Branwen people, but you won't find many history books that speak of it that way."

Yang blinked, then shook her head. "What's your point?"

"My point is that if you want to make an informed decision, you need to know everything, and that... _creature,"_ Raven spat, "That... thing masquerading as a man will _never_ tell you anything but what he wants you to know. What Ozpin needs you to know to lead you along his chosen path."

The girl's mouth opened, then closed, "...creature? Thing? What... just... no, I don't care about Ozpin!"

"You should." She replied flatly. "He's the reason this city was attacked, the reason my team shattered, and the reason Summer died."

" _You're_ why Summer died!" Yang's eyes flared, becoming a proper red. "Why my _mom_ died! You weren't there for her!"

Raven... looked away at that, old memories lurking as much as she tried to hold them off. "...Ozpin sent her there, it was... too far for me, at the time. By the time I arrived..."

"Liar." Her daughter hissed, heat rippling around her hair, her body straightening as if she was about to get up... then her eyes blinked once as she fell back. She began panting in exhaustion almost at once, violet flooding her irises once more as her semblance burned out what little strength she'd had.

"I'm not lying, Yang." She said dispassionately once it was clear that Yang had run out of energy. "And I will tell you anything you want to know once you're healed, and once your training can begin."

"I'm... not going... anywhere... with you."

Raven rolled her eyes and ignored her. Honestly, it wasn't as if she could stop her. The only person who likely could, and the threat of whom had stopped her from simply taking Yang once she was old enough, was Ozpin. The same fool was now evidently content to allow her access to her daughter over Qrow's objections. He was probably relying on her and Rose's devotion to Summer's inane views of heroism to keep Yang loyal and in line, despite whatever Raven might tell her.

That or he had gone senile and hoped to return _her_ to the fold via the child's naive innocence or some other such idiocy.

 _Perhaps he did learn from his mistake with STRQ, and is hoping that the truth might shock them into being more loyal. If they know they have a specific enemy, a specific threat to their precious kingdom..._

She shook her head once. It would be difficult to overcome that childhood indoctrination, but she was hardly about to waste this opportunity. No amount of childish complaining would change her mind, not when she finally had a chance to take back what Summer and Ozpin had stolen from her.

"I will not have the time to attend to you exclusively, so we will reserve every Sunday, and perhaps one evening per week. You will learn the truth of Ozpin and this world, to not rely on your temper tantrum of a semblance, and how to adapt to your missing arm. Once you have proper prosthetic, we will work on that as well."

Yang tried to glare at her, but she was quite clearly struggling to remain awake after her little display. "...I said... _no_... bitch."

She regarded her daughter, and then went for the killing blow. "If you don't want your sister to become Ozpin's silver-eyed weapon, doomed to die young like her mother was, then you _need_ the information I have."

The girl froze, lips parted slightly.

"I will not work with Rose, or the Schnee heiress, but if you cannot trust me enough to come alone... I will tolerate your partner." Belladonna at least had some degree of brains beneath those furry ears, and the good sense to run when confronted with a battle bigger than she was. That alone marked her as far more intelligent than almost anyone else her age... definitely head and shoulders above her own daughter. "I will see you in six days."

Yang seemed to struggle to say something, probably another pointless refusal, then her eyes fluttered shut and she simply slumped backwards.

Raven watched for a few moments, until she was sure the girl was asleep, considering her next moves.

There were others she needed to reach out to, the more acceptable half of the criminals currently employed by Beacon first and foremost, but Ozpin's presence at the hospital eliminated that as an option for now. So far as she knew the pair were still present in the building, electing to catch what rest they could here until the school had Bullheads available to take them back. She would have to wait until another time, when she was sure she could find them both alone.

Still, Ozpin could hardly be here simply to send Qrow on an errand and speak to Tai in person... not with the level of crisis currently ongoing. That was too easy of an excuse, he must have heard of her arrival and come at once as a result. He knew, or at least suspected, what had happened to the last Spring Maiden and had wanted to confirm it for himself.

Dammit, this was what she got for being sentimental, she should have left hours ago and simply brought Yang to the Tribe after she recovered.

Although... she supposed it had been inevitable. He or Salem had been bound to discover her at some point, and better he than then the Queen. It meant she still had options to take, avenues to explore. Ozpin's days in his current shell were numbered, whether he knew it or not, she simply need to find the right spot to stand when the aftermath fell out, a way to ensure that Salem did not get what she desired.

And if Ozpin suffered for what he'd done at the same time... so much the sweeter.

* * *

Neo yawned and stretched as she settled onto their office's windowsill, looking out at the early light of afternoon. She was pleasantly sore from both the fighting and the lazy round of 'we're-still-alive-sex' they'd had once they'd finally woken up, and the sunlight felt good on her skin.

It wasn't nearly warm enough to feel like home, but she'd take what she could get.

Jaune yawned contagiously a moment later, shaking himself and shuffling his papers around on the desk. "It's always the damned paperwork that gets us... honestly, why do we need to record how many shots we fired?"

People in the organized kingdoms were idiots with obsessive compulsive disorder?

Her partner snorted, "You're in a mood... was I that good earlier?"

She waved a hand, stretching her legs out and getting comfortable. He'd been above average, at the very least, and the news that classes had been canceled for the remainder of the week had been a very nice bonus to wake up to.

Jaune shook his head, smiling a little as he wrote something that was probably a random guess. "Good to know that my sexual prowess comes second to classes being canceled."

Neo rolled her eyes at the dramatic tones. Men, so sensitive about what they could manage in bed.

He gave her the finger before jotting down something else. "Great, we need to evaluate MINT and RAVN's performance, make sure they did well enough to have passed their mid-term assignments."

She arched an eyebrow. He couldn't be serious, RAVN had _already_ passed theirs.

A piece of paper was waved in her direction a moment later, and she leaned out to grab it. Her eyes flickered along it before she scoffed and reached a hand out for a pen. Jaune seemed wary about handing it over, but after she snapped her fingers impatiently he did so.

Neo left a precise check-mark in the 'pass' box, added a polite comment on the line below, then signed it in the designated spot before handing it back to Jaune.

"...Neo, I don't think you can say that on official paperwork."

Why not? It wasn't as if Ozpin would ever actually read the stupid crap.

"No," He allowed, "But Glynda might, and you didn't fill in the rest of it."

So?

Jaune sighed and set it aside, pulling out a duplicate for team MINT, noticeably taking his time actually working on the rest of it. She listened to the sound of his pen scratching along before turning back to look out over the grounds once more, watching as trees rustled and quiet students shuffled around.

The school was quiet today, most of the students were probably still asleep despite it being past noon. In contrast, the CCT mall was a hub of activity with an Atlesian battleship lurking directly overhead while flights of aircraft constantly came and went. It was the only such ship still nearby, the other two had been packed full of wounded Atlesian soldiers and sent home. According to the report they'd gotten, that was less to take the men back and more because both ships had shot their magazines dry. The third vessel, the one that had been at Mountain Glenn, had taken on what little they'd had left to top off its own stores, staying behind as a show of support for the alliance with Vale.

Still, giant flying brick overhead or not, it was a pleasant day, for one taking place immediately after a battle... it was giving her time to collect her thoughts and think.

Jaune revealing himself twice in one night was not something she was thrilled with, though at least the first hadn't been by choice. Branwen had, according to him, flat out _told_ him to give Yang aura, implying that the bitch knew them on a level she wasn't comfortable with. They had tried to track her down before they'd left the hospital, only to find her already gone, and Ozpin lurking around in either case. That was a problem they'd have to resolve sooner rather than later if at all possible.

But it was the second case that worried her more. Jaune's obsession with being good and noble had concerned her from the moment she'd decided he belonged to her. She'd done her best to get him over it before the idiocy got him, or them, killed... but it just loved to rear its ugly head at the worst times. She'd have to keep a very close eye on him, and on the Schnee, from this point on.

A hand rose to rub at her face as she sighed. Not that she could be _too_ angry with him. His semblance mattered less than her own, if she was being objective about it. If Cinder worked it out it might even distract her a little.

 _Still a stupid move... it's not like she was one of RAVN. We owed her nothing._

Though honestly any irritation she felt towards her well intentioned but occasionally idiotic lover was entirely secondary the rage she felt towards Roman. She could understand his desire to, you know, _live_ through the mess that was ongoing, but there was supposed to be limits. Vacuo had unwritten rules among their kind that you simply didn't cross.

Siccing Grimm on people was definitely on that list of rules.

He'd instantly gone from a necessary, if irritatingly close-lipped, ally and something of a friend to a dangerous liability. No one outside of his personal empire would ever want anything to do with him ever again, and he would be wanted dead rather than alive by every civilized kingdom on Remnant... and probably most of the uncivilized ones as well once the news spread.

 _He chose Cinder... jerk probably things he can still work with us, maybe back-stab her for clemency or something, but that's not going to fly._

Jaune would never forgive him for what he did. Even if he might balk at personally killing Roman, their short lived friendship and alliance was definitely over. Among the first things they'd done last night when they'd gotten back was fire off messages to all of their allies, telling them that Roman was no longer to be trusted and that all of their plans would be adjusted as soon as they could work out new ones.

Vest and Levi had acknowledged that without caring much, but Junior and Charcoal had sent back confused messages. Those had shifted to understanding ones as soon as the morning news had started getting the details out. Xiong indicated he was putting the word out that The Club was no longer open to anyone in Roman's employ, and Charcoal had changed hotels while also changing scrolls to block him from contacting her.

Charrie might have been mercenary to her core, but she'd grown up in the same city that Neo had. She had the same unwritten rules.

The real question was _why._ Had he simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time and dragged into the White Fang's operation? She was sure he'd play that angle, and she was sure she wouldn't believe him. He couldn't have not known what Taurus was really planning, not with how much he'd been forced to work with the White Fang. Hell, he may have even poked and prodded them into making the attack worse to try and screw them, get them wiped out and leave him as Cinder's only option. He might have simply been that frightened of her, that convinced he'd been about to be killed...

A quiet knock on the door broke her from her thoughts and drew her attention back into the room in time to see the woman in question poke her head inside. The normally put together criminal had deep circles under both eyes, and clearly noticed the way both she and Jaune tensed on the sight of her.

"Jaune, Neo." Cinder greeted politely. "I don't suppose you'd care to share a cup of coffee?"

Jaune hesitated, then tossed his pen aside and waved for her to come in. "Of course not, especially when the alternative is all this."

"I know what you mean." Fall replied, locking the door behind her as she came in. "Most of it seems so irrelevant."

Neo swung her legs around inside, shifting herself over so that the weapons rack was within easy reach. She wasn't nearly as good with Variable Impact as Jaune was, but it would do to hold her off while her partner went for their main weapons in the bedroom.

She watched as the other criminal bustled around their kitchen, needing no directions or permission to start preparing things. Cinder quickly retrieved one of their cooled jugs of Nirvana before working on blending it. Unlike Ozpin she at least knew how to mitigate the euphoric effects without making it taste horribly bitter, and the half-shot of whiskey she added to each cup increased Neo's approval a microscopic amount.

"So." Jaune asked once Fall had given them their coffee and taken her preferred chair in their room. "If you don't mind the vulgarity, what the actual _fuck,_ Cinder?"

The pale woman grimaced, sipping from her mug. "Our mutual friend warned me you were upset... and truth be told, I am not happy with how last night ran either."

Fingers drummed slowly on his desk as he shifted his rolling chair, making sure he could see Neo's hands. He at least remembered she was in charge when it came to Cinder, good. "Please, go on."

Cinder's eyes narrowed at his tone, but she seemed to accept it after another sip of her drink. "I'm sure you can guess the core of the plot. It was intended as a follow up to the prior police raid, though one with more avenues of attack. Roman would spring the prisoners, Taurus would eliminate a few fat Councilors, and I would have free access to Beacon's security rooms and the CCT tower during the chaos."

It sounded simple enough, but for the gaping holes in her explanation, holes that Neo let lie for just a moment, hands moving while her partner relayed her words. "And that would help you how?"

"Ozpin is working with the other headmasters in safeguarding the relics, and exchanges private communications with them." A shoulder rose and fell, "Hacking into security would give me the layout of the school and the probable entrances to the vault, while the CCT would give me the best avenue to know if he was aware of my plans."

Neo lifted an eyebrow, lowering her mug. _She_ could hack computers?

"Not quite." Cinder replied after Jaune translated for her, "One of my associates can and provided me the means."

She considered that, then pressed her slightly, Jaune matching her disbelieving tones rather well. "And you had nothing to do with the rigged train and rioting? The gathering of Grimm?"

"Yes, no, and no respectively." Cinder responded. "The train was to be used later, during the Vytal Festival. It was to be the action that drew all eyes away from the school while I retrieved the Relic and departed in the chaos."

That... made some degree of sense, and explained her patient attitude up until this point. She had been utterly confident in her distraction plan, a plan that would draw away everyone from the school and leave her free to violently force her way into the vaults that she would have located thanks to grabbing the schools' actual blueprints and layout from its own system.

Cinder had never planned on being quiet about it, as they had, and if true, it seemed like a solid plan. Even if it didn't quite work, Cinder's maiden powers likely made her arrogant enough to presume she could bast her way through anyone who stayed behind and tried to stop her. It was a bit too cold and bloodthirsty for Jaune, and a bit too much of a gamble for Neo, but.. it wasn't a _bad_ plan.

"Dear _Adam_ ," definite, honest rage came along with the name, "Evidently decided that patience was not worth his time. He decided to make the full strike months early when he wasn't actually prepared, when I merely desired a commando operation. Thank you for saving me the bother of teaching him the error of his ways."

Neo tipped her head very slightly while Jaune spoke, "And the rioting? That him as well?"

Cinder rolled a hand, "You may ask his former minions, it's hardly a new strategy for him. A great deal of anti-faunus propaganda in Vale was actually paid for by Taurus. He loathed humanity, yet also hated his own people for not sharing his passion... I despised working with him, but he had what I needed."

"And now he's dead." Jaune noted, pausing to take a quick drink. "You want to bring us in more, don't you?"

"As you so adroitly noted, Grimm were involved in unusual levels of organization." Cinder tapped a finger against her mug. "I believe another member of my organization to be behind that action, and who may be seeking to sabotage my efforts. He likely gave Taurus the lures required to group the beasts, but it was the wounds he gave Winter Schnee that gave away his presence to me."

The poison... it was the only thing she could mean, the only odd thing about Winter's injuries despite their volume.

"Yes." The woman replied after Jaune conveyed that, "A scorpion faunus named Tyrian.. he is quite insane."

Jaune shook his head, "Then why bring him in to some criminal enterprise?"

"Because he is the single deadliest huntsman I have ever seen." Cinder shook her head, "I presumed he was the one to kill Headmistress Haley at the Academy."

Neo went still, memories coming back... a cackling man with a sing-song voice hunting them, taunting them, laughing as their school burned.

"You... can't be serious." Her partner managed after a moment. "You're out of your mind if you think we'll fall for this. A man responsible for what happened to us also just _happens_ to be the same one screwing you over? How stupid do you think we are?"

Heat visibly rippled away from the woman eyes, but she kept her tones calm. "If I thought you were stupid I'd have killed you by now. Jaune, stop and _think._ What could I _possibly_ have to gain from the debacle last night?"

That... made Neo sit back a bit, and seemed to make Jaune slow down and think as well.

What _could_ Cinder have gained last night? It wasn't prestige, she could hardly have guaranteed that she would be in a place to stop the events as they unfolded. By all accounts she acquitted herself well at the Wall, and then safeguarding Councilors while the White Fang routed, but hardly anything over the top. Nothing that would put her in a place of power anytime soon, and she wouldn't have gambled on being able to kill Taurus or Roman.

If she'd wanted this is as a distraction to give her access tot he school, then last night had been the absolute worst night for it to happen. The ball had been a gala event with all of the professors required to attend, and she had definitely been present, had been drawn in with the rest of them when the chaos had unfolded in the city. There hadn't been any time for her to slip away between the alarms and being told to grab her team and go.

The only thing she could think of was that Cinder had another plan, another card up her sleeve, that made all of _this_ look so pathetically pedestrian that she could afford to throw it away on the off-chance she picked Jaune and her up as allies in replacement.

Jaune ran a hand through his hair as she signed that at him, "...yeah, I've got nothing either, but that doesn't mean we necessarily believe you."

"I would be disappointed if you did." Cinder said, setting her cup aside. "Feel free to question Roman and Miss Schnee, once she recovers. I'm sure they will reinforce my words, in their own ways."

Neo was rather sure they would as well, though that didn't and likely wouldn't change her belief any. _Something_ had obviously gone wrong for Cinder last night, someone had acted either before they were supposed to do or to a degree they weren't supposed to, but that didn't change their overall situation.

Last night had cost Cinder a powerful ally, but they'd probably lost Roman to her in return. While Jaune might want to believe her overtures of friendship, and this might just be more in that same vein, Neo knew better than to trust a proffered hand and sweet words.

 _She may just be trying to make the best of a poor situation... but we cannot trust that._

She nudged the back of Jaune's chair with a boot, then began signing while he kept pace. "We'll talk to them, but our own plans have been delayed by this as well. We intended to locate the vault this week, but with all of the new work and added security..."

"I quite understand." Cinder seemed to slowly relax, "Honestly its seems as if I am going to be buried in make work as well, and possibly still sent out on some asinine mid-term assignment. Goodwitch informed me this morning that as many as two thirds of the missions will still occur, it isn't as if they will resolve themselves despite this."

Neo shrugged, leaning back. It wasn't as if she would be involved, though she supposed Jaune might be. Her only real concern was-

Another knock on the door was followed by Oobleck's voice calling through it, " _Jaune, Neopolitan? May I enter?"_

Cinder politely rose and unlocked the door, admitting the other teacher.

"Ah, Miss Fall, good, I was to retrieve you as well." Neo's eyes narrowed. "We have an emergency staff meeting being called over a working lunch to discuss yesterday's events and being planning how the mid-term assignments will now be handled. Oh, and Neopolitan? I believe several reporters are being called to the school this afternoon to interview you regarding your battle with Taurus."

Neo couldn't groan... but she could bury her face in her hands and sigh.

* * *

 _And so Winter is saved, Weiss is emotional, Raven is scheming, and Neo and Jaune are trying to work out just what the hell happened while Cinder does her usual thing. We'll have a time skip of a few days for the next chapter and then get to see how everyone is doing and what moves are being made._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 **Thanks, Kat**


	49. Semester II: Discussions at Dawn

**Discussions at Dawn**

* * *

Ozpin stared out over Beacon as the Thursday sun dawned.

Three days since the battle the media called 'The Breach' had ended... and it was clear that things were still not settled. Civilian deaths had seemed to stabilize somewhere in the low six hundred; it was their fate and the status of the many thousands who had been injured and wounded who were now driving public reaction. The general populace seemed to have unified as people were so remarkably able to do after a crisis... but as always it was the smallest yet loudest groups that were causing the greatest problems.

Many public speakers had already begun ranting against the faunus, particularly those who had lost loved ones to them or the Grimm. Others in turn raged against the army for failing to control its people, blaming the drunken, racist soldiers who had kicked off a riot that had so crippled the city's ability to respond.

While the quiet, humble citizens did their best to help their neighbors and put their lives back together, their efforts were already going unnoticed as the political war for the future of Vale began.

"Oz?" Somewhere behind him he heard James settled into a chair. "Are you still in this century?"

"Mm... for the moment, old friend." He clicked his cane once on the ground, "It is a sad day when I pine for the days of kingship."

His old friend let out a tired laugh. "The Council is that bad?"

"For once, no." Ozpin shook his head, "They understand the very real threat of a Grimm siege given the city's mood and are proving to be entirely sensible when motivated by such fears. The problem is the have-nots, those who lost last election or hope to gain in next year's. Many of them are determined to not let this crisis go to waste."

"The perils of a free society." James replied. "How goes your counter efforts?"

He waved a hand, "They are in their infancy but proceeding. There will be a grand reward ceremony next week to honor those police and hunters who performed above and beyond the call of duty... speaking of, how goes Winter's recovery?"

There was the sound of a heavy breath. "She is expected to return to full health, given time. The doctors are calling it a verified miracle."

"A miracle." He murmured, shaking his head once, wishing he could indulge in some coffee... but today was not the day to lose himself in memories and peace. "I ceased to believe in miracles long ago. You pulled the hospital security footage, I take it?"

"Yes, and deleted it." His old friend confirmed. "It seems that Arc's semblance is not restricted to himself, as he wants everyone to believe. I don't care for the fact that he kept it a secret, but he saved Winter's life. I owed him that much."

Ozpin nodded in agreement, though he lacked James' muted sense of annoyance. He could entirely understand young Jaune's hesitation to reveal such a talent. Healing semblances were beyond rare, and were coveted by all too many as a result. Tsune, for example, was bombarded with job offers, bribes, and worse on an almost weekly basis.

"You are still against bringing them into our circle?" He asked, watching the light glisten over downtown Vale.

"Yes." James replied firmly. "They're skilled, talented, but they have no respect for authority. Like Qrow but lacking his absolute loyalty to you. And... we still don't know what happened at the Academy Oz."

Ozpin fought the urge to groan as he turned, cane gently thumping as he walked back to his desk. "Not that again James, I thought we had agreed to not discuss that further."

"I agreed to not press them, but... Oz, they're practically children." Ironwood leaned forwards in his seat, his expression hard. "Younger than some of your students, students who were stunned, horrified, and obviously traumatized by what they saw. Neither of them seemed affected in the slightest. If anything Neopolitan looked as though she _enjoyed_ herself."

"Perhaps they simply internalized it, or years in Vacuo desensitized them." Ozpin shook his head, "And she would not be the first huntsman or huntress to put less wholesome desires to use in the defense of others. This is hardly damning evidence James."

The man exhaled heavily and waved a hand, "I know Oz, it's just... there are too many little things. The refusal to so much as discuss their past, Neopolitan's alcoholism, Arc lying about his semblance, their frankly smothering attachment to their pet team..."

"James-"

"And more recently," His friend interrupted him, "They take their time killing Taurus when the man is crippled, allowing Torchwick to escape? To escape for a _third_ time when facing at least one of them in battle. Even if you give them a pass for the mercenary's involvement, three times could be a pattern Oz."

That... was not so easily waved away.

He knew that Roman was a talented and experienced huntsman, who could have likely fought and killed either Jaune or Neopolitan... but together they would have been more than a match for him. Especially with two of their star pupils fighting beside them, Taurus badly wounded and little threat, and the assassin Roman had relied on for an escape in the past nowhere to be seen. He would not go so far as to accuse them of cooperating with the thief, in all likelihood it was simply battle-stress leading to a poor decision, but it did add a black mark to their records.

"I won't press them, I'll stick to our agreement." James continued, "And... I don't want to believe they coordinated with that man, but you have to admit the details do not favor them when you sit down and examine it all."

Ozpin exhaled, then waved hand for him to continue. "Your thoughts?"

"I'm not saying you need to fire them, or allow me to interrogate them. They're... able teachers, and dedicated to their students." The general shook his head, "But keep an eye on them, and leave them as just professors. They don't need to be read in. We can find allies elsewhere if it comes to that."

Ozpin sighed but could not bring himself to disagree, especially not after Neopolitan's interview with Lisa Lavender on Tuesday. He had hoped the young woman would be able to act as a symbol of victory, a disabled huntress who had never-the-less become a professor, a hero. But while he would admit she'd been polite... or the translator had simply judicious in his censoring, it was clear she had little skill in public relations and equally little desire to be seen as a heroine.

Miss Lavender was a good enough reporter to still make the interview a powerful one, but it had lacked the emotion needed to truly reach out.

 _I will need to set aside some time, perhaps this weekend to discuss plans for the next one with her..._

"Back to your awards concept, how do you plan to proceed with that?" James inquired. "In my experience proper pomp and circumstance can do wonders at buoying morale. Did you have anyone in particular picked out, beyond the hero of the hour?"

"Yourself and Miss Schnee of course, if she is well enough to attend." He drummed his fingers on his desk, "Young Weiss Schnee and Miss Belladonna for certain as well, the pair of them could be a powerful symbol of unity if presented together."

And a great deal of others, many of whom likely deserved greater honors, but.. for the good of the kingdom, a few exaggerations had to be told. At the very least Miss Belladonna would be given the highest awards he could brow-beat the Council into giving her for pursuing Taurus and rescuing Ruby Rose. Her status as not merely a faunus, but the daughter of the Chieftain of Menagerie itself, could do a great deal to ease the racial tensions already simmering.

There would of course be a counter-reaction, but it would hopefully be confined to a small minority.

"Winter will attend." James paused, then sighed. "If I ordered it she would attend even if she had to drag herself across the stage by her finger nails."

"Hopefully that will not be necessary." He smiled, leaning back in his chair before moving on to the other Goliath in the room. "But such things are largely in hand... we have other concerns, given Monday's events, and we haven't had the time to discuss them yet."

James grunted, "Raven?"

He nodded, "What do you make of her return?"

"It's concerning, doubly so with Leo's intransigence. You're certain the Relic of Knowledge is still secure at Haven?"

"He was vehement on the matter." Ozpin narrowed his eyes, even more concerned about Leo than James was. The Headmaster at Haven had responded instantly to his urgent missive regarding the Relic's safety, yet had spent the last year barely responding to anything else. Something was occurring in Mistral, something worrying... but right now it was Vale they needed to protect.

Leo could be talked to once the current crisis was resolved.

James leaned forwards, "You're certain Raven is the maiden now?"

"I am certain of nothing, but I believe it is more likely than not that she has acquired that particular mantle." His finger tapped the top of his cane, the only sign of concern he allowed himself.

"Oz..." James, as always, expressed his concerns openly. "You can't honestly say you're going to allow a woman who murdered a young girl for power to have free contact with your students."

"For one, we don't know how she came by the powers, if she has them at all. Spring was... always difficult. She may have joined the Branwen and died in battle, or Raven simply found her dying after Salem attempted to remove her." Ozpin admonished him gently. "Don't allow Qrow and Taiyang's opinion of the woman to color your judgment."

Ironwood shook his head. "Still..."

"Speaking honestly James, I am not certain I _could_ stop her from taking young Miss Xiao-Long." He admitted, "I am powerful, yes, but Raven is experienced, deadly, and possesses a powerful semblance even without access to magic."

"She is a coward," James crossed his arms, "The threat of you has kept her away for nearly two decades, you could continue to do so."

"I could," Ozpin agreed, "But of all things, Raven is no friend of Salem, and as you have so often noted, we are in dire need of allies. She may not be one in the traditional sense, and may lash out at us if she perceives weakness... but if the Relic is ever in danger of being taken by Salem, she will act to defend it."

"Or take it."

He waved a dismissive hand, "Better taken by a woman who can cross continents at will than have it stolen away to the Grimmlands by Salem. Raven would keep it safe, just as she may keep the Spring Maiden's powers hidden away for the rest of her natural life. I prefer that situation to the alternative."

James grunted, accepting the point. The power of a Maiden and the potential power of a Relic in the hands of the Branwen could lead to minor suffering and pain on Anima. But that same power taken by Salem could lead to the end of the world as they knew it.

While he and they would of course prefer the maiden's powers be used for good... far better they be removed and hidden away than taken by Salem and used for darker purposes.

"In the short term," Ozpin continued, "She will likely tell her daughter and teammates the truth, or her variation of it, but that will be for myself and Qrow to handle. You need not concern yourself."

His old friend looked ready to argue the point... but in the end simply shook his head, trusting him to handle the concerns of his students. "I will have my people watch for her, but she is almost impossible to pin down. We'll have to keep close track of her family."

A hand waved, "Qrow and Tai are already on alert, they'll contact one of us the moment they believe Raven is doing more than merely training her daughter."

Ironwood nodded in approval. "Good, the last thing we need is another player active, the board is already crowded. Speaking of, are we prepared for today?"

"Yes." Ozpin's voice lowered as he glanced at the clock, and found they were actually running late. "I can only hope she is strong enough to handle this so soon after the battle."

"We are out of time Oz." James reminded him. "We _must_ act, and Winter is no longer available as a back-up option. She will survive her wounds, but the process would probably kill her if she attempted it now. It's Nikos or Weiss, and we must ask them to decide quickly."

It was his turn to desire to argue, but to be unable to do so. Monday's events had proven that Salem's reach had grown long indeed, and that her pieces were in place to strike Vale harder than he had ever dreamed possible. He was not the wizard he had once been... they needed the Fall Maiden, needed her badly enough that they would have to be more firm in a time limit than they had originally planned with their candidates.

"Are you ready?"

Ozpin glanced at James, and shook his head once. "No matter how old I get, I am never ready for conversations such as these. Please give me a few seconds."

There was an almost gentle nod, the man falling silent as he brought up his desk's display. He hesitated for a few moments before inputting the command and connecting to the appropriate scroll.

"Miss Nikos, this is Professor Ozpin. I apologize for the early hour, but I need to speak with you privately in my office."

* * *

Jaune watched the dawn, an arm leaning against their window as he watched the sunlight gently begin to play over the trees.

"Nothing?" He asked tiredly, "You couldn't find anything down there?"

Neo shook her head, shaking dust off of her coat.

"Dammit." The curse came out before he could stop it, his head lowering slightly. "I thought we were close."

His partner patted his elbow gently, the only support she could give considering her own foul mood.

While the students had been taking it easy in the aftermath of the Breach... he and Neo had gone into overdrive. Their plans to become more pro-active had seemed all the more important with Roman's obvious defection, and the fact that Cinder was obviously stepping up her game. If they wanted to stay on their own side... it was time to get themselves into gear.

The first actions they taken had been what they had planned; Neo has spent the past three nights in the vaults below Beacon, pushing herself hard, exploring and trying to find anything resembling the Relic chamber that Cinder had described. She'd mapped it out thoroughly... and come up absolutely empty. The area was less a vault and more of a combined arsenal and storage facility, packed with enough weapons and supplies to support a small army for weeks or even months.

Ozpin evidently believed wholeheartedly in being prepared for a siege in advance. Which was impressive, he guessed, but it didn't change the fact that their best lead had just gone up in smoke mere days after a battle they still weren't sure they'd actually won or not.

"So we still don't know where the Relic is, and the only thing of real interest is the crippled maiden." He mused, lifting his gaze to the empty night's sky. "Can we wake her? Could I use my semblance?"

Neo shook her head. The readouts said she was sitting at around eighty percent aura or so, whatever was wrong with wasn't something aura could evidently fix.

His chest swelled as he sucked in an angry breath, slowly letting it out. "Then we're back to square one. We're the least informed group involved, we're the least skilled, probably with the least numbers... and the only advantages we had we're losing as more time passes, the more actions that might reveal us."

His lover pursed her lips and gave him an irritated nod, telling him to stop stating the obvious before she hit him.

Jaune was in a bad enough mood that he almost snapped back at her, but restrained himself. The pair of them fighting with each other wouldn't help anything.

Their options seemed limited on paper. Revealing Cinder would mean revealing themselves, she wouldn't go down without at least taking them with her, and that would kill any chance they had of ever finding the Relic. Worse, Roman had reached out to confirm Cinder's story about Tyrian, and had defended his actions by implying Taurus and Tyrian had been behind the escalation. He'd told them that he'd been as surprised as anyone when he'd shown up, thinking he was gong to support a commando operation, and that he'd been forced into going along with it.

He didn't believe that for a second; it was more likely that Roman had been egging Taurus on right along with the scorpion faunus to try and get the White Fang to implode, to improve his own standing with Cinder.

With the White Fang gone, Roman no doubt considered himself indispensable to Cinder's long term plans. Given how much he knew about _their_ plans, or at least their current ones, Jaune would admit that the asshole had positioned himself brilliantly. He could instantly end any chance they had of remaining independent of Cinder with one short conversation with her, or could assist them in breaking Cinder if he acted at the right moment.

Neo leaned against his desk, asking what their new plan was.

"I think..." Jaune said slowly, "...that it's time we go active, _really_ active."

Wasn't that what they'd just tried with the whole find-the-vault as soon as possible idea?

He cut a hand through the air, "No, I mean we stop trying to find the Relic, at least for now. There's too many people playing this damned game and the search is taking too long. We change our long term plans... we stay through next year, that will give us all the time we need to do a longer search."

Mismatched eyes blinked in surprise.

"It'll also give us more time to train up, Cinder and this Tyrian can't be the only ones in their organization. There's still the big guy." Jaune began speaking more confidently as he solidified his ideas. "That can be our long-term, in the short-term, what we've been doing... staying quiet, searching, training... hasn't been working. We have to try something else. I think we have to go to war."

Her eyebrows shot up as her lips parted.

"If we don't start making moves, aggressive moves, Cinder's going to pin us into a box." He shook his head, "Or Ozpin will figure things out and try and conscript us, or try to arrest us as conspirators if we refuse. We can't let either one happen, and there's one person who can absolutely end us instantly."

Roman.

Jaune nodded sharply. "Roman. We need him... silent or... silenced, and we need everything he has on Cinder and this Tyrian guy."

Neo tilted her head to one side, cautiously asking if he was all right. Not that she didn't approve entirely of this idea, but it was more the kind of plan she would have come up with, not him. There was also the small problem that Roman had gone to ground entirely, and wasn't likely to come out of whatever bolt hole he was in anytime soon. They were lucky he'd even picked up his scroll to tell them his excuses.

"I hate this." He admitted, "But we're out of options if we don't want to knuckle under to one side or the other, or expose ourselves to both and have to go on the run again. If we break Roman from Cinder, however that happens, that's one less asset for her to hit us with, and if we can reinforce our own alliance on the way, so much the better."

The last thing they could afford was to lose anyone else to Cinder. They had to move past their tacit alliance with Junior and Charrie... they needed something concrete that Cinder or Roman wouldn't be able to break apart.

His lover nodded slowly, then more firmly as she got behind the idea. Would their plan be to kill Roman, or just to steal him back?

Jaune waved a hand, "Preferably the latter. Even with everything I don't want to kill him, not if we have another choice, I'm just saying we should... prepare ourselves for the chance that we might have to. He wasn't lying on the freeway when he said we can't afford him taken alive as a prisoner... but yeah, keeping him alive and getting his little empire permanently on our side would definitely be preferred."

Vastly preferred.

She arched an eyebrow, and how did he propose to do that? Roman was sort of a friend, sure, but they didn't really know much about him besides the fact that he was a flamboyant ex-hunter. He'd been as cagey and silent about his past as they'd been about theirs, and they hadn't bothered researching more because they hadn't thought they'd be around long enough to have to.

"There has to be something on him, something here at school even." He countered, "I'll dig through all the old records and find something we can use as leverage. If there isn't anything... if we think he's too dangerous... you'll know what to do."

Neo let out a slow breath, eyes going a flat shade of brown, the only sign she was as reluctant to even contemplate killing their old friend and ally as he was. Her hands rose, telling him that would be a good start, but there was a second person they could go after. Someone both she and Jaune would be far more comfortable killing.

"Tyrian... we need everything we have on him too."

Junior?

"Junior." He agreed, "And maybe a few quiet conversations with Blake and Ilia about faunus with poisonous aspects. Maybe they'll have heard of him."

It was a long-shot, but she agreed it was worth a try. If they could kill that asshole without needing the Relic of Destruction as a game-changer...

"We could be in a very good position." Jaune pushed away from the window, pacing slowly, "We'll call finding and dealing with him our main priority, with Roman as a secondary thing tied into that. We'll need Charrie for sure, and probably Junior and his girls. If he's as tough as Cinder implied, I want to hit him fast and hard, with overwhelming numbers, that should make up for how skilled he is. We don't even give him a chance to fight back if we can help it."

Neo nodded firmly in agreement, but what about Vest and Levi?

"Best we keep at them out of it, as back-ups. So long as they don't get dragged in until the end, there's a chance Cinder or Roman might underestimate them." Especially Levi... the old man's semblance was high on the bullshit meter, and was the only reason he could still protect his trains despite his obscene age. "If we're really lucky, we can get Tyrian, force Roman back onto our side, then maybe break Cinder away as well."

She hopped up on his desk, kicking her legs once. She thought that was being far too optimistic, but she agreed with keeping Levi and Vest hidden. That would be important if Ozpin figured anything out, they'd have an ace up their sleeve.

"If Ozpin's after us we're pretty much hosed." Jaune grimaced, "That would close Atlas and Vale to us, maybe even Mistral. Avoiding drawing his attention still has to be something we're careful about."

She nodded firmly in agreement. The last thing they needed was to have to pretend to work for him or something... and she thought this a good plan of action. They'd need lien, lots of it, but they had their old contingencies to take care of such concerns. Neo could get started on those this weekend, assuming that he was going to be shadowing Yang to see if her mother showed up to kidnap her like the girl had implied at lunch yesterday.

His hands folded behind his back as he continued to pace across their small living room, "That will be a start. If we resolve those, and find out what Raven knows before the Festival... I think we may get the upper hand. Still, we'll also need time to train Sable, and keep working with the kids."

Neo waved a hand. That would be easy enough to handle, they would just incorporate his sister into their usual sparring sessions with both each other and RAVN. Their new plans would simply take up their evenings... they'd need more coffee, among other things.

"Lay off stealing from Ozpin, give Sol a call instead." He advised. "Hell, maybe see if she can get a bulk discount for us, might get us into Oz's good graces if we end up needing a day or two off to recover from a... drinking binge."

She huffed out an amused breath and then nodded.

Jaune smiled, but it was a grim one as he returned to the window, watching as the first students started wandering the grounds.

 _All right Oz, Cindy... let's see if you can handle a third player jumping into you game._

* * *

Blake carefully settled the small stone between the roots of the old oak tree, the carving of a wilting rose the only memorial her old friend would ever receive. Ilia stood just behind her, hands folded over her uniform skirt as she watched her fuss with it, the branches hiding the sun's morning light.

"He'd have hated this." Blake murmured, rising. "It's not vibrant enough."

Ilia shrugged, "Yeah... but he'd never have gotten rid of it either. He kept everything you ever gave him."

"I'm not sure that's a good thing."

"It was kind of creepy." Her friend agreed.

Blake smiled sadly, trying to remember better times. It... wasn't easy, she had to go farther back than she would have liked. Before she'd thought she'd grown up, thought she'd known what she wanted. Before Adam had changed from an earnest if troubled young man into the petty, spiteful adult who'd had to be put down like a rabid animal.

"He always was there for us, when were young." She murmured. "Always there to take the bricks or stones that the humans threw at us at the protests. Maybe that's how he came into his semblance."

"Maybe." Ilia replied, "That's how we met, wasn't it?"

Blake nodded, "When that rock hit me in the face, when were at that rally in Mistral. You helped me get up while Adam stood over us. I remember... thinking he looked like a hero, standing over a wounded girl. Not caring that he got hit by the next stone."

Ilia stared down at the little memorial, sighing. "How did he change so much, in just a few years? He'd have let that stone hit you, just so you'd be as angry as he was."

"He would have." She agreed quietly. "I think... he got too eager to take those hits. Too used to being angry all the time, it was like..."

"He was addicted to it?"

Her head bowed as she let out a slow breath. "Yes... but... gods. There were so many times we needed that anger. Against Grimm, against the stupid robots, those mercenaries the SDC would hire..."

"Can't really argue with that." Ilia shook her head once. "There's probably a lesson in there, but I just... I don't want to think about it right now. It's so hard to remember the boy who saved us, trained with us... the guy I was jealous as hell at... it's so easy to remember that spiteful asshole who tried to kill your team just because you broke up with him."

She'd done more than that, but Blake could only agree. "I know. I thought this would be easy, I thought I'd already considered him to be dead. That the man I thought I loved died a long time ago, that his body just hadn't caught up yet. But now that it's really happened..."

A hand gently came to rest on her shoulder, squeezing softly. "He was a proud, angry, _jerk_... but he was _our_ proud, angry jerk. He was always there to back us up if we needed it, especially if he was the one to get us in trouble in the first place."

Blake smiled bitterly, "Yeah.. he was good at that."

Ilia huffed out an amused sound, then gently pulled her away. She let her, the pair slowly departing the out of the way section of the gardens, a place where Blake hoped the stone would be allowed to sit in peace for a while. Adam had never really been at peace in life... she hoped he'd found some now.

 _Goodbye..._

They walked in silence for a while, wandering aimlessly back towards the heart of the school. Blake consumed with memories and conflicted feelings... until she firmly pushed them away. Adam, both her Adam and the Adam who'd brought Grimm to Vale, were both dead. Gone. It was... time to start moving on.

Painful as it was.

"How is RAVN?" She asked as they returned to the path, choosing a simple topic to change the direction of her thoughts.

"Still tired, but better." Ilia shook her head, then her spots turned a light shade of pink. "Nora and Ren are definitely 'together together' now, which is both good and incredibly awkward. Pyrrha and I both had to get out of the room this morning, Nora... kind of slipped into his bed sometime in the night, and we weren't sure how much she was wearing."

Blake laughed softly, pushing the pain farther down. "I'm sorry, it's just... that's rather bold of her."

"That's Nora for you. Managed to wait years for him to make a move... then the moment he does, decides to lose all of her self control." Arms stretched upright as she yawned, "But... we're doing good, all things considered."

She smiled, "How are you and Pyrrha?"

Ilia visibly hesitated before lowering her arms. "...kind of awkward to be honest. I still don't know if she's actually interested, or if she just went with me to the ball because she's scared of offending me and losing a friend. I don't think she even knows either."

"I'm sorry." Blake offered quietly, her smile fading as quickly as it had come.

"It is what it is." Her friend sighed, "At least she gave me one chance, even if nothing more happens. How are you and Sun?"

"...still deciding." Blake admitted. "He's definitely sincere, earnest, I'm just... not really sure if I want to be in a relationship right now."

Especially since she was very sure she had far more experience than he did... when it came down to it, she was fairly certain she had more experience than almost anyone else in their year. Unfortunately most of it was not the kind of thing she enjoyed remembering, as it had all changed along with Adam as the months and years had passed.

Their first time had been so gentle, caring... their last time, anything but. He'd never forced her or anything so severe, but he'd stopped caring about how much she enjoyed it at certain point. Had stopped caring if she enjoyed much of anything really... there'd been no real romance, no effort, just a constant expectation that she would stay by him.

Sun was so much the opposite that it was making her consider at least a casual date or two, but she would admit to being uncertain if she was actually ready for even that much.

"That's fair." Ilia said, clearly noting her conflicted expression but tactfully not bringing up Adam once again. "How's RWBY doing?"

"Healing." Blake answered, nodding towards the Atlesian warship drifting above the CCT tower. "Weiss is either up there at her sister's side, or in the infirmary at Ruby's side. She's... holding up all right, for someone who almost lost her sister and her partner in the same night. "

There was a polite sound from Ilia, "What about Ruby and Yang?"

She grimaced, "Ruby's fine, if sick of being in the infirmary, but Yang is... variable. Tuesday she was angry and defiant about her mom, then yesterday she... backslid. I think it actually sank in that she'd lost an arm. She was kind of moping when I brought dinner last night, but she seemed to cheer up a bit when I talked about our training plans."

"Could be worse, at least they can replace an arm." Ilia shook her head, "What's that crap about her mom though?"

Blake sighed, "That's a really long story... let's just say screwed up barely covers that family."

Her friend snorted, then blinked and tilted her head. "Speaking of family, isn't that one of Jaune's sisters?"

Blinking as well, she followed Ilia's gaze to see a blonde woman walking down the main run, heading away from the civilian docks. It was one of the ... older twins, she thought. The more muscled one... Saber? No, Sable, that was it. Unlike the casual clothing she'd worn the time his family had come to visit, today she was... dressed like a huntress.

Good hard boots, jeans, and a simple shirt began the outfit. She followed that up with white plates of armor over both of her forearms, both shins, a heavy backpack that looked like it had more armor in it, and there was a plain looking sword hanging from a strap on her left hip.

Blake glanced at Ilia, got a nod, and the pair shifted their course to intercept her.

Sable Arc noticed them coming, and gave them a polite if somewhat nervous nod, "Good morning. You two were some of Jaune's students, weren't you?"

"Yes." Blake nodded politely, not offended she'd forgotten their names. "I'm Blake, this is Ilia... were you here visiting?"

"I'm...here to get my aura unlocked." The woman admitted. "I'm going the journeyman route."

"Oh." Ilia offered. "Right, I'd forgotten about that. He told us as the dance."

Blake eyed her, "And you didn't think to tell the rest of us?"

Her friend gave her an arch look, "We kind of ended up being busy that night Blake."

"Right, sorry." She winced, ears flattening a little before she glanced back at Sable. "Were you heading to his office?"

The woman shook her head, "Training arena two, he said they already had all of the paperwork with, that we'd be getting started right away."

She was about to politely offer to escort her there when her scroll vibrated, the dance remix that Yang had forced her to use as her ring-tone starting up. "Yang?"

 _"Blake."_ Her partner replied, " _What the crap!?"_

Blake stared at her partner's image, then sighed. "...what are you blaming me for this time?"

The video shifted away from Yang's pale, but healthier than yesterday's face, to show the other bed in her room. Ruby was gaping as Weiss bustled around her, setting up a massive tray of food that looked far too healthy for their young leader to really enjoy while Miss Kitsune went on about proper nutrition.

" _Where's my breakfast in bed?"_

There was a strangled noise from Ilia, making Blake scowl at her before she sighed again. "...it's running late, give me fifteen minutes."

" _Worst partner ever."_

"I'll bring chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries so you can eat them in front of Ruby while she suffers through whatever Weiss brought her."

" _Best. Partner. Ever."_ Yang gave her something like her old grin, though it didn't quite reach her exhausted eyes. She'd probably slept horribly, if she'd slept at all. " _See you in ten!"_

"I said fif-" Yang hung up on her, making Blake scowl at her scroll.

"Well..." Ilia drawled, smirking while Sable Arc just looked amused. "I think she's feeling a bit better today."

No, she wasn't, she was just putting on a brave face... but if getting her breakfast helped, it was the last she could do.

* * *

Sable Arc rubbed at her wrist as she finished signing the application, grimacing at the size of it all. "Please tell me that's all of it."

Her brother chuckled, picking it up and glancing through all of it. "I think so, or at least it's all Glynda said we needed. Ilia, I need you and Neo to sign off as witnesses to the aura unlocking on this one."

The student who'd been kind enough to escort her took the pen and paper at once, glancing over it. "...is anyone on here on drugs, drunk, a fugitive, being coerced, or is not authorized to be doing this?"

Neopolitan let out a petite little snort, and the girl smiled before signing her name and passing it over.

"They're really serious about all of this." Sable noted, trying not to look as nervous as she felt.

"I think they made it as annoying as possible on purpose to discourage people from going this route." Jaune shook his head, "And having your aura unlocked is a big deal."

"I know, I know. I did my research." She sighed, "I'm basically going to have a giant neon sign over my head as far as Grimm are concerned from here on out."

It was the trade off for nigh super-human abilities... having your soul outside of your skin protecting you, enhancing you also served to broadcast your emotional state far more readily. Or at least, that was the current working theory as to why Grimm seemed immediately drawn to hunters, focusing on them more often than not.

There was also a small mountain of laws that shifted to compensate for the increased durability and strength. She essentially waved away any rights to complain about 'excessive force' if arrested, accepted that she'd be held to a much higher standard regarding her own strength, and too many other things for her to even try to remember.

Sable blew out a breath as Jaune glanced over the last papers. "So... who is going to be doing it?"

"Me." Her brother said, nodding as he set the application aside. "Neo had a long night, she'd probably pass out right after if she did it."

The student nodded, "It's supposed to be a bit taxing on the person doing it, but you might want to sit down. It's... startling."

That didn't do much to reassure her, but she wasn't about to back down now. She nodded, walking back over to the training arena proper and sitting on the edge of it. Her brother handed things off to his partner, then followed.

"Surprised father didn't come with you."

She blew out a breath and shrugged, "He's still stuck on assignment, and he still doesn't approve. Which is hilarious coming right after he abused his authority to get mom and the little ones home on the first civilian flight out east."

Jaune snorted, "Sounds like dad. Coral leave too?"

"Someone has to get all of our crap." Sable shook her head, "She'll be back in a week... I'm ready, you don't need to keep trying to calm me down."

He blinked, then smiled, "Am I that easy to read?"

"To me, yeah. You don't pull Saph off very well." She smiled and exhaled. "What do I need to do?"

"Give me your hand."

She brought her left one up, her little brother taking it. He seemed to take a deep breath of his own, then a soft white glow seemed to appear around his arms and chest. Sable felt her eyes slide shut of their own accord, something... like cool water washing down over her as Jaune began to speak.

"For it is through loss that we find our true strength. Through those memories of others, we are shown the path of our destiny. Bound to our quest, devoted to our purpose, I release your soul, and by my hand, guide thee."

On the last word her heat skipped a beat, and she jerked her hand out of his as she felt _something_ shoot up her arm and directly into her chest. When her eyes snapped open she found herself... dark. Something almost like black smoke played over her own hands, a complete inversion of brother's own aura... then it seemed to sink into her skin and fade from view.

She felt...

"Wow." Her fingers clenched, and even in the little motion she felt stronger, as if she'd just woken up from the best sleep of her life and was ready to take on the entire world. "You feel like this all the time?"

"You..." Jaune shook his head, visibly catching his breath. "You get used to it, don't even notice after a while. It's why so many hunters have problems controlling their strength."

"Yeah... wow."

He laughed at her, stepping back. "Well, that's part one. Ready for the endless hours of brutal training that will make you regret this?"

Sable blinked, looking up and frowning. "I'm not going to regret this."

Her brother grinned. "That sounds like a challenge, doesn't it Neo? Better start her on using her aura to block attacks."

She glowered at him, then turned to her new trainer to see what she thought, just in time for a tiny fist to break her nose.

* * *

"She's picking this up quickly." Ilia noted, sitting on a bench and watching as the professor's sister frantically tried to defend herself, a bit of black aura appearing as she blocked one punch... but not coming to save her from the follow-up. "Already starting to use aura instinctively after an hour."

"Fastest way to pound that into someone." The man replied, leaning back against the wall behind them. "You trained the same way?"

Her lips pursed. Her first memories of training weren't particularly sentimental ones. "They had us fight each other. You learned fast but... it wasn't really fun."

He grunted in quiet agreement, grimacing as his sister was thrown to the ground with a painful yelp. "That seems a little far for me. At least Neo is pulling her punches, even if Sable doesn't realize it. Another trainee wouldn't know any better."

No, they hadn't... Ilia shook her head, pushing the memories of Adam away once more. "How often are you going to train her?"

"Daily, at least at first." He waved a hand, "Well, Neo will be at least. I'm technically not supposed to during class hours thanks to being a professor, but somehow I doubt Oz will care."

Ilia winced, "Please don't get fired."

Jaune glanced at her in surprise. "Worried about my career?"

"Um..." She coughed politely as Sable Arc was thrown into a wall, "I really like Neo, as a friend, but the idea of her trying to teach your class kind of terrifies me."

He burst out laughing, "Sorry... I just remembered Weiss saying the same thing once."

That made her smile and shake her head a little, turning back to the training session in progress. Jaune kept chuckling for a little while, the pair of them relaxing and observing.

It wasn't nearly as bad as Sable's cursing made it seem, at least from Ilia's point of view. Just as he'd said, Neo was definitely pulling her punches.. not really in terms of how hard she threw them, but in terms of how quickly she was. Every attack had a short pause after it, clearly giving Sable time to recover before getting hit again.

She didn't realize a second hour had passed until her scroll vibrated with a message from Pyrrha. _Where are you!?_

Ilia blinked, typing back. _Arena 2 with Jaune Neo sister. Y?_

Nothing followed for a few seconds, then, _Have to talk, stay there!_

That was more than enough to alarm her, and she quickly rose. Jaune glanced at her in surprise, "Ilia?"

"Something's wrong." She replied, skin rippling blue with worry as she accelerated towards the door. "Pyrrha's upset."

The professor may have said something else, but she didn't quite hear it as she got up to speed. Her school shoes skidded on the floor as she entered the hall, her worry increasing. She couldn't ever remember Pyrrha sending a message like that before, not even when they'd all been at their most upset and feuding with team RWBY.

She'd said Ozpin wanted to talk to her... it had to be about her parents. Those bastards must have come flying over after the battle or something... if they were here and trying to drag her back to Mistral she was going to lose her temper entirely.

Ilia found Pyrrha just as she left the training hall, her partner coming her direction.

"Pyr!?" She slid to a halt, grabbing her arms as she took in the taller girl's appearance. She looked awful; teary eyed, her shoulders slumped, expression... bleak. "What's wrong? Is it your parents? I'll kill them if-"

Pyrrha made a choked sound, "No, it's not them, it's... something else... it's... Jaune?"

Turning without letting go of her, she found the professor staring at them, evidently having run after them. "Pyrrha? Gods, you look awful. What happened?"

"I..." The champion's breath hitched. "I think I need to talk to you, professor."

* * *

 _And here we go, the final pieces have been put into play as S2 ends. Next chapter will cover the obvious fallout from this one, then we'll have a time skip as we proceed into S3._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 **Thanks, Kat**


	50. Break: Revelations

**Revelations**

* * *

Pyrrha held on to her empty coffee cup as she sat in Jaune's office, the cute little ceramic mug with its ice cream themed patterns seeming to be the only thing in the world that was real. On the room's only couch, Nora and Ren didn't seem to be doing much better, while a color-rippling Ilia had taken to pacing frenetically as she tried to marshal her thoughts.

"So..." Professor Arc sighed from where he was leaning against his desk, looking as tired and defeated as the four of them. "...now you know most of it."

Nora shook her head slowly. "...that's not everything?"

"I... no, it's not." He looked away from the four of them, to where Miss Neo was sitting in their small kitchen. "There's things I can't tell you right now, for our safety as much as yours."

Pyrrha lowered her eyes, staring into her cup, wishing it held more of the drugged coffee.

After she'd run into them in the hallway, he'd quickly swept her and Ilia off to his office... where she'd told him everything. She'd expected the same confusion and shock that she had felt and instead she'd gotten... anger. Jaune had been furious at Professor Ozpin and the others who'd told her, to the point where she'd realized at once that he'd already known.

She'd started to get... well, rather angry with him in turn, then that anger had turned to confusion when he'd told her to call Ren and Nora up so that he could tell them something as a team. So that he could explain himself. He'd given her and Ilia some coffee to calm down while they'd waited, and she hadn't hesitated before losing herself in it. It had seemed like an instant before her teammates had arrived along with Miss Neo, she'd evidently sent her new apprentice home early, and the pair of teachers had then proceeded to finally speak of what had happened at the Academy.

And the quest for answers they'd set off on after its fall.

They'd told them more than Ozpin had. Told them the purpose of the maidens as both guardians and keys to protect the relics, themselves some legacy of a lost kingdom whose capital had lain in the wastes of southwestern Vacuo. Told them what little they knew about the Relics, the old religion they seemed to be descended from, and what little they'd gleaned from ruins about what they could do. But most of tall, they'd talked about how Ozpin's cabal and another shadowy faction, a faction that could control and direct the Grimm, were fighting a secret war to secure both the maidens and relics.

How they refused to be drawn in on Ozpin's side, and were instead trying to end the shadow threat on their own.

"So..." Nora's voice was quiet and uncertain. "...you want the relics for yourselves?"

"We want two of them." Jaune corrected her gently. "The Relic of Knowledge should be able to tell us how to use the others safely, and might also be able to tell us just who all is involved in this war. Especially important is exactly how those people are controlling the Grimm."

Ren cleared his throat, his tones only slightly more even than his partner's. "And then you want to use the Relic of Destruction to get rid of them?"

A finger rose, " _If_ we can use it safely. Those men who attacked the Academy bounced Haley around like she was an angry puppy, and even Neo and I together right now probably aren't even close to how strong she was."

"You need a game changer." Ilia muttered, pony-tail swishing behind her as she continued to pace, "Some kind of magic thing capable of summoning hurricanes definitely counts... and you need the other one to tell you how to use it because you don't trust Ozpin, who is the only person who might know how they work."

Neo nodded from her place, fingers tapping out on the scroll she'd linked to their television. _We assume whoever is running the other side also knows, but we obviously want even less to do with them._

She could entirely understand that. "...and you really don't want to help Professor Ozpin?"

The petite woman scoffed, _The bitch he put in charge of the Academy openly said it was worth the life of every student there if it meant keeping the Relics and the Maidens safe, right before she lived those words by blowing up half our team._

Pyrrha winced. "You're sure she worked for him? You're positive?"

"Public records say he personally championed her to take the job." Jaune replied flatly. "She was definitely in his little cabal."

"Oh." She murmured, fiddling with her mug again.

The professor noticed her unease and sighed, visibly trying to relax as he guessed a few of her worries. "I don't think Ozpin will kill you for refusing him or anything like that, I don't think he or anyone here is that ruthless. But he had to known the kind of person Haley was... and even if you refuse I think you might find your career options rather limited from here on out."

Ilia made an angry sound, "He'll try and control her?"

"Politely, assuming he's up front about it." Jaune replied, "If he does it from from the shadows, you might not ever realize he's picking and choosing your missions. But... well, the short version is yes, I think he would. It took us years of research and searching and we didn't know much of anything about the maidens until just recently, it's not the kind of information he just gives away, or would be happy about getting out."

 _So I can expect to be under observation for the rest of my life..._ She bit her lip, reading a little into his voice and body language. "..you don't like Ozpin very much, do you?"

"...I think his heart is in the right place, and I think he's personally a good man." He said after a long pause, "But I don't care for his methods. Hiding the Relics in schools? Putting people like Haley in places of authority? Hell Pyrrha, he didn't even tell you _close_ to everything even though he's asking you to risk your life multiple times over."

Pyrrha... couldn't really argue with that. Ozpin had been very clear that even if the transfer worked, the person who came out on the other end might not be Pyrrha Nikos anymore. It might be Amber Eld reincarnated, or some strange hybrid mix of memories and thoughts. A new person who just happened to wear her skin but who wouldn't be _her._

Death in all but the most technical of senses.

And even if she did come out all right, whoever attacked the prior maiden would certainly be coming after her in turn for the rest of the power. She'd carry a massive target on her back for the rest of her natural life. Anyone who knew the truth, anyone who wanted power, they would all be after her... and how long would she carry that mark without being told everything _?_

She supposed she could understand some degree of secrecy, given that she hadn't said yes just yet... but the fact that he hadn't so much as hinted that there was more seemed manipulative to her. Miss Goodwitch had seemed upset through most of it... maybe it was because Ozpin and Ironwood weren't saying more than they had, but she hadn't volunteered much either. Like they were all afraid she'd say no if she knew just how deep this whole thing went.

 _He asked me to risk my life... and he asked me to do it without knowing everything. Jaune at least said there's more that he can't say until he knows where I stand._

Ilia made another angry sound, "He didn't even tell you who would be trying to kill you, he's got to know at least something about who he's up against."

"Agreed." Jaune shook his head, "We're unfortunately light on names on that front, and we have no idea who the main player is... but we're assuming Ozpin does. We know we don't know nearly everything, what we told you is just what we've been able to dig up. Hell, we got pretty lucky as it was that we started in Vacuo, and stumbled across a lead in an old treasure hunting book. It could have easily taken decades, assuming we didn't bow down and pretend to join one side or the other."

Her chin moved as she slowly nodded, "All right... but... what now? This all seems so unbelievable, but... if Ozpin... and if you're saying it's true... I'll believe you, and I'll accept that there somethings you can't just tell me... tell _us_ yet. But what do we do now?"

Jaune bowed his head for a moment, then glanced over at Neo. The other professor's eyes shifted to a sad looking brown as she twitched a finger in his direction. "...now you've got a choice to make. You said he plans to ask someone else if you refuse?"

"Yes." She answered quietly. "He said he doesn't want to, but that he doesn't feel he has a choice."

Fingers snapped as Neo typed out words, her expression disgusted. _People love to say that when doing something horrible, it makes them feel better if they convince themselves there isn't another option._

"True." Jaune agreed, "But it doesn't change Pyrrha's problem, if anything it just makes it worse. Did he say what the requirements for being a maiden are?"

She shook her head, "Only that it had to be a young woman, and Miss Goodwitch said the rules were... complicated, and not relevant."

The professor made an irritated face. "Of course they weren't... great. We have to assume it's another student, or they'd have already done this. Gods they've been treating the year and the missions you've all been on like fucking auditions."

"I know." Pyrrha murmured, some bit of anger rising. "And... I don't want it, I don't want to... stop being me. But I don't want someone else to have to do it instead either, especially not someone who might be another friend."

Footsteps shifted behind her, Ilia resting a supporting hand on your shoulder. "You're too nice Pyr... and too conflicted, as always."

She smiled weakly, reaching up to touch her partner's skin. "I know... I'm sorry."

Ilia huffed out a quiet breath, giving her a gentle squeeze before pulling back. "Who do you think it might be?"

Ren hummed, folding his hands in his lap. "In our year... I would have said Yang, but with her injury, I think Weiss would be the next most likely candidate. She has a combat related semblance, and is third in said rankings behind only Pyrrha and Yang."

Pyrrha watched as Jaune's fists clenched, then slowly relaxed. "Maybe. It's also possible it's an older student."

"Either way..." Pyrrha said, shaking her head once. "...I don't like leaving this to someone else."

"But _you_ ," Ilia stressed, "Don't want to do it."

She winced and looked down in her cup again, making her partner sigh before Ilia went on. "Let's leave that for now, if we can. There's still the other problem; where we all fit in now. You've told us a lot Jaune... enough for us to get you in some serious trouble with Ozpin."

"Yeah, we have." The professor agreed, "I'm going to have to ask that you don't tell him, or anyone else. The whole point of Neo and I doing this is because we didn't want anyone else to have to learn this crap, or get sucked into this shadow war."

Ren made a polite sound, "You are not asking us to side with you against both groups?"

Neo snapped her fingers again to get their attention, _Of course we are. We're outnumbered, out-knowledged, out-everything... we need friends and allies wherever we can get them, but we're not going to force you._

"Or manipulate you. We're telling you everything that's not dangerous to us or you so you can make up your own minds." Jaune added, "If you do decide to side with us, we'll tell you the rest. But if you don't want to get involved, that's more than fine, entirely understandable even. All we ask is that you don't tell Ozpin about us; we'd rather not have to go back on the run."

Unspoken was his evident assumption that the four of them wouldn't be siding with Ozpin... which wasn't a bad one, if Pyrrha was being honest with herself. Professor Arc had already been more of a friend and mentor than Professor Ozpin ever had as a distant figure of authority, and unlike Ozpin had been completely open and upfront with her today. Even telling her that he _wasn't_ telling her things.

"We," Jaune continued, "Don't _want_ to ask you, I really, really fucking don't want to bring you into this... but we're running out of time, running out of allies, and quite frankly... right now we're losing. It's a matter of time before we're forcibly conscripted by Ozpin, or tricked or blackmailed into working for some horrible people. If you're willing, we need all of the help that we can get."

"Pyrrha?" Ren asked quietly. "It's your decision that matters the most."

Pyrrha bit her lip, then shook her head once. "You're all my friends... the first ones I've had in... a long time. I want to know what you think first."

Her leader gave her a small smile, then nodded, "I think I want to know more of what we'd be doing if we helped you, Jaune, Miss Neo. What we would be getting involved with. Would it be illegal?"

Jaune winced. "Some of it, but you wouldn't have to be involved if you didn't want to be. Right now our focus is finding two people, and dealing with them however we have to. The first is Roman Torchwick, for obvious reasons, the second is a scorpion faunus named Tyrian. He's the one who almost killed Winter Schnee, and he was one of the attackers at the Academy."

Ilia frowned as she resumed her pacing, this time along the wall to their right, "You want to capture them?"

"We want to capture Roman." The professor elaborated, "He's... well, playing all sides to put it simply. We worked with him from time to time, mostly as a way to get information, but he's also working with Tyrian, with the White Fang or what's left of it, with someone else in the shadow faction, and most of all... for himself. He might try and bring everything down if we don't convince him to side with us permanently, and do it quickly."

"Or kill him." Her partner noted.

To Pyrrha's surprise both of them grimaced at the idea, Neo typing, _We'd rather not, if possible... but there's a chance we'll have to. Tyrian is the main goal, and we don't expect to take him alive._

"Our first request for all of you would probably be researching Roman, specifically his history, habits, anything we might use to find or blackmail him." Jaune continued. "That we would free us up to hunt Tyrian full time, and it's something that you might be expected to be curious about anyways."

Ren nodded slightly once again, then turned back to Pyrrha. "I think you should refuse Ozpin's offer, and that we should help Jaune and Neo within certain limitations. Nora?"

His partner, probably girlfriend now, frowned and fiddled with her uniform's skirt. "...I don't think you should become a maiden, Pyrrha, but... Ren, I think we should help Jauney with whatever we can. Maybe not the super-illegal stuff, whatever that is, but if there's a real fight we should be there to back them up."

Their team leader considered that, "I... suppose that would be acceptable. How illegal are your plans?"

The Professor pursed his lips, "...we try to limit our crimes to morally acceptable targets, and we have a very firm rule about hurting anyone. We don't."

Neo rolled her eyes as she typed, _He means we go after assholes._

Ilia snorted, "Burglary?"

 _We have plenty of allies from Vacuo who can back us up._ The older woman replied, _But in Vacuo friendship tends to cost cash, and we're a bit strapped. Been paying information brokers for months for things we needed to know._

"You don't need to know the details," Jaune shook his head, "We won't involve you in-"

Her partner interrupted him. "Do you go after the SDC?"

"Well... once or-"

"I'm in." Everyone laughed or chuckled, even Pyrrha, and Ilia smiled. "I'm not exactly a stranger to working outside the law, so long as it's petty stuff it doesn't bother me. I'm guessing we'd use our Friday nights out on the town as an excuse?"

 _Probably._ Neo shrugged as she entered more words, _We know the Vytal Festival is important as a deadline, so that only leaves ten weeks to work with. Fridays at the very least, probably Saturdays and maybe other nights as well._

"Ohhhhh...!" Nora abruptly said, "I get it, you don't have a drinking problem at all! You're just out all the time doing things!"

The teacher shrugged and gave a lazy nod, Jaune smiling a little, "Pretty much. It seemed an easy enough excuse to run with, it's definitely doing a lot to keep people from digging too deeply into what we do at night."

Pyrrha smiled a little. All of their worries about how they were doing suddenly made so much more sense, their constant drive for improvement and occasional poor days. It was all because of this fight they were undertaking with only each other for company.

"Ilia?" She asked softly.

Her friend glanced at her, then waved at the other couch. "I'm with Nora, I think you should tell Ozpin hell no, and we help Jaune and Neo find the bastards responsible for the Breach and their school."

She smiled a little, then went back to regarding her cup. "...if I accepted, became the Fall Maiden, would that help? You said only she can access the Beacon relic. If I don't take it... you might never be able to open the vault even if you find it."

Jaune was silent for a moment, "...that's true, Pyrrha, but... no. Neo and I both want you to refuse. The risk to you isn't worth it, and we've lost enough friends."

A shuddering breath ran through her at that, her eyes closing as pure relief ran through her entire body. Of course they didn't want her to... they didn't want to lose their friend. No matter what else they'd been doing on the side, no matter how... gray... their actions could be, they cared about her.

They needed the Fall Maiden, needed her badly. Everything they had spent three years pursuing, questing, chasing... it might all come down to who the new Maiden was. Everything she knew about logic said that they should ask her to take up the mantle, that they should have been convincing her that they'd be there for her, that Ozpin had exaggerated the risk, that it could all be worth it.

But even against all of that... they'd told her not to.

Because they didn't want to lose her.

Even if it cost them the Relic, cost them years of work... they didn't want to lose _her._

For the first time since she was a little child she'd found friends who cared about her, about Pyrrha Nikos. Not people who just wanted to get close to the Invincible Girl, who wanted to bask in the fame and fortune that she had won. She didn't want to see Weiss or Yang or anyone else forced to make this choice, and everything her father had ever pounded into her about nobility and honor told her that this wasn't even a decision. That it was her destiny to accept it, to return the family name to glory as she protected the world as a distant, untouchable figure.

But if she went through with it, and she lost herself... she would lose Ilia. Lose Ren. Lose Nora. Lose Jaune and Neo. Lose RWBY. She would lose the happiness and peace that she'd finally found. And even if she survived, it seemed all too likely that she would find herself becoming the Invincible Girl once again, having to forsake her friends to protect them, to fight whatever war Ozpin was waging.

Or worse...

"Pyrrha." Ilia's voice was quiet. "Be selfish for once in your life."

A damn broke somewhere in her chest, and she hurriedly set her cup aside before pulling her scroll out of her pocket. She brought up the number she'd been given, hesitating for just a moment... then forced her fingers to work before she overthink this anymore than she already was. Weights lifted from her shoulders, and she let out an almost sobbing gasp of relief as she sent her response.

 _No._

* * *

"All right." Jaune settled into his chair as everyone else piled in around his kitchen table, Neo appearing, then vanishing in cracks of glass as she retrieved their notes from their hiding place. "Obviously, don't mention the full use of Neo's semblance to anyone. Or mine, for that matter."

After Pyrrha had sent her refusal, they'd had a second quick round of discussion involving semblances, and re-emphasizing their desire to stay under the radar for now. All four of them would have to keep acting naturally, which would thankfully be easy since nearly the entire school knew that he and Neo had all but adopted RAVN already.

The kids nodded nearly in unison as they took their seats, Ren already picking up one of the notebooks. "This is everything you know?"

"That one is everything we could grab from the ruins in Vacuo, and then from research here in Vale." He said, "If you could read through all of it, see if there's anything we might have missed, obviously only read them in here with the door locked. Everything is in there except for our current contact in what we call the Shadow faction."

Ilia glanced at him, "Amber's attacker?"

"Yeah..." Jaune grimaced, "Though we didn't realize that until just now. She introduced herself as the Fall Maiden, and we assumed Amber was one of the other three."

Nora made an understanding sound, "Can't really blame ya. Why can't we know who she is?"

"I didn't say we wouldn't tell you." He shook his head, "But you have to understand that she is _dangerous_ , monstrously so. She will absolutely kill you if she even thinks you know who she really is, and we can't go after her because she's admitted to having contingencies. She'll take everyone down and bolt if she even _guesses_ she's been made."

"In that case," Ren spoke up, flicking through pages of Neo's precise handwriting, "Please don't tell us. No offense Pyrrha, Nora, but I'm not confident either of you could hide knowing such a thing."

Both girls dismissed his apology with sheepish shrugs and grins, while Jaune nodded. "Still, I'd like for you at least to know Ren, so at least one of you can watch out if anything strange happens."

The boy nodded once, and Jaune continued as Neo re-appeared with the last notebook, "We're not bringing Sable into this just yet, so please keep quiet around her as well... and if you could help Neo train her, that would be appreciated."

Ilia frowned, "You are going to bring her in then, after all that about not wanting others involved?"

Jaune winced, "I... may have miscalculated when it came to using my actual name. The shadow group knows about my family, she's already in danger as it is. At the very least she deserves to know why people might come after her."

"Ah." The faunus nodded in understanding, "I get it, sorry if that came off harsh, just wanted to make sure you weren't going overboard just because we're a little younger. What about your other sisters?"

He exhaled, reaching out to touch his partner's shoulder as she panted for breath. His semblance came at once, letting his power flow slowly into her, her small frame straightening in relief almost at once. "We're paying someone to safeguard Saph without her knowing, and we're training Sable partially so she can protect Coral as well. The rest of the family will be safe in Ansel, its got a large contingent of retired hunters who wouldn't take kindly to someone messing with one of their own."

There was another round of nods, and then the plotting and scheming began in earnest as they brought them up to speed with their current plans.

Out of deference to Ren's desire to not be involved in the shadier portions of it all, that was only lightly touched on, though the team leader relented on letting Ilia accompany them if she wished. Neo had backed her up at once, and Jaune had been forced to concede defeat and agree to let her join the various lien-runs that Neo had planned.

In the meantime, Ren and Pyrrha would be focused on researching Roman's past, both at school, as a hunter, and then as a criminal. While they got started there, Nora would be volunteering to help train Sable, freeing up a bit of time for Neo to help Jaune when it came to dealing with their allies, digging up dirt on Tyrian, and trying to get a conversation in with Raven Branwen.

"We're fairly certain she used to be in Ozpin's inner circle." He explained, "And that she bolted after a few years, reason unknown."

Pyrrha, still a bit shaky but in a desperately relieved way, had nodded. "You think she could help us?"

Neo waggled a hand back and forth, her other typing out words on her scroll. _Maybe, but really we just need to know the gaps in our information. She's supposed to be some kind of bandit queen, so trust is going to be in short supply. Lien might loosen her lips, or just the fact that we're opposed to Ozpin._

Ren made a sound of agreement, "The Branwen have a... reputation in southern Anima. I'd hoped that Mister Qrow's surname was merely an unfortunate coincidence."

"Seems like it's not." Jaune said, "That brings up the obvious question, why does he still seem to be so close to Ozpin, yet his sister bolted for another continent?"

Pyrrha sucked in a breath. "...you don't think?"

"That she was made the same offer as you got?" He asked, shaking his head. "It's a possibility. Different circumstances obviously, but still possible. We won't know for sure until we can talk to her, so that's my task this weekend, at least when I'm not making sure Yang and Ruby are doing all right."

The champion had given him a smile, "Always have to save everyone, don't you? Even when you're buried with all of this."

 _He's a complete noble idiot._ Neo agreed as Jaune sighed, _But he's cute and good in bed, so I mostly forgive him._

He'd groaned as Pyrrha had blushed and the others laughed. After perhaps another half hour of talk they'd run down, gently shooing most of RAVN out while keeping Ren behind. His stoic mask had cracked on learning that Cinder Fall was the one they working both with and against, but he'd rallied quickly and accepted their warnings about her and team EMRD with a promise to keep an eye out of any of them showed interest in his team.

"She keeps dropping hints that she might be going rogue from her group." Jaune explained, "Or that Tyrian went above and beyond orders in his attack on the Academy, and then at the Breach. I'm not sure I buy it, and Neo definitely doesn't, but it's muddying the waters a bit."

Ren frowned, pursing his lips. "I see. You can't see what she'd have to gain from her own ally ruining her plans."

"Yeah." He spread his hands, "If you can think of anything about the Breach that might have actually accomplished something, let me know because we're coming up empty."

Neo nodded, _And until we figure out, keeping enemies close seems smart._

"Agreed." The young man murmured, rubbing at his chin as he thought about it. "How do you intend to deal with her?"

Jaune sighed, "Depends on the circumstances. If everything is still hidden, and we think we can hit her with overwhelming force, we do that and keep everyone else out of it. If things are sketchier or we don't think we can take her, we make a dead-drop in Ozpin's office with everything he needs to go after her."

Ren had looked rather reassured at that, "What if she's telling the truth about going rogue?"

"In that unlikely circumstance... we'll have to wing it." He admitted.

A quiet huff of amusement came from the other man, then he'd departed to catch up with the rest of his team. Jaune had slowly cleaned up after them, putting mugs in the sink, then wandered over to join Neo at the window just in time to see four headed back towards their dorms, three of them all clustered around the fourth as if they feared she was made of glass.

"I feel... dirty." He admitted quietly.

Neo leaned against his side, shrugging slightly. Ozpin had been the one to bring them, not them. All they'd done was let their team make an informed decision.

"Doesn't change the fact that we're sacrificing principles simply out of need." He shook his head, "Just like Oz."

She gave him a hard poke in the stomach, telling him to knock it off. There was a world of difference between him and the old bastard, and he needed to remember that.

He let out a slow breath, then gently pulled her around, hefting her up to sit on the windowsill. Neo allowed it, shifting a leg until it was around his waist, hands sliding up and around his neck.

"Tell me we're doing the right thing."

Neo blinked, eyes turning a rare, gentle shade of pink, then she leaned forwards and gave him a soft kiss that deepened almost at once as her tongue slid between his lips. He returned the affection, bringing her closer even as she explored his mouth, claiming at as her own.

A commanding flex of her leg had him pick her up, carrying her to their bedroom where she could help him lose himself in bliss... at least for a little while.

Their work would be waiting for them when they were done.

* * *

 _And from here, we're going to be skipping ahead a bit, until the start of the third volume and covering things in a slightly different fashion. I know there is still a bit of fallout to touch on, such as Weiss and Raven, but a great deal of it would simply be re-hashing the same information over and over in different ways from different points of view. So to avoid getting bogged down... we're going to skip a few weeks and then dive right into the final arc._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 **Thanks, Kat**


	51. Break: Points of View

**Points of View**

* * *

Ozpin laced his fingers together as he stared at nothing in particular, his coffee long cold before him. "Interesting."

"That is certainly one word for it." Glynda replied flatly. "Ominous, distressing, concerning, I can recite a dozen more if you wish."

"That will not be necessary." He replied, glancing over to where Qrow was leaning against one of the windows of his office. "Your opinion?"

His best agent was gazing at his flask, but for once had yet to actually take a drink. "I think we just figured out part of Raven's warning. Those kids are up to something."

Glynda let out a furious exhalation, turning and began to pace back and forth across the room. He knew that she had taken a shine to the young Mister Arc, though she had stringently kept their relationship professional on the outside.. and she had even begun to appreciate Miss Neopolitan's assistance when it came to her various courses.

Regrettably for her, and everyone really, the past week had proven to be very trying when it came to that trust and faith.

"They hear about the maidens from the redhead... and get her to tell her entire team about it." Qrow murmured, swirling his flask slowly. "But they don't confront you about it. Not until you call them and ask 'em to stay quiet. Which they agree to, but not before spitting fire and trying to kill you with their eyes. They were pissy as hell... but I'm not sure they were all that surprised."

"No..." Ozpin murmured. "They were not, and in hindsight they were curiously _not_ curious. I expected far more questions than they asked... still, that was less alarming than young Jaune's engagement of your sister today. It lends no small amount of credence to James' concerns regarding the fall of the Academy."

Worse, Raven's ability to sense the location and moods of her bonded companions made Qrow all but useless when it came to observing the conversation. She would have noticed his approach instantly.

As a result, when she had arrived on the cliffs to drag her daughter away for training, and Jaune had seemingly confronted her about it for nearly thirty minutes... their conversation had been all but private while Miss Xiao-Long and Miss Belladonna had attempted to avoid Raven by returning to their dorms. He doubted it had done them any good, Raven had likely simply used her semblance to appear directly before them, but any tales she might speak to team RWBY had been suddenly and drastically lowered on his list of priorities.

Raven had warned them that there were four factions in play. The bandit queen herself had obviously been one of them, and Salem's agents had clearly been another. Now it seemed that the third group had become clear.

Glynda shook her head, her expression shocked. "You can't possibly believe that they were involved."

"Of course not, they were merely first year students at the time, and Jaune's records are very well established." He waved a dismissive hand. "And the Arc family pedigree is one of noble action and sacrifice. Unless he is significantly lying about his age or was not raised by his given family, and said family going along with the deception, he simply would never have had the time to fall prey to Salem's machinations."

Qrow grunted, finally tipping his flask back. "So what _do_ you think happened out there?"

"I believe that Salem gambled that the Relic of Destruction was at the Academy rather than at Shade, or at the very least knew that the Summer Maiden was instructing there and that it was worth the risk. I believe that Arc and Neopolitan learned something, observed something during said attack." Ozpin said slowly, working his way through his various thoughts. "Something that lured them into this shadowy game, something that, in turn, led them here."

A sharp inhalation came as Glynda suddenly ceased her movements. "Their friendship with Bartholemew, he was gushing about an expedition they accompanied to ruins in outer Vacuo just this morning."

Ozpin nodded slightly. "If I had to hazard a guess, one or more of Salem's agents was present at the fall, and was particularly loose lipped about what they were searching for. That or Haley attempted to impart some last knowledge onto the best students in their year as everything fell, just enough to inspire them to dig farther."

"So..." Qrow sighed, "They spend three years digging around in the sand, and somehow figure out that there's a Relic here? I'd have thought you or Salem would have knocked that crap down by now."

"As much as I would like to, time and resources remain a problem." He sighed, "And it is in Salem's interests to preserve the knowledge, to inspire curiosity and desire that she might manipulate later."

Glynda, as usual, focused on the more pertinent data, "Did any of them hold the Relics?"

It was extraordinarily difficult to remember so far in the past, but he nodded all the same. "I believe so... I can recall at least one kingdom that held the Relic of Destruction for a time before the inevitable occurred, and though it is hazy, I believe at least one even older kingdom once held all four, though not all at the same time thankfully. If they were determined, and perhaps lucky, they could have learned at least the basics."

"Great." Qrow muttered,into his flask, "So we've got a pair of traumatized not quite-kids here looking for a Relic to do the gods know what with it."

"I believe," Glynda interjected, "That we can assume their goal to be fairly benign. They are not the types to work with Salem."

"True," He allowed gently, "But Salem has long been a master of concealing her true nature and goals. She may be manipulating them under the guise of conquest, or more likely given their past, justice for what happened."

It was one of the many things that made her so dangerous. Very few of the misguided souls who were lured to her side truly understood Salem's desire to erase all sapient life upon Remnant. She often disguised it as nothing more than a dream of conquest, of overturning old orders, of establishing a new world where her pawns might hold places of power.

It was why he so rarely attempted to expose her directly, such actions had backfired upon him in the past. People adored the winning side, especially one that promised hope and change... regardless of how false that hope may have been.

Glynda took a long breath, then shook her head. "I do not believe that."

"In truth, neither do I." He admitted, "But it is a possibility we should be prepared for. For now, I believe their most likely goal is simply more information. Perhaps on the Relics and Maidens' capabilities or how to utilize them."

"But," Qrow countered, "In that case why not approach you about it? You'd think that asking them to keep quiet about Nikos would have been the perfect time to confront you."

Ozpin pursed his lips. "The most likely reason is that they do not trust me, a mindset likely worsened by my request to their protege."

Both of his subordinates fell quiet at that, contemplating the implications.

Jaune was a young man who wore his heart on his sleeves, and had been quite infuriated over the situation. Neopolitan's perpetual silence was far harder to read, but her strangely blank eyes had seemingly betrayed her own anger. As Qrow had noted, if looks could have killed, he'd have finally been ended just from their expressions during the short conversation where he had requested they keep the information quiet.

Of course, if information was not their primary goal, than there were limited other options available. One, and clearly the idea that Glynda was attempting to convince herself of, was that all of this was simply paranoia on their parts, that the pair were the simple, weary young hunters turned teachers that they seemed.

The second option... was that they had a more base motivation and desire for the Relics.

"Regardless,"He continued, "Qrow? I would like you to pay closer attention to them, if and when it is possible."

Qrow grimaced, "Ain't gonna be easy. If they're talking with my sister... she'll probably tell them about my little trick."

"Do your best." Ozpin requested, "Especially when they depart for Vale on their evenings out, but do not overdo it. I do not expect miracles and would prefer not to provoke them. In either case, until we know more, I would prefer to keep this from James'. The last thing we need is for him to overreact to the situation."

Both of them nodded at once in agreement, seeing the wisdom in that course of action.

He took a slow sip of his cold drink, grimaced, and then set it aside. "On to the other matter... Miss Nikos' refusal leaves us with limited options, given Miss Schnee's current preoccupation with her sisters' condition. I would prefer not to approach her when she is in such a state."

Not least of all because if Miss Schnee approached Arc as Miss Nikos had tone, the eruption of anger would likely prove to be volcanic.

Qrow stopped his flask, crossing his arms. "Might be a bit before the ice queens are stable. Who do we have as backups, just the bunny?"

"Miss Scarlatina is likely the only other viable candidate left, despite our prior discussions." Her pursed his lips before ruefully admitting, "In truth I had begun contemplating Miss Neopolitan as an emergency candidate if it came to that, but recent events have rather put a damper on that concept."

"Well then." Glynda shook her head, planting her hands on her hips, "If you wish to delay on speaking with Miss Schnee, our window to have her properly trained in advance of the Festival will be narrow."

"Non-existent." Ozpin agreed, "But it may also work as a cover. It is not uncommon for students to strain themselves training for the tournament, and not rare for it to be severe enough that they must drop out. If her team did not choose her for the two on two rounds, we may not even need the excuse as classes will hardly be in session."

"Could work." Qrow nodded, "But she's gotta agree first, and we're oh-for-one on that front."

He fought the urge to grimace. "Quite. We will cross that bridge when we come to it, for now we must focus on stabilizing the city's mood, coordinating with James and the Council to ensure the White Fang is entirely dealt with, and learning all that we can about our associates."

* * *

Jaune sighed as Sable continued to bounce one leg slightly, the sheathed sword in her lap moving up and down with the motions. "You sure you're all right?"

"I knew you were probably into some shady crap." Sable replied, staring blankly across the ruined cathedral beneath Beacon. The lights from battery powered lamps threw everything into sharp relief, not helped when lightning cracked just outside of the cavernous stone windows. "But I didn't realize it was the 'possible interrogation and execution' kind of shady crap. I need a minute."

"It's been two days." He noted. "And we're kind of running low on time, she's supposed to be here any time now."

"I. Need. A. Minute."

He sighed, glancing to where Coral was surveying the ancient pillars. Sable's twin simply adjusted her glasses and shrugged, "She is impossible when she gets like this."

"Oh shut it." Sable growled, bringing her hands up to rub furiously at her face as more thunder rumbled in the distance. "Dammit. You really didn't think things through, using your real name, did you?"

Jaune grimaced. "In my defense, I wanted to be as minor of a criminal as possible, and changing a few records was a lot different than creating an entire fake ID. Plus how badly do you think our parents would have freaked when they found out?"

"Extremely." Coral replied, already back to taking notes for whatever book she was working on now. "It would have inspired far more questions that you would have had no good answers to. Using your real name was likely your only option given your plan."

Sable made a credible grunting sound. "His plan sucks."

Her sister shrugged, "Given what information they had at the time, I consider it a risky but logical action."

"Thanks Coral." Jaune sighed.

She turned, giving him a rather blank look. "I have said nothing worth thanking me for, I merely stated the obvious. Your original plan had merit, it was simply poor luck that saw it begin to fall apart and endanger our family."

The reminder of both Coral's odd thought process, and the reminder that his entire family _was_ in danger, made him sigh again. Thankfully Neo's apparition in a shattering of glass distracted everyone, his partner shaking her head tiredly as she wandered in his direction. Her hands flicked in quick motions, telling him that their offices were locked and that a bruised and battered Yang had just dragged herself into the infirmary.

"Branwen will be here any minute now." He said, turning back to his sisters. "If you're not sure about how deep you want to be in this, Neo can get you back upstairs."

Sable scowled at him, hen shook her head once, "I think I'd rather be informed, little brother, regardless of what I decide."

Jaune stared back at her, then nodded once. "That's fair."

She nodded and fell silent, leaving him to glance aside when Neo gave him a rather impatient nudge. Rolling his eyes a little, he stepped behind her before massaging her shoulders, his semblance letting some of his aura flow through the contact. Neo seemed to exhale with pleasure, leaning back against him, turning her head slightly to regard the storm raging just outside.

They were far enough inside that even the wind couldn't quite carry the rain to them, and personally he found the gentle drone of it rather relaxing. Neo, naturally, didn't, and evidently neither did the large black bird that came flying in through one of the windows. The poor thing was soaked to the point where it clearly having a hard time staying airborne, and it wasted little time before diving to land on the same stone bench that Sable was seated upon.

Sable gave the bird a glance as it shook itself, then shook her head, "Weather sucks, right?"

Neo jerked away from Jaune as the bird abruptly began to glow with a brilliant scarlet hue, it's body... _melting_ seemed to be the only word that applied. It took less than a second before, instead of a soaked looking avian, a soaked looking _woman_ was sitting next to his sister and dripping water everywhere.

"Entirely." She grumbled, though it was barely audible over Sable's shriek as his sister fell off of the bench and scrambled back slightly.

Jaune didn't quite jump as much, mostly because the sight of the bird transforming had left him more nauseous than anything else, while Coral merely offered an intrigued sounding, "Fascinating."

The woman, clearly Raven Branwen just from her appearance, smirked just enough to make it clear she'd wanted to see their reactions, then got to work unbinding her giant mess of black hair. "This is not quite the meeting place that I expected."

Jaune... needed a bit of a moment. "You... can turn into a bird."

The woman's smirk widened slightly. "Obviously."

He shook himself after a few seconds, reaching up to rub at his face, "Right. Magic is real... have to remember that. Sorry, didn't expect that to include shape-shifting."

"I can well assume." Raven replied, wringing out her hair and grimacing as she did so. "In truth it was not a secret I would have liked to reveal, but I doubted that you would believe me without direct evidence."

"That's... true." He allowed, recovering his wits one step at a time. Dust style magic, just without the dust, was something he could wrap his head around. But if he was being entirely honest with himself, he'd thought that was the extent of magic. Maybe more efficient and powerful than what a normal person could do, but not much more than that.

Evidently he'd been very, very, _very_ wrong.

"Right." Jaune shook himself and focused as Sable finally got to her feet, and Neo forced herself to relax slightly. "I guess that means you're not the only one with that trick?"

The woman smirked again, looking entirely too pleased. "You are clever, aren't you? Yes, it was... something gifted to myself and my brother by Ozpin when we were both his pawns. If we are to be allies then I would prefer it if you didn't simply reveal everything when that fool can hear you."

It took Jaune about three seconds to work through the implications of that and flinch. "...gods, he could just have been sitting at our office window, listening to us?"

"He could have, I did quite often." Raven said, making both he and Neo twitch once again. "I highly doubt that he has been paying all that much attention to you, in the grand scheme of things, but given recent events that is likely about to change."

"Gods..." Jaune repeated, reaching a shaking hand up to rub at his forehead. He'd thought they'd been more than plenty paranoid about keeping their conversations quiet and secret, but if people could turn into freaking _birds_ and listen in then... _gods._ That was one hell of a trick that-wait. "Ozpin? You said _Ozpin_ gave you that?"

Raven's lips curled as she leaned forwards, and the tale that followed seemed to both entirely justify his concerns over Ozpin and create entirely new ones. Sable seemed to spend most of the history lesson in a kind of shocked state, while Coral's fingers were flying over her scroll as she took notes.

By the time it had ended, he'd sent Neo to grab a towel and drinks from their little lair farther in the ruins, the bandit queen was dry, and everyone was seated with plastic cups in their hands.

"So Ozpin's goal is to kill this Salem woman, and the pair of them have existed for centuries, or millennia maybe." Jaune shook his head. "The maidens were some kind of attempt by him to finally get some competent help, and it blew up in his face when the power transferred in ways he didn't expect."

Raven nodded, "From what I know, when my brother and I die what little power he granted us will return to him. He expected the maidens talents to do much the same, but something went wrong."

Interesting. "What's your goal in this?"

When she merely lifted an eyebrow and took a pointed sip of her beer, he elaborated, "I mean, why abandon Oz, why tell me this morning that you want to work with us, why tell us all of this?"

A finger tapped a slow rhythm on her plastic cup before she shook her head, "Because Ozpin cannot win, he cannot kill Salem, yet Salem must not be allowed to achieve their current goals. Right now her agents seem to be drawing far too close to the Relic and Maiden, and I do not trust Ozpin or his little cabal to handle it."

Sable exhaled, "So... what? You want Jaune... want _us_ to do what? Kill them, steal the relic for you?"

"If possible, yes." Raven nodded, "In return I am willing to offer you intelligence beyond what I already have, and when the time comes, safe harbor among my tribe."

Jaune swallowed slightly. As basic as it was... it was an entirely tempting offer. As terrified as he now was of Qrow being able to listen in on them and report their conversations to Ozpin, the notion of _Raven_ doing the same to Cinder or even Oz was almost alluring. Even more attractive was the second part of the offer.

Sure, he didn't like criminals and bandits much, but they'd had to spend short stints among them in Vacuo before. If nothing else they'd be capable fighters, and would probably be the sort to be migratory. It would be hard for anyone to track them down for quite a while in the aftermath, assuming flight ever became necessary.

"And what do you get?" He asked. "The Relics when we're done with them?"

"Yes." She answered simply.

"Why?" He pushed. "What do you intend to do with them? Bring down Mistral? Become a queen?"

"I already am a queen." Raven snorted, "The only thing I desire is the protection of my tribe, and the possession of the Relics would ensure that no one would be able to harm us. Even if Salem attempted such a thing, it would become child's play to deal with anything but a direct attack by the woman herself, and she has not left the Grimmlands in living memory."

Neo glanced at him, her hands moving. She was entirely in favor of this deal, there wasn't much of a down side in the short term, and if he didn't like the idea of giving the Relics to bandits... well, they'd have time later to reconsider.

Jaune exhaled then responded silently, pointing out that she probably would be on alert for that kind of betrayal.

True, Neo allowed, but that was a long term problem and they were in dire need of help right now. The bandit queen was obviously well informed, and from what they knew, incredibly strong. She was exactly the kind of ally they needed.

Yeah... that worried him. It seemed too good to be true.

His partner huffed and rolled her eyes, maybe it was... but if they refused it was increasingly likely that their only other options were to side with Ozpin, Cinder, or try and turn Cinder, and Neo refused to even consider any of them.

...he thought at least one of those had merit, but he could understand the point. "Why wait this long to approach us, if you've been listening in for so long?"

Raven had been watching their silent conversation with narrowed eyes, but only shrugged. "I was hardly going to back someone incapable of victory. Recent events proved your strength and resourcefulness to my satisfaction."

Jaune pursed his lips, then glanced at Sable. "What do you think?"

His sister rubbed a hand through her hair, blowing out a breath. "I think I'm not drunk enough for this kind of shit, little brother. I barely know what these Relics are, much less if turning them over to a bandit queen who can turn into a freaking bird is a good idea... what's this Salem's goal?"

"So far as I know it is extermination." Raven said.

Everyone winced, and Sable cautiously spoke again, "As in... everything?"

"Sapient life at the very least." There was a careless shrug, "She shows no favoritism between Humans or Faunus, all are equally prey in her eyes."

Coral hummed as she typed out another note, "If she truly is the Queen of the Grimm, it would seem that she is winning this war. They control the majority of Remnant."

Raven snorted, "Consider how much of a threat the Grimm truly are to the Kingdoms as a whole."

His bespectacled sister did so, as seriously as she typically did, then nodded. "I see. From what I recall, Grimm deaths have declined rapidly over the past century, aside from the Great War and Mountain Glenn. Still, they are outliers to the general trend. Atlas and Mistral have both made great strides in reclaiming land, particularly in the last four decades."

"It is a rough stalemate." Raven rolled a hand, "Perhaps tilted towards humanity thanks to technological progress, but a stalemate that is in humanity's best interests."

Sable blinked. "Uh... why? Wouldn't killing the Queen of the Grimm be a good thing?"

The woman let out mocking laugh, "She and Ozpin have been attempting to murder each other for at least a thousand years, if it was even possible I would think one or the other would have succeeded by now. No, the Grimm are a threat only to the weak and the foolish, the strong have nothing to fear from them. Salem's agents should be fought only when the consequences so dire it is warranted."

Like now, Neo noted silently, leaving Jaune to translate. "That's why you left, isn't it? You think Ozpin won't stop poking a sleeping Ursa, and I doubt he could even guarantee that the Grimm would just go away if Salem was killed."

Raven's expression became cold and serious almost at once. "Those were a few of several reasons."

Her tone screamed that it would be best to drop it, and he quickly shifted the topic, "If we agree, if we become partners, would you help us in battle or just with information?"

She seemed to consider that, "It would depend upon the situation and the timing. As I stated, my priority is my tribe, and I cannot constantly be in Vale assisting you. I would need advanced warning."

"Fair enough." He allowed, "What about the Relics themselves, do you know which Relic is where, and do you know the identities of any of the other maidens?"

"I do, and I do." Raven smirked slightly, "But that is not information I will give away for free. Do you agree to my terms? My aid in exchange for the Relics, to be given over once your Academy has been avenged."

Jaune bowed his head slightly, glancing at Neo and seeing her quick nod, then to Sable and receiving an almost helpless shrug. That left him looking to the last person present, "Coral?"

His sister tapped her finger on her chin once, then said, "The long term risks have to be weighed against the immediate need for aid. You've given the impression that you are behind and losing ground. This woman is dangerous on many levels, but currently offers what you need."

"That's not an answer either way, Coral."

"I thought that it was." She replied with a little shrug. "If your concerns are moral ones I can't claim to understand them. Given what I know of your situation, it seems logical to accept the deal before it is rescinded."

Raven began regarding Coral with far too much interest for his liking, "You are an interesting one, aren't you?"

Coral merely returned to her note taking, not bothering to respond. It left him to huff out a tired breath and rub at this nose.

 _Dammit... she and Neo are right. I don't like the idea of giving a Relic, especially Destruction, to someone with this woman's reputation... but she's got information and is offering help, and we're in dire need of both right now._

And, though she hadn't mentioned it, the woman had just as much if not more blackmail over them than Roman did. If she'd truly been listening in to conversations between himself and Cinder, and he had to assume that she'd done so at least once, she could blow up everything with just a casual scroll call to her brother. Privately he doubted that she would, but the fact that she _could_ was the problem.

"All right." Jaune sighed, standing and holding a hand out. "Partners then, Raven Branwen."

She regarded it, then smirked and shook it once. "Partners, Jaune Arc."

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _All right, originally I wasn't planning on having a second break chapter, but after some thought and a few reviews I agreed it would be best to show at least some of the final reactions to recent events. Here we have Pyrrha's almost instant refusal of Ozpin's offer setting off alarm bells when combined with a few other facts, and we have Raven approaching Jaune while Sable and Coral are being dragged into things as well. I'm not entirely pleased with this chapter... but it's rather important information all the same._

 _The next chapter is currently planned as a time-skip, right to around the end of the hunt for Roman (as much as I'd like to write a crime investigative thriller, this story is already long enough, and so most of the detective work and time spent there is going to be skipped). Unfortunately I can make no promises as to when that chapter will be out._

 _ _For those not aware, my personal situation remains less than ideal due to a combination of work stress and pending divorce, the latter causing me to need to sell my home forcing me to constantly come and go for showings, and a bunch of other factors that I won't bore you with.__

 _ _Suffice to say that updates to this story and to Another Realm: Twilight could be irregular at best for the next month or two. Hopefully what does come out will be high quality enough that you all can enjoy it, writing remains my main source of relaxation and escapism right now, so I'm not about to give up or stop. Right now the issue is that my muse is all over the place and I can't plan for shit. I have tons of scenes (such as Pyrrha's parents showing up, Yang at the tribe, etc) that are either entirely written or partially so that I have NO IDEA where they could even fit or why I spent time on them... so yeah.__

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 ** _ _Thanks, Kat__**


	52. Semester III: Firestarters

**Firestarters**

* * *

Vale was an ancient city, having been inhabited for more than a millennia, and it had quickly grown crowded even in the earliest times. While its walls had steadily advanced farther and farther from the old harbor, eventually reaching the natural defensive positions where they now stood, citizens had also advanced in another direction: downwards.

They'd delved into the soil beneath the city, particularly in the rocky eastern sections near Beacon. Bunkers built during and after the Great War, subway systems to mitigate the need for cars, catacombs for the dead, sewers to hide waste, basements for those wealthy enough to afford them, and the gods knew what else had been steadily gained over centuries upon centuries of time. Walls were created and broken on an almost continuous basis, giving the city a literal, living, and seething underbelly.

Everyone had guessed that Roman had found a treasure somewhere down there, maybe the old King's personal bunker complex or something equally defensible, but no one had any idea _where_ it was. Even the criminals of Vale rarely delved too deeply into the darkness below the city, and maps of anything but the official utilities and subways were almost impossible to locate.

Junior, being Junior, had managed to find a few from those few crazy souls who willingly tried to map it, and so had begun five weeks of disgusting, dangerous, and occasionally terrifying spelunking as they attempted to check off various possible locations. Thankfully they'd been able to narrow it down somewhat based on the kinds of things they knew Roman would need to survive; Ready access to the surface, close contact with grocery stores, preferably near a parking garage where escape vehicles could be kept, and several other factors that had narrowed it down to a small subsection in the northeastern part of the city.

Jaune was even fairly sure they'd found the right bunker based on a few scraps of evidence that Neo and the Malachite twins had found on their last trip out... right before the situation had changed.

"Something's wrong here." Jaune murmured quietly, staring down from the battered apartment building overlooking the massive teamsters' complex. "He couldn't have known we were close, could he? You had the twins fully concealed when they went down this morning to double-check things right?"

Neo let out a petite little breath beside him as she gave an exasperated nod. The pair were entirely clad in dark, military style clothing, with black bandannas drawn over their faces. Her semblance was aiding that a bit, paling their skin, tinging their hair green, and shifting his appearance just enough to make them look like siblings. Their usual go-to-work criminal get-up.

Her hands rose as she agreed that this was probably a trap, but she wasn't sure if they really had a choice or not. If he was trying to flee out of the city right now this was their only shot to stop him themselves. If he got out, she wasn't sure what they would do. Plus, they'd already spent two days getting everyone coordinated and setup for this attack.

If they didn't go through with it, they'd probably lose a lot of credibility with Junior's people, and that would make things very difficult moving forwards.

He grimaced but nodded in agreement. "Junior, this is probably a trap, but I think we have to chance it anyway."

There was a crackle in his ear as the city's new master king-pin made a low sound, " _I ain't sending my men in to get killed, kid. If he's ready for us we'll have to go with the back-up plan. You got time for a recon?"_

He shook his head even though Junior couldn't see it, "They're loading up two semi-trucks right now... looks like weapons and dust. I don't think we want to give them the chance to open those up."

" _Hrn."_ The criminal agreed, " _If this is a trap, they're making sure the bait is too hot to let go. I have manpower and cash, but the kind of weapons Roman threw around aren't things that I can get easily."_

Jaune pursed his lips, "So you want the weapons, and I want to stop Roman from getting out of town. He's covering his bases pretty well."

" _Yeah, he's an ass who knows us... the bastard. It must have been a leak on my end that tipped him off, always a problem when you're expanding fast."_ Junior exhaled heavily, " _All right kid, what's the plan, besides set off the trap and see who gets blown up?"_

Neo snorted beside him, making Jaune smile grimly. "We'll go with the back-up plan, but keep the twins out of it for now. The four of us will see how much of a mess this is going to be, and then we'll call for back-up as we need it. Let us know when you've got a perimeter setup... and make sure you've got a trouble-shooter watching the freeway."

" _I know my business kid, give me ten minutes."_ The line clicked off, leaving him to let out a tired breath.

He blew out a slow breath, then continued to the people he knew were listening in, "Charcoal, Vest, you both in place?"

" _Of course_ ," The assassin replied at once, " _We'll take the east side and flatten as many tires as we can, but this is a big damn depot for just the four of us."_

Vest's far deeper voice joined in, " _And Roman's people are largely gunmen. They'll open fire as soon as they see us."_

Bringing the cops and the gods knew who else in. "We'll be on a time limit, yeah, so we'll just have to be fast. Charcoal will get us all out as soon as we hear the sirens."

" _Got it."_ She said, " _What about your little followers?"_

He pursed his lips, "They're staying at the cafe until we know we need them, or until the gunfire is so obvious they can't afford to stay in place. And before you ask, there's no way in hell I'm calling in Branwen unless we're desperate."

It wasn't that he didn't trust the bandit queen, he sort-of did, it was more that he'd come to realize that she lacked even Charcoal's level of restraint when it came to collateral damage or taking prisoners. So far as she was concerned any civilians idiotic enough to get caught up in the fighting deserved whatever happened to them, and prisoners were things to be taken only if there was some advantage to doing so.

As a result, she was currently in disguise at a nearby restaurant, enjoying a steak dinner and wine paid for in advance by Junior, in turn paid off by Jaune, and ideally she'd be staying there for the next hour or two before simply teleporting back to Mistral.

Ideally.

She hummed, and he could easily visualize the small woman shrugging. " _Well, unless Roman brought in more help, the four of us should be sufficient."_

"Let's hope." Jaune agreed, "Stay close to Vest just in case. If Callows is here, or that giant, be careful and call us right away."

" _Yes mother."_ Charcoal drawled.

Neo seemed to titter silently, leaving him to glower at her before sighing. "We go on Junior's signal."

She clucked her tongue once, then signed off as well, leaving the pair of them to continue watching the events slowly occurring down below.

Roman's people had already hot wired two trucks, and shifted them around so that their trailers were next to an open utility access hatch. Men and women were hauling equipment up and out as quickly as they could, stacking things in the trucks while someone he was sure was Rufus paced the area, probably admonishing them to hurry up.

"He might already be gone." He muttered, "There's at least two trucks missing... dammit, what do we do if we didn't get here fast enough?"

Neo reached up and shook his shoulder once, shaking her head. This wasn't the time to get pessimistic and worry about crap like that. They had to focus.

Focusing was rather difficult for him, much as it had been for the past month. Some naive part of him had hoped that being able to open up and trust their friends would have made things easier... but it hadn't. In some ways it had just made things worse, and a lot harder to deal with on a day to day basis since they now also had to spend a lot of time and energy putting their own plans into motion.

It didn't help that, with all of the people involved and all of the plans in motion, there was a lot more to discuss and a lot more push-back in regards to what they could and should be doing. He still wanted to try and turn Cinder, Neo was utterly against it. He and Neo both still hoped to take Roman alive, Junior thought that idiotic. They and Junior were considering starting another round of heists to raise cash to pay for more help, Sable and team RAVN were less than understanding.

"Things were so much simpler when it was just the two of us." Jaune said softly. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss the desert."

It was about time, Neo noted. She'd been missing it since five minutes after they'd left Vacuo.

"Yeah yeah..." He shook his head, "And yes, I know that you told me so when it came to making friends with everyone."

Neo pursed her lips, her momentary amusement fading as quickly as it had come. She had, but... she'd admit he'd also been right. It was good to have allies for once, even if it was making things more complicated. Speaking of the brats, he'd best them get them prepared.

"Right." A moment's work fished a disposable scroll out, and he dialed Ren's number, keeping things in audio mode. "Ren?"

" _Jaune."_ The younger man replied, " _We're enjoying a late cup of coffee and ice cream at a pleasant cafe."_

"Good." He said, "We're about to move in, Roman's definitely got people trying to bail from the city. We're going to try and keep it quiet, but if you hear gunfire, you'll probably have to come running."

There was a pause, " _I understand, was there anything else?"_

Jaune sighed, "No, just remember what we warned you about in advance. If you see Callows or a giant bear of a man in the fight, fall back at once and call Beacon."

" _Yes professor, we'll be back in school by curfew."_ The team leader replied before hanging up.

Neo shook her head once, for all that he was the most reluctant of the four, Ren was proving to be very good at the whole clandestine thing.

"Right?" Jaune agreed, checking the time before pocketing the scroll. "Almost at the deadline, let's get down."

She gave him a quick nod, the pair of them departing from the edge of the roof in favor of the ropes they'd already set up running down one side of the building. Their gloves kept them from burning their hands, or expending aura, as they simply slid down as rapidly as they could, coming to rest in a moderately clean alley.

From there, they lurked near the street until they were sure no cars or pedestrians were nearby, then ghosted across to lurk on the other side of the short wall separating the teamsters' depot from the sidewalk. Reaching up to his ear, he touched the small device wrapped around it, adjusting the tiny lever on the side.

"We're in position." He murmured, "Raven, Ren, Melanie. Status?"

" _This wine is terrible."_ Raven replied promptly, her voice disgusted. " _And you people call us uncivilized... at least we know what a good drink means."_

There was a quiet laugh before Melanie Malachite spoke up, " _We're in a car waiting to run anyone down, and Militia is as impatient as ever."_

Her sister snarled something furious sounding in the background, but it was largely covered up by Ren's quiet voice. " _We're ready and waiting Professor."_

"All right. Junior?" He breathed, "Any time now."

" _Hold your damn horses."_ The man replied, " _Wait one... right, my men are in position. Go for it."_

"Charcoal, Vest, go!" He folded his hands together as Neo's foot came down onto them, heaving her up as she grasped onto the wall and hauled herself up and over. Taking a few quick steps back, he sprinted at the wall, catching the edge with his fingers and dragging his body up as well.

He came down behind what were probably fuel tanks, so the lack of an instant alarm wasn't all that surprising. Roman's people were obviously more interested in rapid flight than they were in properly keeping watch, and he and Neo were able to shift away from the probably explosive containers in favor of getting behind a parked truck, risking quick glances beneath and around it to get a better idea of the situation.

It hadn't changed much, save for the fact that Rufus' deep voice was now far more audible, "Hurry up and get the weapons loaded! We've got an hour before the guards change and we won't be able to get through the walls!"

Informative.

He half hoped that Rufus would go on and reveal a bit more, but the sound of someone dropping something heavy and screaming rather ruined that. "It's the assassin!"

A chorus of surprised shouts came as Charcoal let out a mocking laugh, and then some idiot opened fire with a freaking shotgun, making Jaune grind his teeth at the sound.

 _So much for stealth..._

From the way Neo rolled her eyes, she entirely agreed, her body blurring as she shot around the front of the cab, Jaune hard on her heels.

There were about a dozen suited goons present, plus Rufus, all of them facing east where Charcoal was lashing out with her bladed whip, the weapon sending several people to the ground with panicked cries. In the background he could see Vest using the gun built into his axe on the semi's front tires, ensuring no one would be escaping and helping keep everyone facing the wrong way.

Jaune hit one of the well uniformed criminals from behind, the woman letting out a startled squawk as he rode her to the ground. Her pistol went flying as he grabbed her head, smacking it as gently off the concrete as he could, leaving her somewhere between stunned and unconscious.

Surging up to his feet as he saw Neo lay out a man with a kick, he centered his attention on Rufus as the man frantically bolted for the depot's central building, screaming into his scroll, "They're here!"

Trusting his companions to deal with everyone else, he promptly rushed after Roman's second, not about to let him get away or try to spring whatever part of the trap he was supposed to set off. He had an advantage over the smaller man in that his legs were much longer, letting him start to catch up fairly quickly, but Rufus had enough of a head start that he managed to get to a side door about three seconds ahead of him.

His boots skidded on the asphalt as he stopped his headlong rush, not about to race into a dark hallway by himself. "Shit!"

Part of him expected some kind of cliched line from inside, maybe a nice mocking laugh, instead he had enough time to see a bright orange light before the dust flare slammed into his chest. His aura flared as he flung himself to one side, coughing and rolling back up to his feet.

"Roman's... inside!" He gasped.

There was a muffled oath from somewhere just inside, and then the window nearest to him exploded outwards as a second shot came screaming out. He barely avoided taking it in the forehead, and only distantly heard it collide with something behind him as he ducked once again. That may have saved him from the dust rounds, but it didn't avoid the more standard gunfire that came thudding out in turn.

Swearing once again, he scrambled backwards, fighting the urge to draw his shield. Crocea Mors as a blade wasn't all that distinctive except up close, a sword tended to look like a sword, but the shield was another matter.

 _I knew I should have painted it!_

Pain rattled up and down his right side as his aura drained, until an illusion covered parasol, appearing as a gleaming shield of green light, flared protectively over him as Neo caught up, bracing herself against him as Roman fired again. Her face set in a silent snarl, she pressed forwards, Jaune right beside her as they advanced on the building.

They had to move fast, maintaining three illusions on top of fighting wasn't something Neo could manage forever, and the last thing they'd need was for police to arrive and spot something as distinctive as her weapon.

" _Your brats are on the way!"_ Junior's voice reached his earpiece just as they made it to the building, Jaune risking a quick glance to see something like a firing line flashing away inside... but with the darkness it was hard to tell. " _Cop dispatch is paid off to slow things up, but you don't have forever!"_

 _Shit!_

He exchanged a long look with Neo, then shouted, "Vest! Charcoal! We need you!"

It took the pair a precious minute or two to put down the last of the criminals outside, then race over to join them and observe the situation. They began their assault with actual flares, Charcoal hurling them inside to provide a bit of light while the rest of them ignored the doorway in favor of vaulting inside through the broken windows.

The flickering white lights from the flares showed another dozen or so members of Roman's crew, all armed with rifles or shotguns and taking cover behind crates that had clearly been hauled into place specifically to use as cover.

And one of the assholes who was very much _not_ Roman was holding onto a copy of Melodic Cudgel, flinching back at the brightness of the flare in front of him.

 _Gods fucking-!_

" _Roman's on the move!"_ Melanie's high pitched voice snapped before he could state the obvious, " _We're in pursuit, he's heading west in a pick-up truck!"_

"Give me a location!" Charcoal shouted in reply, vaulting in behind them, waving for everyone to get close to her.

" _He's already on the expressway_!"

Meaning they weren't going to catch up to him anytime soon, at least not within the city limits. The freeway would take him right to the wall and the northwestern gates of the city, if what Rufus had said earlier was anything close to accurate, the guards of said gate had already been paid off to let him leave.

This whole thing wasn't a trap to kill them, it was a trap to keep them in place for Roman to bail.

 _Fuck!_

Grabbing Neo's shoulder, he promptly reversed direction, going back out through the window they'd just leaped through, taking cover behind the battered wall as Vest barreled out as well, his deep voice irritated, "Coward, sacrificing his men to escape... What's our new plan?"

Jaune clenched his fist around his sword as he frantically tried to think of options. "Raven, we need you to follow that car. Can you?"

 _"Obviously."_ The bandit queen replied.

"Good, thanks. Charcoal _,_ do you have a place outside of town, preferably on the western roads?"

The woman's eyes narrowed above her own black bandanna, but she nodded after a moment. "Nice clearing about twenty miles out of town, I've got a stash there."

He nodded, flinching as a round found some of the remaining glass. "Junior, I'm leaving the rest of this to you! Half of the targets are down, and we're going after Roman!"

" _Got it."_ The kingpin replied, sounding slightly relieved if anything. " _I'm calling the girls in."_

"Do whatever you need." Jaune said, "Charcoal, get us there."

In response, she flicked her hand out, whip snapping up to shatter the nearest exterior light, leaving the four of them sitting in relative darkness... darkness that swirled up over them, carrying them away as gunfire futility tried to keep them pinned down.

* * *

Roman Torchwick was not having a very good day... or a good week, or a good month, or a good much of anything.

"Those were my best people." He growled as he slammed the truck's door shut, "How the hell am I supposed to do anything now!? That asshole Xiong will have them all at the bottom of the harbor by sun-up!"

The titan of a man he'd been stuck riding with let out an annoyed rumble. "They'd have lived if you'd departed the city when you were supposed to."

His fingers tightened around his cane, "I wouldn't have had to leave at all if it wasn't for that psychopath dragging me into the Breach! Or if he hadn't been so sloppy as to leave a trail for them to find my bunker!"

"You don't know that." The man said, his voice as emotionless as ever. "Your enemies are not idiots. They may have found you regardless of Tyrian's early departure."

Roman elected to ignore that point in favor of stewing on the one that the man hadn't tried to defend.

Sure, he'd poked and prodded the stupid bull into acting like the wild animal he was, but that hadn't exactly been difficult. The idiot may have gone off the rails with or without him trying to nudge him away from Cinder's carefully choreographed schemes... but he hadn't _ever_ fucking intended on getting involved in that mess personally. What was the was the point of killing your only real rival for usefulness if you became _useless_ afterwards?

And he had become useless except as a giant bloody distraction, and he knew what usually happened to distractions.

It was why he hadn't done much to fight back as his criminal empire collapsed, except to grab those few trustworthy people and flee to the safety of his home. Why he'd stayed there despite the kids' and Cinder's constant harping for him to come out and side with them. He'd spent those five weeks stewing on his choices and counting down the days until the Festival kicked off.

If they could have just stayed hidden that long... things probably would have gone to hell and everyone would have forgotten all about him.

Or at least, forgotten enough that they all could slink out of Vale and make a run for it.

Instead he'd only made it halfway before Callows had fucking found him, killed the sentries he'd had lurking in the sewers, and told him in no uncertain terms that he was on their side permanently. Roman had briefly considered making a fight of it anyway, he'd been leaning towards siding with the kids since they were more likely to let him live in the long-run, even if he thought them far less likely to win the ongoing little war, only for Cinder's brats and this hulking giant to show up as well.

He'd swallowed his pride and folded his cards at that, accepting the inevitable. That had seemed even smarter when Callows had expanded on just who the fuck his 'goddess' was, and just how much power she had. He wasn't entirely sure he bought the whole 'Queen of the Grimm' thing, but he hadn't gotten to where he was in life by taking chances either.

Running from Cinder would have been hard, but doable.

Running from someone who could control _all_ Grimm, _everywhere?_

 _Yeah, sorry kiddos, but fuck that._

Of course he'd still dragged his feet out of some vain hope he'd figure a way out of his situation, or at least way to make himself properly invaluable, and that had ended up biting him in the ass when the kids, Junior, and every other freelancer they could scrounge up had made a move the same night he'd finally been forced to admit it was time to go.

So now he was stuck working for people he thought unlikely to let him live in the long term, and doing so without any backup. Fucking terrific.

Roman fished a cigar out of a pocket, lighting it, trusting the tobacco to soothe his nerves. He had to remember that he'd been in shitty situations before, he just had to keep surviving until the opportune moment. "All right Rainart... we're at your meeting place. What now?"

"Are you sure we were not followed?" Rainart responded, "You informed me that the small one's illusions were more versatile than we were lead to believe."

He scoffed. "Yeah, but even she can't hide an entire damned car. Especially not on these crap dirt roads, and Junior's network doesn't reach outside the city. We're fine."

"Then we wait." Came the flat reply, the man already turning to the worn looking bar that they'd stopped at. It was right on the edge of the farmlands that surrounded Vale proper, settled in at the base of the mountains. "Callows and the White Fang will be here shortly. We will depart with them."

He puffed a few times before shaking his head, "The same incompetent White Fang being hunted by Atlas? Whose own boss had declared them heretics or some shit?"

"They are fanatics." Rainart replied, his tones somehow conveying agreement that he wasn't thrilled to work with them either. "But they have their uses."

Roman grunted, following the man inside. The interior proved to be as worn down as the exterior, and the only person present was a battered old matron of a faunus. One of her rabbit ears had been cut off viciously halfway up, and it twitched with her glare as she looked over them.

"Lock the damned door behind ya." She growled, "Bar's supposed to be closed but there's always some damn idiots who'd try anyway."

He returned her glare in kind, and it was only the logic of her words that got him to kick the door shut before locking it. "Lovely place you found us Rainart, just tremendous customer service."

The man gave him an irritated look as he leaned against a wooden column, crossing his arms and evidently dismissing them both from reality.

 _Ass._

"Watch the attitude, human." The bartender snarled. "I know you were there when Taurus died, that you failed to keep our leader safe. Consider yourself lucky I'm tolerating your smarmy ass at all."

Roman scoffed before taking a long drag of his cigar, "I'm sorry, I don't remember a notch-eared bitchy old whore being present when your glorious leader was getting cut up by a midget of a huntress."

Fingernails skidded across the unpolished wood of the bar, and she actually spat in his direction before stalking into the back room.

"Well, that was easier than I thought." He muttered, stalking over to the bar and checking behind it.

"You would get farther in life by being polite." Rainart rumbled from behind him.

"And I'd fucking live longer if I stopped smoking." Roman replied, picking out a bottle and turning around, "But life's more fun this way."

The man shook his head once, not bothering to open his eyes while Roman settled into a chair and got to work on his new drink. The brandy was shockingly high quality considering the place he'd found it in, and far too good to be sipped straight from the bottle... but he wasn't about to risk a glass, so he made do.

"So." He asked, rubbing out the end of his cigar into an ashtray. "Besides meeting this glorious goddess of all things unholy, what do you exactly expect me to do without my people?"

Rainart was silent for long enough that he wondered if the bastard was going to answer at all, but after nearly a minute he answered, "Thieves of your caliber are few and far between, even fewer still who are currently available. You will be given tasks to complete. You will be paid, you will be allowed to live."

As he was in favor of both of those things, he nodded. "And what exactly am I going to be stealing?"

"You'll find out." Rainart replied, closing his eyes once more as the bartender started up a sink in the kitchens.

 _Ass._

His knowledge of Cinder's little game only ran up until the shit that had gone down last month. Oh he knew there was something involving the Festival as a back-up plan, and that it was probably going to be a bloody and spectacular mess, but the bitch had been cagey about the details even before she'd realized she competition.

He knew the game at this point... they'd give him his missions one at a time, and preferably on as short of notice as they thought they could get away with to minimize the chances he could defect and fuck things up. Still, missions took time, and the longer he had to figure out a new plan the better. Especially since he still had information on the kids that he wasn't about to give up anytime soon. Not out of any sense of obligation, but simply because so long as he held onto it, they had a reason not to kill...

His thought process trailed off as he realized that the bartender hadn't returned, and that the sink was still going.

"Well shit.." Roman muttered, taking a quick swig of brandy. "Rainart, we've got guests."

The man cracked an eye open, frowned, then glanced at the door to the kitchen and nodded slightly. "I see. Whoever is in the back room, you might as well come out."

That was a waste of time and Roman knew it, rising to his feet and taking up his weapon. "How long till your crazy buddy shows up?"

"Not long." Rainart replied, "We can defend ourselves here for more than long enough."

He snorted, glancing at the door, at more importantly, at the darkness behind them. "I doubt it, there aren't any civilians in here."

"Yes, that's good."

"No," He corrected testily, "It's _not,_ because that means we don't have any hostages to keep them from setting the building on fire."

As if summoned by his words, there was a harsh cracking sound from somewhere on the building's second floor, quickly followed by a second in the kitchen, and then yet another outside. Roman flinched back as black smoke promptly began to billow out of the kitchen's door and into the bar proper, and the distinct lack of a fire alarm told him that the kids had been here quite a while.

"Annoying." His new sort-of-probably boss grumbled, turning away from the front door and walking over to large window. He seemed to regard it for a moment, then nodded. "Go to the opposite side. We'll be leaving through that window."

Roman nodded in understanding, moving as quickly as he could in that direction, using the various supporting columns for cover and staying low. While he did that, the other man seized a chair with a single massive hand, turned slightly, then heaved it out through the window before turning to sprint towards in his direction.

For his part, Roman waited a second to hear someone shout in surprise outside, then brought his cane up and blew out his own window before leaping through it.

His feet came down in the gravel parking lot, the building's exterior lights and the building fire providing plenty of light to see from as he snapped his head around, looking for targets. He found one in a black-clad Jaune Arc, the younger man standing next to the truck they'd driven over, its tires obviously slashed courtesy of the kid's sword.

Melodic Cudgel snapped up, a dust flare screaming out to collide with his shield as the kid shook off his shock. Steel gleamed as the blade came up parallel to the ground, gravel crunching as he promptly charged. "Left side!"

"Dammit!" Roman cursed as he kept his own legs moving, firing off a second shot at the ground between them. Stones and dust exploded into a make-shift smoke-screen, letting him reverse direction and head towards the rear of the building just as Rainart exploded out through the broken window.

Sure enough the kid had continued moving farther to the left, expecting Roman to be making for the trees, and he let out a few swear words of his own as he realized he now had opponents on two sides. Roman knew the kid pretty damn well, and he could guess what he'd do; charge right at him as the weaker of the pair and hope to put him down quick.

...he'd have been wrong, because the kid took one look at the giant, actually _snarled_ , and then blitzed right at him.

Roman snapped off the shot he'd been lining up, but since he'd been expecting the kid to move a totally different direction he missed by most of a mile. For his part Rainart let out a grunt of effort as he got his arms up to block an incoming slash, his aura flickering around his limbs as the pair promptly began to exchange vicious attacks with next to no technique.

Which was so fucking out of character for the kid that he needed a moment to gape.

Arc was simply tanking hits that Roman knew he was good enough to avoid, and his attacks were far more wild than skilled. It seemed to have taken the big man off guard as well, since he managed to push Rainart back a couple of paces before he settled in to the strange fight and began taking advantage of the kid's berserker attitude.

Getting his own shit together, he shook himself and started moving away from the increasingly burning building, trying to line up a shot with the kid's back. The slight sound of gravel being disturbed was the only warning he had, but it was enough for him to throw himself forwards right before a bladed dust whip came cracking through the space his head had just occupied.

He rolled away from a follow-up lash that sent small stones flying everywhere, scrambling to his feet to find three more people showing up. Neo, plus the kid's own giant of a man... Vest, that had been his name, both surged over to help Jaune, while Charcoal lazily condensed her weapon into a wickedly barbed sword and sauntered in his direction.

"Charrie." Roman summoned up a smug grin, twirling his cane as he shifted position, putting space between them and the other brawl. "We really have to fight dearie?"

"No, we don't." The Vacuan woman called through her bandanna, her voice amused. "If you give up I'll kill you nice and fast. Least I can do."

He snorted as he settled into a ready stance, "Here I thought we had something special."

"You weren't nearly that good of a lay." She replied, her right arm lashing out in time with the last word.

His arms flexed as he absorbed the attack, making a charge of his own as she fell back, trying to use her long range weapon to its full advantage. He pushed aside two more slashes of the whip, but a trailing end of the third cost him some aura as it got his left shoulder.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, aura or not her jagged blades fucking hurt like hell, he brought his cane down hard at her skull, forcing her to leap aside and retract her whip back into its sword form. That was a fight he'd take any day, and he promptly began to push her back.

Charcoal was a vicious fighter but she also a bitty little thing, not much taller than Neo, and he knew that an up close brawl was not her idea of a good time. He heard her growl as he caught her in the gut, but then it was his turn to curse when body abruptly melted into black ink before he could pull the trigger and seriously nail her.

Jerking his head around, his cane came up as steel flashed from near the tree line, Charcoal working a much faster tempo with her snapping whip-cracks. Rather than charge once again, Roman blocked as best he could, firing off flares that he guided with his semblance, forcing her to waste time directly blocking them.

Their fight quickly fell into a stalemate, but he was entirely conscious of the fact that his strategy was using up his limited ammunition. A glance at the confused mess nearer to the burning structure showed Rainart somehow keep all three of the others off of him, showing some surprising agility to go with his ridiculous strength.

But even as he watched Charcoal shouted something, and the kids abruptly broke away, leaving Vest to hold the bigger man in place while they turned for him.

 _Crap..._

Roman ceased fire at once to save his remaining flares, licking his lips as Charcoal prowled along the edge of the trees, Jaune and Neo keeping a good bit of distance between them as the three began to converge on him from several different angles.

"Do I get a chance to argue my case?" He tried, warily flicking his eyes between the three.

"You would have." Arc replied, "If it had been Cinder here instead of that maniac. Sorry Roman."

His fingers tightened around the grip of his weapon, then he smirked as he noticed something in the distance. The kids noticed his shift in attitude at once, then seemed to finch as a bird started making a racket nearby.

Neo snapped her parasol up between them, covering herself as she looked around, and he knew she spotted the incoming cars because she let out a piercing two-tone whistle. Vest wasted no time in breaking away from Rainart, Roman's ally making no real effort to pursue as all three fell back towards the trees.

 _Sorry kids..._ He thought as he watched them all drew in around Charcoal, the night seeming to become absolute in the area they were standing in. _I like ya both, but not as much as I like being alive._

The last traces of them vanished just as Callows and a truck full of hardcore White Fang members came skidding into the parking lot.

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _And here we go, starting off with the 'end' of the hunt for Roman and our thief's new career as Hazel's partner. I know the chapter isn't quite a beastly as a lot of the prior ones, going to try and pace myself a little bit better in this volume so expect chapters to be between 5 and 6k up until the finale (where I may lengthen things a bit)._

 _A few allusions here and there to other events, some of which will be covered in more detail, others which.. well, won't be due to pacing and time constraints. The next chapter will focus on the new 'normal', or what passes for such at Beacon in the run-up to the Festival._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 **Thanks, Kat**


	53. Semester III: Exchanges

**Exchanges**

* * *

Neo yawned as she watched the morning news, rolling her eyes at the way the reporter gushed about how Pyrrha Nikos' team from Beacon had prevented a gang war from spilling onto the streets. That made her want to laugh a little, despite how tired she was after their very long Friday evening.

Despite not killing or capturing Roman, they'd accomplished more than a few objectives and had come out very much ahead of the game for once. The Torchwick criminal empire was now assuredly dead, gone, and buried, leaving him with no real allies within the city itself. Even better, team RAVN's 'fortuitous' appearance had 'driven the gangs into the sewers' while preventing anyone from grabbing the weapons and dust that had been piled into the trucks.

Of course, Junior's people had dragged Roman's with them to be dealt with appropriately, and had even managed to back-track their way to Roman' private bunker thanks to their prisoners. They'd found plenty of luxuries, armaments, and the gods knew what else down there, and so far as she knew Junior and the Malachites were probably _still_ drinking in celebration.

Jaune had drank when they'd gotten back as well, partly because they hadn't gotten Roman, partly because they'd spotted one of the men who'd haunted their mutual nightmares, but most of all so that he wouldn't have to think about what fate had awaited Rufus and the others; people they'd worked with once upon a time.

He was soft hearted like that... and as always it made her worry for the giant idiot.

Still, those concerns aside, their various alliances were paying dividends. RAVN was providing all the cover they needed as far Beacon was concerned; she'd already gotten a text message from Ren indicating that Ozpin had questioned and then praised them for their actions last night. The Red Axe gang had done its part to dismantle Roman's creation, and were now poised to be the ruling elite of the criminal underworld, an elite that was already gushing with gratitude for their help.

Most importantly... a certain shape-shifting bandit queen had been able to follow Roman and his new friends after they'd left the inferno of a bar, tracking them down to their new base of operations. She and Jaune had wanted to continue the pursuit on hearing back from Branwen, it had taken Vest calmly pointing out that they all below half on their aura gauges to make them realize they were letting emotions drive them instead of proper planning.

Or... well, he'd convinced Jaune anyway. She'd still wanted to finish them off last night, but she'd been out-voted three to one.

As much as she loathed having to _wait_ once again, at least they knew the location of the faunus owned farm playing host to the hardcore remains of the White Fang, plus Roman, plus the giant asshole, plus maybe even the crazy psycho. Assuming that the jerks stayed in place until they had enough back-up to go after them, and assuming that Ironwood or Ozpin didn't find Roman in the meantime.

Neo's tired musings were broken when the front door clicked, glancing up to see her apprentice arriving. Sable Arc looked entirely too awake for ten in the morning, but the massive box of doughnuts she was carrying earned her some degree of forgiveness.

"Morning." Sable offered, kicking the door shut behind her as she moved towards the small kitchen. "The lazy bastard still sleeping?"

Obviously.

Sable snorted. Five weeks wasn't nearly enough to learn proper sign language, never mind the more custom version that Neo typically used, but the older girl was proving fairly adept at picking up the gist of her words if not the actual details.

"I heard how last night went." She continued, setting the box on the table before heading to grab plates. "Should I be offering congratulations or condolences?"

Neo waggled a hand back and forth, a bit of both really.

"Hmm. You going after them again tonight?"

No, they'd probably be on their guard so soon after everything blowing up on them. She'd be going out with Charcoal on a reconnaissance run, just to make sure they were still all at the farm and maybe get some remote cameras set up around the place, they needed to make sure they were actually _staying_ there, but they wouldn't be going in after them just yet.

The blonde woman's lips pursed as the conversation grew more technical, but she nodded slightly after Neo used a few simple gestures to clarify things. "Oh, right. Are we still doing training today?"

She supposed, it was important too, but she wanted to be in bed by three or four at the latest.

"Maybe Jaune can work with me after, will he be free?"

Neo shook her head, she'd need him to help her relax enough to sleep the afternoon away. The other woman didn't seem to quite grasp those gestures, and Neo eventually rolled her eyes before bringing her fingers up in a V and sticking her tongue in between them.

Sable coughed, "Oh, uh, I really don't need to know that kind of thing about my _brother_ , Neo."

Smirking, she shook her head and settled in at the kitchen table. It was her fault for wanting to know if he was available.

"I'll ask some of the students then." Sable said, finally setting the plates down and taking a seat herself. "Schnee or Nikos maybe, they both seem determined to help me."

Neo shrugged and helped herself to a cake doughnut with chocolate frosting and sprinkles, beaming with pleasure as she discovered that it was still warm. Her apprentice must have gotten them from the mall on her way over... she'd trained her so well.

"You just thought something insulting or possessive about me, didn't you?"

Neo simply smiled at her and took another delicious bite.

There was a heartfelt sigh before Sable started in on her own breakfast. Jaune managed to drag himself out of bed around when they were finishing their first doughnuts, mumbling something vaguely apologetic to them both as he made himself a cup of Nirvana before succumbing to a drugged haze while he ate.

He returned to Remnant around the same time Neo returned from getting dressed and ready for her day, retaking her seat and sipping some juice while Sable finished her breakfast. "You guys going to go spar?"

She nodded, then updated him as to what she'd seen on the news this morning.

"I'm sure Pyrrha is thrilled." He sighed when she finished, setting his empty mug aside and rubbing at his forehead. "Do the authorities know that Roman got away?"

Someone had spotted him in the truck on its way out of the area, before he'd gotten himself entirely under cover in the back. They hadn't tracked him to the gates yet... or, well, they probably _had_ but no one had bothered to tell the media just yet.

Jaune let out a breath, "Well... crap. Roman will know he's been made, he'll be watching the news too. It won't take much effort to connect his escaping the city with the bar burning down the very same night. Fifty-fifty he stays put or bolts."

Neo shrugged, then outlined her plans for the rest of the day and night.

"Sounds good," He said when she finished, "They probably won't risk moving so suddenly so I think we can wait until evening. I'll message Charcoal for you, make sure she's good to back you up. We'll have to figure out a time we can go after them."

Neo grimaced. That wouldn't be easy, that far outside of the city... Junior would never send his people out that far, and the brats obviously couldn't leave without drawing a storm of questions. It would just be them, Charcoal, Vest, and then _maybe_ Raven and Levi depending on the timing.

"I know, I know." He rubbed tiredly at his head, clearly still feeling the hangover despite the coffee that normally got rid of it instantly. "But it's go after him soon or risk Ironwood catching him first... and now I'm nervous about sending you at there at all, even just for recon."

That was stupid, they _had_ to know.

"Yeah, but you want to run into a Specialist team while you're out there?" He countered, "Your only way out of that would be your semblance, and if Cinder gets wind of a short woman vanishing in a shatter of glass..."

Neo ground her teeth at the reference to her height, but pushed past it. That was a risk they were going to have to take. Atlas and Vale weren't likely pick out the exact farm by tonight, and any cameras or traps they setup could warn them when they did.

Jaune's nose flared a little as he exhaled, nodding after a long moment. "Maybe... either way I think we might need to him them sooner rather than later. This might be the time to to call in Vest's and Levi's favors for some heavy support."

Sable coughed, "Uh, Jaune? I thought you said we needed those to run away if things got bad. And wouldn't that be kind of obvious to, well, everyone?"

"Not if we arrange it quietly, even farther outside of the city." Jaune shook his head, "But that's just one idea. If things are open enough, maybe Neo can take Charrie in and handle things quietly."

His sister licked her lips, looking down at her plate. "Assassinate them, you mean."

Jaune exhaled softly, "...pretty much."

A hand rose to rub at at her hair, the same tic that Neo so often saw in Jaune. "Right. They're criminals, terrorists, and assholes who murdered hundreds of innocent people by siccing Grimm on them. Even if the cops caught them they'd probably just be killed resisting arrest and all the camera footage would mysteriously go missing."

Probably, Neo agreed, and it was more than the jerks really deserved. She'd been prepared to try and take Roman alive, even if the guy had crossed a few lines, but seeing him working with the same giant who had been at the Academy?

He'd blown his last chance to rejoin them.

Her partner gave her an irritated look before turning back to his sister, "You sure you're all right with all of this?"

"Honestly, struggling a bit. I have to repeat that to myself a lot." Sable shook her head once. "But it's part of the job, right? Hunting down criminals, then killing them?"

"It's the part of the job that people don't like to talk about." Jaune said, "Fighting Grimm is neat, simple, goes well on recruiting posters. Hunting down people like Torchwick, or Raven Branwen if we're being honest, is... a lot harder and a lot messier. But it's something that has to be done, and something that you can't really send normal cops and detectives to handle."

And, Neo pointed out, people like that were almost always far too strong to take alive. Especially once you included things like semblances, how much effort you'd need to pin them down, and how many Grimm might show up if you trying to do it outside of the city's defenses.

"Then there's trying to keep them prisoner long term." Her partner continued with a sigh, "Think of Roman. His semblance is pretty basic, dust manipulation of any dust in the area around him... but even a couple of minutes thinking about it makes you realize how dangerous that could be. Then there's semblances like Branwen's, or Glynda's, or Pyrrha's..."

"And even if the kingdom _wanted_ to try and contain people like that, it would cost them a small fortune to manage it." Sable shook her head again, "I know, I know. I'm just... still adjusting, you know?"

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I'm the one that muscled my way into this." She replied, rising from her seat, "You sure there's nothing I can do to help?"

It was Jaune's turn to shake his head as Neo also stood, "If you're up for playing operator, we might need that since Junior's probably going to be busy consolidating his gains. You'd mostly be listening in, sitting in here taking notes, and making excuses for us if anyone came by."

From the way the woman grimaced, she'd been hoping for something a little more active, reminding Neo painfully of the naive idiot her partner had been when she'd first been stuck with him. She'd been doing her best to beat the stupidity out of the taller woman, but stubbornness was evidently a defining family trait.

Neo gave Jaune a quick kiss, enjoying the coffee flavor for a moment, then told him that she expected him to be free to nap with her all afternoon.

"Yes dear." He sighed as he picked out another doughnut. "I'm going to be late catching up with you two, I want to talk to Cinder first. Maybe push her a bit and see if she gives us anything on her old friends now that we know they're definitely around."

She pursed her lips but nodded, unable to argue with that. Just so long as he remembered that they weren't about to buy into what Cinder was selling when it came to her being 'rogue' from said old friends, not unless they witnessed her fighting for her life against them.

...and Neo still wasn't sure she'd believe it even then.

"I know, I know." Jaune replied, taking a quick bite and replying once he'd gotten it down. "I won't promise anything, as usual. Still, this might be a good way to find out just what role she's playing in that group right now."

Neo frowned, not sure she believed that he wouldn't keep trying to get 'friendly' with their rival. How so?

He shrugged, "Cinder is in as much danger as we are if those guys really aren't on her side, or if he somehow does end up in the authorities' hands. Sure the cops might not believe him about the details, but Ozpin and Ironwood would have all of their alarms start up even if he doesn't give up names."

Sable hummed, rejoining the conversation as she put her plate into the sink and then leaned against the counters. "So... if she wants to help you kill him, then you think she might actually be splitting apart from them?"

"It would be a sign in that direction." Jaune said, "I doubt Callows and the big man would go through all of the effort to get Roman and his people out of the city if they didn't have something only he could do."

True, Neo agreed. Still, she wanted him to be careful and to definitely not fall for any niceties she threw out. Their limited experiences with Raven had taught them that magic was way above and beyond what they'd originally thought, so they had no real ideas as to the limits regarding Cinder's powers. Or her little accomplices' semblances.

"I know, I know." He smiled, "I'll be careful, and I'll meet you both in the gardens once I'm done calling Charrie and dealing with Cinder."

Neo nodded firmly, then frowned at the box before pointedly closing it over the last doughnut. She was going to have that one when she got back, he was not to touch it.

"...yes dear." He repeated, rolling his eyes, "Have fun beating up your apprentice."

His sister made a whip cracking sound in retaliation, Neo smirking as he glowered at the both of them. The sight only made Sable snicker, and they headed out to their usual spot, leaving him to his breakfast.

* * *

Emerald lurked in the back of Cinder's office, listening as her mistress continued her scroll call, and doing her best to remain very, very still.

"This was not the plan." Cinder growled, finger nails drumming on her desk, her blazing eyes glaring at the scroll resting in front of her. "He is supposed to be _dead_ , Hazel."

" _He is still of use to us."_ The man's deep rumble sounded bizarre from the tiny speakers, " _The primary plan is still salvageable."_

"I am on the one the ground here." Cinder retaliated hotly, "This was my decision to make, not yours. Kill him in his sleep and then return to the secondary-"

" _No. There has been enough killing."_

Emerald winced as her mistress took in a seething breath, a hand clenching into a fist before she forced it to relax. "The remaining White Fang have been disposed of?"

" _Tyrian will handle it."_

That drew a second wince. Emerald didn't mind killing, or even mind it when things got messy, but there was a whole world of difference between 'messy' and 'Tyrian Callows levels of messy'. Even _Cinder_ tended to get a little grossed out by what the insane freak was capable of... there probably wouldn't even be enough left of the faunus to identify a single one of them.

Still, while she didn't know Cinder's full plans, she knew that tying up loose ends was necessary at this point. Anyone who knew about their involvement in the Breach had to go, as did anyone who could conceivably work out such things. Torchwick had been high on their kill list, but given everything else they'd had to handle, Cinder had made the command decision to leave that hunt to Arc and his little faction.

After all, that group needed him dead as well, and it would serve to reveal the extent of their assets... and so Hazel and Tyrian pulling the man's ass out of the fire had definitely _not_ been part of the plan.

"I see." Cinder replied, her tones shifting to the flat ones she reserved for when she was furious but unable to act upon her anger. "If you wish to utilize the fool and attempt to salvage the primary plan, you may do so at your own risk. I will not be assisting, all of my efforts are going to be focused on the secondary plan."

" _You will assist-"_

She cut him off before he could even really begin, _"_ I will do no such thing without a direct order from our master. This mission has already become more complicated than my worst case projections, and I am sick of setbacks caused by the incompetence of cat's paws. I am enacting the secondary protocol and that is final."

"... _very well."_ The man ended the call without another word, leaving Cinder to mutter something derogatory but accurate in the silence that followed.

Knowing better than to speak when her mistress was in this kind of mood, Emerald ghosted into the kitchen and began making a cup of Cinder's favorite tea, taking exquisite care to do so as perfectly and as quietly she could manage.

"Idiots." Cinder hissed as she took the tea when it was done, all but ignoring her as she idled back away from the desk. "This has Tyrian's fingerprints all over it. He wants to impress his goddess by salvaging the old plan, and Hazel is just going along with it out of some idiotic desire to avoid additional bloodshed... gods, maybe the delusional idiot thinks that Roman might be able to get him into Ozpin's chambers or something."

Emerald licked her lips, not sure if she should respond or not, but felt as if she should at least try to calm her mistress down. "Do you want me to...?"

Cinder glanced up at her, pursing her lips as though only just now noticing her. "Want you to what? Eliminate the morons? As much as the idea appeals you would be slaughtered like a dog. I have not invested years into you only to see it thrown away."

"I-I know." She swallowed, "I meant kill Roman. I think I could do that much for you, ma'am."

That seemed to make Cinder pause for a moment, glancing at her tea before sipping from it. "...no. She would not tolerate that level of infighting."

"Yes ma'am, I'm sorry, it was just an idea."

Cinder took another sip of her tea, tellingly _not_ telling her off for thinking outside the box for once. It was probably a sign of just how distracted she was, that she was willing to tolerate such things, but Emerald wasn't about to push her luck and fell silent once more.

It took her most of ten minutes, and a second glass of tea, before Cinder seemed to have calmed herself enough to speak. "Status report on your team."

"We are ready, ma'am." Emerald replied at once. "I would like to do some additional work with the other two, but Mercury and I will be more than ready for the doubles round. He investigated the likely competition and should have a preferred list of opponents to you by the end of the week."

"Do not let up on your training, or on your teammates." Cinder informed her sharply, "I will give you the weakest opposition possible, but the four on four round will be the most chaotic, and no matter what circumstances occur you will _not_ reveal your semblance."

"Yes ma'am." She said, even though this had been about the fiftieth time that Cinder had reminded her. Not that she blamed her, not after Taurus and Torchwick had managed to so thoroughly screw up their plans.

"Good." Cinder replied, a slow breath betraying her continued efforts to calm herself, though her eyes sharpened once again as someone knocked on the door. "Who is it?"

" _It's Jaune."_ The fellow criminal called back, " _I was hoping you had time for some coffee."_

Cinder made a single motion, Emerald quickly shifting into the kitchen where she wouldn't be immediately visible to someone stepping in. Once she was in place, Cinder called for the other fake professor to enter.

Focusing herself, Emerald cast her semblance out the moment he stepped inside, willing herself to be invisible to his attention as he closed the door behind him. She stayed in place, listening as the two exchanged pleasant greetings while the man took the office's only armchair... but for once Cinder's mask wasn't entirely in place, and as Arc idly, if pointlessly, caught her up onto what had happened last night, he seemed to notice.

"This isn't news to you, is it?" He asked, when he'd finished.

"As much as I would like to pretend that it is, it is not." Cinder admitted after a long moment, probably where she was trying to decide whether or not to lie. "I had an observer in the area, and I had high hopes that you would be eliminating a mutual headache for us... yet instead Roman escapes once more."

"Yeah." Arc replied, his lanky body relaxed in the room's only armchair. "It's getting aggravating to be honest."

Her master chuckled quietly, "Were _you_ not the one who assisted in several of those close escapes?"

The man looked like he tried to scowl, but the almost rueful grin on his lips ruined it. "I suppose we did."

Cinder chuckled, setting her tea onto her desk before stretching her arms lazily above her head. It was a subtle temptation, one that Arc didn't seem to fall for, his eyes remaining up. "In truth you saved me some effort in that regard, I'd have had to arrange such things myself if Roman hadn't indicated he already had options. Still, that was then and this is now. I think we are both in agreement that we cannot allow him to spill our secrets."

"We are." Arc replied, folding his hands together, "But the fact remains that it was your own allies who aided and abetted in his escape."

"My _former_ allies." She corrected him tersely.

"Of course." Arc smiled in a way that screamed that he didn't believe that for a second, "Neo and I were wondering what your take on the situation was, and if you had any plans to deal with him."

Emerald reflexively tightened her fists at the mention of the little bitch, but forced herself to relax and stay focused as Cinder did the same, settling back in her chair. "Roman is powerful and skilled, but he is also a rat at heart. If he sees the chance to trade our secrets to Ozpin in exchange for life under house arrest, or perhaps even merely exile to another kingdom, he will do so in less than a heartbeat."

Arc nodded once, "Agreed."

Cinder seemed to hesitate once more, a very unusual action for her, then she made Emerald's jaw drop. "I am contemplating an anonymous tip to the General. A bombardment of the farm he is hiding within could be undertaken as soon as tonight."

She nearly ruined her illusion by speaking up without concealing her voice, and only barely strangled her words. _What about Tyrian and Hazel?_

"...that's an idea." Arc allowed, looking almost as surprised as Emerald felt. "But it's a dangerous one. What if they decide to take him alive instead?"

Her mistress shrugged, "Do you not have a teleporting assassin on retainer? If you require aid in arranging a power black-out for her to operate, I would be willing to loan myself and my disciples to that operation."

"Maybe." The man still looked a little uncertain at the idea, "I'd rather wait a few days however. We were going to set up surveillance around-"

Cinder cut him off firmly, though not rudely, "He will be gone by then Jaune. Neither he nor my former associates will trust the White Fang, they will eliminate them soon if they haven't already, then depart to more secure location. If we are going to do this, it is best to do it as soon as possible."

Arc exhaled slowly, fingers tightening around the armrest of his chair before he relaxed them. "You're asking for my blessing? I figured you'd just go ahead and do it."

"Were you not the one implying we must coordinate to a greater degree?" Cinder asked in return, "You gave me details about your operation, more than the observers I had in place were able to determine. I thought a display of reciprocity would assure you that we _are_ still allies, and that I desire to remain your friend, Jaune."

Emerald was feeling increasingly lost as to where Cinder was going with all of this, shaking her head slightly as the man stewed on it.

After several moments he shook his head, "It's not a bad plan, and you're probably right about them bailing. How do you want to send the tip?"

The two masterminds spent most of twenty minutes covering the details, working through various means of ensuring that all of their targets were hit. It needed to be anonymous, it needed to reach the General and Ozpin to ensure it was acted upon, and it needed to be explicit in the demand for haste. After some discussion the wording and targets for the messages were settled on, and both allocated themselves half of the persons of interest to send the messages to.

Once they were finished, Cinder rose as the polite host to walk him out, both of them obviously needing to get to work. Arc obliged, allowing himself to be shepherded to the door, but he paused there before it could open.

"Cinder." His voice was quiet, and Emerald quickly padded closer to be sure that she could hear the full conversation. "Maybe it's time you thought of another way to your goals, one other than working with a creature like Salem."

Emerald could count on one finger the number of times she'd ever seen her mistress rattled, but that sentence managed to do it, and Arc took advantage by departing before she could respond.

Yet again she found herself staying very quiet as Cinder closed the door after him, staring at the blank wood for a few seconds before speaking. "Emerald, retrieve the scrolls we set aside, the ones with Watt's encryption. Select two of them for this purpose."

"Yes ma'am." She bowed, "Um... what about Tyrian and Hazel? They're with him..."

"I will warn them." Cinder responded flatly, still not looking at her. "Wait, what of your other mission."

Her mouth dried, and she swallowed against it. "I... I found the twins' apartment, and I know what room the older sister is in at the dorms. But I wasn't able to find out who is protecting them or get a feel for their schedule."

Cinder's voice became dangerously quiet. "Emerald..."

"S-someone is protecting them!" She rushed to defend herself, "Merc and I could both tell we were being watched, but they were too good for us to get a good ID on. It seemed best to play it cautious, you said to take no chances!"

Her mistress' body seemed to tighten like a spring before slowly relaxing, "I suppose that I did."

"Should I allocate the weekend for-"

"No." Cinder stated tersely, still not turning around. "Arc is too skilled, and seeing the pair of you following his siblings will ruin the rapport I am trying to establish. Leave them be. All of our focus must be on the secondary plan."

"Yes ma'am." Emerald nearly ran the words together in her haste to get them out, "I understand."

"Do you?" Her head finally turned, and she fought the urge to flinch at seeing the fire blazing from her eyes. "His efforts, his timing... it was the perfect moment. He is honestly attempting to lure me away from Salem and into his little faction."

She licked her lips, "...you said Salem was dangerous. More dangerous than anyone. Even you."

"She is." Cinder stated, slowly beginning to walk away, moving towards the windows behind her desk. "And it is she who promised me power, gave me the ability to rob that little weakling of the gifts she did not deserve. And yet..."

"...ma'am?"

There was a slow inhalation, "Consider his words, Emerald. Not the final parting shot, but his description of their raid on Torchwick's lair and their pursuit. Consider the facts."

She blinked. "What about it?"

Cinder turned, the anger making her flinch back until her shoulder-blades hit the wall. "I have spent years developing and molding your mind, _disciple._ Use it."

It was hard, thinking under pressure, but as she'd said, she'd had years of training both physical and mental. She managed to dismiss the very real threat in Cinder's voice and bearing, and instead furiously ran through everything that both Arc and Hazel had descried about last night. Things had to have started when they'd found Torchwick's bunker, probably thanks to their evident alliance with the rest of the city's underworld. After that it would have been a simple matter to arrange the attack, it was likely just lucky timing that had seen Roman start his evacuation the same night they'd decided to go down after him.

After that, they'd just have to follow... wait.

"Hazel said they weren't followed, right?" She asked as politely and evenly as she could, "He was certain?"

"Yes."

"Then... how did they track them all the way to the bar? That was, what, twenty or thirty miles? More?" Emerald shook her head in confusion, "On open dirt roads too, once you're out that far. Even if that little whore's semblance is better than she lets on, there's no way she could conceal an entire _car_ for that long. Nevermind the dust it would kick up."

"No." Cinder agreed, "She could not, not unless she had a sizable power source behind her... or unless it wasn't her who followed them at all."

She swallowed, "You... think _she_ is a maiden?"

"I highly doubt it, her temperament is not one to conceal such a talent, but the possibility exists." Cinder turned back to the window, staring out at the school's grounds, "I think it more likely that they have found other allies, allies they did not see fit to reveal directly."

Emerald shook her head, "...meaning?"

"Meaning I have additional factors that I must now consider." Cinder replied flatly, "If I recall, I gave you a task. Get it done."

"Of course Cinder, at once."

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _And the intrigue continues. These past two chapters probably could/should have been a single chapter, looking back on it, but right now I'm finding it easier to get these shorter ones completed. What this might mean moving forwards is that the overall chapter length of V3 might be longer than the prior ones, even if the actual word count is the same... or a lot of the side-plots are going to quietly shuffled aside and only referenced. I'm honestly not sure yet, we'll see how it goes as I write it._

 _Next chapter will obviously continue the fallout from the Roman decision, and touch on what the various students are up to. The Roman mini-arc will probably last until chapter four or so, at least at the current pacing. After that we'll be starting to rev up with a few small time skips as we draw ever closer to the Vytal Festival._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 **Thanks, Kat**


	54. Semester III: Flash

**Flash**

* * *

Yang ducked the punch thrown at her head, her left arm lashing out in a jab that ended at her opponent's nose. The ice eyed bitch hissed in pain as her head snapped back, feet quickly shifting as she backed away, batting aside a second jab, but snarling when a haymaker collided with her right ear.

Vernal went down hard, but bounced back up to her feet almost at once, a leg snapping up to plant itself into Yang's gut before she could recover from the heavy punch she'd just thrown. The blow knocked the wind out of her, forcing her back in turn, and the two women warily expanded the distance, panting and glowering at one another.

"Good." Her mother nodded from where she stood on the sidelines, leaning against a tree near the shores of some river. Yang hadn't bothered to ask where they were, beyond 'somewhere in Mistral', since it wasn't really relevant to the fact that she was usually fighting for her life the moment she arrived. "You're finally even on your feet."

Yang fought the urge to grind her teeth or glare at her mother, knowing better than to take her eyes off of her opponent. That proved to entirely prudent as her mother's little bodyguard came flying at her the moment Raven was done speaking.

She was pretty sure she was physically stronger than the smaller girl, and definitely had longer reach, but that mattered a whole lot less than it should have since the bitch had two arms to Yang's one. Vernal began to drive her back almost at once, taking what few counter-punches Yang could throw with sneering dismissal in favor of hammering at her head, chest, and stomach.

It was just as one sided as damn near every other fight her mother had forced her into over the past five weeks, the outcome seemingly inevitable. Or it would have been, if not for the fact that her mom, obnoxious bitch that she could be, actually _had_ taught her a few things... as much as Yang hated to admit it.

Her semblance built as her body took one hit after another, heat shimmering around her as her anger grew, and she felt the shift in the fight as Vernal slowly started to worry about what was going on. Normally by this point Yang would have given into the budding rage, losing her temper and lashing out wildly, but today she finally managed to reign it in entirely.

Planting her feet, she snarled and brought her arm back as though about to loose a semblance-enhanced punch, and wasn't surprised at when Vernal ducked and threw a jab right into her stomach.

 _Perfect._

Her coiled body surged forwards, her right knee driving up and into the bandit's chin, snapping her head up enough for Yang to wrap her fingers in her short hair. The woman had time to snarl before Yang's forehead broke her nose, stunning her, leaving her entirely open as Yang gave in, using her semblance to send strength and fire flooding into her legs, letting her repeatedly ram her knee into her foe's stomach and thighs.

Vernal managed to jerk herself away, coughing and gasping, but her staggering left her entirely open for the final punch that collided with her cheek and put her down.

Yang stared at her fallen opponent, her single fist clenched as her chest heaved... anger not abating as her mother clapped her hands slowly together. "The record is now Yang Xiao-Long one, Vernal forty-seven. Perhaps in another fifty weeks you'll break even."

"I hate you." She hissed, feeling her strength abruptly fade along with her semblance as she seriously began to gasp for air. "I really, _really_ hate you."

"I don't mind your hatred, Yang." Her mother replied, stepping out of her patch of shade and into the sunlight. "So long as you're gaining in strength."

"...not that crap again." Yang shook her head, moving away from Vernal without turning her back on the groaning woman until she was a couple yards away. It had taken all of one weekend to pound that level of paranoia into her. "I'm not doing the philosophy thing again."

Raven rolled her eyes as she followed her to where several bottles of water were resting beside a quiet but observant Blake. Her mom waved for Vernal to limp her way back to the tribe's camp in the trees behind them before following. "Are you not stronger now than you were five weeks ago? Are you not done moping over what happened?"

Yang felt her teeth grind again, accepting a bottle from her partner. She was, and she was... but it wasn't the results that mattered in her opinion.

Well... they weren't _all_ that mattered.

Her mother was evidently the kind of person who taught her children how to swim by throwing them into shark infested waters in the middle of a hurricane. Then, if they made it back to shore, she kicked them even farther out to see if they managed to make it back a second time... just to be sure they were actually strong rather than merely being lucky.

She'd started Yang's personal training by fighting her personally, which had been both utterly humiliating and utterly terrifying. Her mother made Pyrrha look positively _normal_ when it came to combat, and with only her one arm Yang hadn't been able to do much more than be a training dummy to be wailed on.

Raven had beaten her until her aura was drained, gave her boosters, water, and food to let her recover, and then had done it again. And then again. Then she'd yanked her out of classes on Monday by opening a portal right under Yang's feet while she'd been eating breakfast, stealing one of Beacon's benches in the process and scaring her team half to death, and then had proceeded to pummel her daughter once again.

As harsh as it was... she'd started to figure out the purpose behind it, listening to Raven's harsh criticisms out of a lack of anything else to focus on.

Her mom had hammered her, both in terms of how she fought, and how she reacted to things. She'd brutally mocked Yang's reaction to Pyrrha early in the semester, calling her out as a girl so arrogant and egotistical that she couldn't handle realizing she wasn't the biggest fish in the pond anymore. In Yang's opinion that was hypocrisy on a scale so massive it probably qualified as a psychological condition... but after stewing on it for most of a week, she'd had been forced to admit that Raven might have had a point.

She'd gone into Beacon as Signal's best prospect by a wide margin, to the point where she had a hard time remembering the last time she'd lost a sparring match against anyone her age. Between her skills and her semblance she'd flattened everything and everyone she'd ever come up against.

Jaune, ever the optimist, had thought she'd over-reacted to Pyrrha out of a fear for Ruby... and maybe that was part of it, but.. maybe her mom was right too.

Her reliance on her semblance, and her general lack of control over it, had been the point of humiliating situations. It had only been once Raven thought that Yang could control her temper and keep her semblance at least mostly leashed that she'd graduated to more standard spars. The time between sessions had shifted from mocking criticisms of her skills to more serious discussions about actual fighting styles.

...and enough crap about Ozpin, team STRQ, and Remnant in general to give her nightmares.

"You're still a terrible person." She muttered, giving Blake a grateful nod when she realized that the bottle was already open.

"But I am a very good combat instructor." Raven countered, crossing her arms and smirking down at her, "Or you'd still be trying to avoid getting dragged here every weekend."

Yang glared as best she could while downing the entire bottle, gasping a little as she tossed it aside. "I'd still be trying if we could think of a way to avoid your stupid semblance."

Raven snorted, still looking pleased with herself. "Liar. You were cleared to rejoin combat classes, were you not? Was it not thanks to my training?"

"You can hardly take full credit." Blake said, her voice mild. She, unlike Yang, was always careful to be at least moderately respectful to Raven. Mostly because she didn't have any kind of blood relation to protect her if she pissed her off, not that her own status protected Yang... but Blake thought it best to err on the side of caution.

The older woman scoffed, "I will take whatever credit I desire. She was a moping, mewling mess before I began bringing her here."

Yang's glare worsened as she sat down beside Blake, trying not to show how good relaxing felt. "And you're cruel, obsessed, and I still don't believe half the things you told me."

"I am not cruel." Her mother retaliated at once, "I am _efficient._ I do not take joy in seeing my daughter thrown about, I take it in seeing you stand proud and powerful. If you would like me to go easier on you, please tell me a training method that would have helped you recover more quickly. I will happily switch to it."

The worst part was that she was probably being entirely honest. So far as her mother was concerned, strength was everything, and she'd started to entirely understand Qrow's frustration with his sister. Of course... she'd also started to understand her mom's philosophy, and that was the more terrifying thing to realize.

She didn't _agree_ with it or anything like that, but she was starting to wrap her head around it. Or at least she was starting to get the basics of it... and seeing the rest of the tribe was making her wonder just how the hell uncle Qrow had turned out mostly normal in the end.

Summer must have been some kind of saint to have managed even that much, even if she'd failed to change Raven.

"And besides," Raven continued, "I'm sure you've both seen what Neopolitan does to her personal student, her lover's own sibling. Is how I train you all that different?"

That drew a grimace and a disgust sound as she looked away, staring out at the river. "...she's not Sable's mom."

There was a quiet scoff, "You've told me several times, and in no uncertain terms, that Summer was your true mother."

Yang's fist tightened at having her own words thrown back at her, "Yeah, well, you apparently still feel something for me, or you wouldn't be bothering with all of this."

"Obviously." Raven responded. "But in either case, I think we are done for the day."

Her anger faded as she blinked, glancing up. "Already? No throwing me out into the river? No ranting against Ozpin?"

"You have evidently made your choice." Her mother shook her head, "I suppose I can respect the fact that it is centered around protecting your family rather than any belief in Ozpin himself, but I will warn you again that it won't matter Yang. He'll use you until you have nothing left to give, just as he did us."

Blake winced and looked away, Yang trying not to notice as she tried to defend the Headmaster once again. "You don't know that."

" _You_ don't know him _._ " Raven countered. "You still haven't confronted him, have you?"

It was Yang's turn to look away at that, her, gaze returning to the river as Blake quietly spoke. "We spoke with your brother, and with Mister Xiao-Long. They said you were half-right and half-wrong."

"And all self-centered." Yang muttered. "As usual."

There was a snort, then a quiet groan as her mother actually lowered herself down with them, sitting on the grass just a foot or two away from her. "Tai never understood me... as much as he tried, and Qrow has been crippled by self-loathing for more than a decade now. He refuses to see the tribe as anything but common scum."

"Which they are." Yang pointed out darkly.

Raven flicked a dismissive hand as she leaned back, "To someone from Vale, perhaps, but how many times have I told you that truth is something different to ever person? To you or Tai, or Summer, the Branwen must seem alien. To me they are my _family_ , the people who taught me, raised me, nurtured me, and your precious Vale is little more than a collection of coddled morons with no understanding of the real world. The Tribe... they are my people, and I will do _anything_ to protect them."

Yang bit her lip, looking down at the grass. "That's why you didn't come back. You already had a family, no room for another."

"Yang..." Blake started to shift, as if to give them privacy, only to stop as Yang shot her hand out to grab her wrist.

"No way. I had to deal with your family drama." She growled. "You get to deal with mine."

Her partner blinked then sighed and nodded, settling back down. "Sorry... it's just... well, I didn't think you were going to ask."

"You weren't the only one." Raven commented, "Took you a month to find your spine."

Yang's fingers tightened angrily around Blake's arm before she forced herself to let go, her best friend tactfully not commenting on the unpleasant squeeze. "...is that really why you never came back?"

"I _did_ return to Patch." Her mother countered, irritation coloring her voice as her lips pressed together for a moment. "When I came back to the tribe after the death of our former leader, I found it a disgusting mess. They had forgotten the true meaning of the Branwen name."

"Your insane philosophy." She snorted

"My insane philosophy is what keeps us strong and alive, and our raids efficient." Raven said icily, "A destroyed village cannot be attacked a second time, a dead farmer cannot grow crops to take, a legion of weak-willed idiots draws Grimm even more severely than any collection of civilians. My foolish predecessor had come to believe in strength of numbers, in spreading terror, and it took me some time to correct those idiotic mistakes."

Blake made a quiet sound, "You killed your own people."

"Do your kingdoms not imprison or kill criminals who step over your lines?" Her mother asked in return.

Yang shook her head, "Just get on with it. When did you come back to Patch?"

"Perhaps a year, year and a half after my departure, once I was proud of the Tribe and certain that they would not rebel if I departed for a few days." Her voice grew cool and distant. "It was... not the homecoming I had expected."

"You walked in on Summer and dad." She guessed. "Oh, gods, was Summer pregnant with Ruby by then?"

"Yes." The word was... Yang would have almost called it pained if Raven hadn't shaken herself slightly and continued in her usual tones. "I was as thrilled as you could expect me to be, and informed Tai that I would be taking you back with me. He objected, we argued, then came to blows. I overpowered and wounded him, but Qrow and even Summer joined in as well and drove me back. Tai told me in no uncertain terms to never return. That if they even suspected me of being present that they would relocate the family to Beacon and live under Ozpin's direct protection."

Yang shook her head, trying to imagine living in the freaking school. "And so you just followed me around like a stalker instead. Were you waiting on a chance to kidnap or something?"

"Initially, until I realized you were attempting to locate me." Raven shrugged, "I decided that would do as well as any other test of strength. If you could find me and the Tribe, you would be worthy of joining, and I would tell you anything you wished to know."

"Guess I'm a disappointment in all kinds of ways then." Yang huffed, "I'm not interested in joining your tribe."

"For now, perhaps."

"No, I mean _never._ I'll even spell it out: I'm _never_ joining your tribe." She growled, "Look... I guess I kind of get where you're coming from, but I'm _not_ like you. I never will be."

Her mother glanced at her, then shook her head once. "Never is a very long time Yang, and you still don't really know me... but I believe that's enough for today."

"I still have questions."

"Good." Raven replied as she rose, "Then we will have something to discuss beyond your poor posture and mediocre footwork next time."

Yang felt her lips pull back from her teeth, only for Blake to catch her shoulder before she could surge after her. "You're a real piece of work, you know that? Every time I start to feel something for you, you manage to be such a bitch that you kill it."

Her mother simply flicked her sword out of its sheathe, one of her portals flicking into existence between them. Inhaling sharply, she slowly got to her feet, Blake quietly following her. As much as she wanted to keep going, to get a better answer, to get _more_ answers... she knew that the portal opening was Raven's signal that the conversation was over.

Pushing it wouldn't be smart.

So instead of chasing after her, she simply strode through the shimmering semblance, the world turning a deep blood red for a few moments before she stepped out into Beacon's gardens near where Uncle Qrow was lazing on a bench.

"Hey firecracker." He waved vaguely at them as the portal closed, "Ears. How was it?"

"She managed to win her first spar." Blake provided, evidently knowing Yang needed a moment or three to calm down. "Kept her semblance under control until the right moment. But afterwords... they started talking about why Raven left, and about what happened when she came back."

Her uncle grimaced, letting his head fall back to stare up at the sky. "...that shit. That was a rough day."

"She..." Yang inhaled, then exhaled, "She really tried to take me away, back to her tribe?"

"Yeah... and she damn near killed Tai in the process." Qrow sighed, "He's got a wicked scar on his leg. That was probably the second or third worst day in his entire life."

"Huh?"

There was another grimace, "...well, let's just say that Summer didn't agree with some of the shit he and I said to Ray, or with how _anything_ went down that day. We were both in the doghouse for most of a month... not sure she ever forgave us. Summer always wanted you and Ray to-"

"Stop, please." Yang reached up and pinched her nose before exhaling. "Ugh, Gods, just... no, don't tell me more. I can't handle more right now. I need a shower. And time."

"Maybe," Blake spoke quietly, "We could talk to Jaune later."

"Maybe tomorrow." She deflected, shaking her head. "Sorry Uncle, it's just..."

"...sure, sure, I get it, don't worry." He nodded slightly, "I need to get going anyway, Oz just called about a lead on Torchwick and some White Fang members."

Blake stepped forwards at once, her voice rising "They have a lead!?"

"Blake..." Yang sighed.

"Sorry." Her partner winced, "Um, could you keep me, keep _us_ , in the loop?"

"If I can, I will, promise." Qrow groaned as he stood up, "Why don't you get my niece back to her dorms for now, she wasn't lying about needing a shower. I can smell her from here."

It was a pretty weak joke, even by her standards, but she made sure to put a small smile on to let him know she appreciated it. "Jerk."

* * *

Ozpin sighed as James once again felt the need to take shots at Qrow. "He doesn't understand the severity of the situation, Oz."

"His niece is in a troubling situation." He replied mildly. "You know as well as I do how many hardships the man has been through, he will not, _cannot_ , lose more members of his family. If that means his work for me is somewhat delayed, I am prepared to accept that."

"It's been two _hours,_ and this is a time-critical situation."

"Two hours that you and I have spent most ably." Ozpin shook his head with a sigh, "Truthfully if he had been delayed another two hours I may have taken some action, but it is still within our time-frame."

James made a disapproving sound, but thankfully dropped the topic. "He is on his way up then?"

He had barely begun to nod when the elevator's lights came on, indicating it was on its way up. His old friend gave him an annoyed look at having preempted the situation, likely attributing to magic what had in truth been a quiet alert on his scroll indicating Miss Xiao-Long's scroll had returned to Beacon's grounds.

Folding his hands together, he waited while James moved to stand by his desk, Qrow joining them soon enough. For once the much younger man was straight-backed, but his manner was more distracted than focused.

"Did your niece return unscathed?" He asked politely, ignoring the frustrated look from James at the small-talk.

"Physically, sure. She's officially back in fighting shape." Qrow replied, his fingers twitching towards his flask before he strangely stopped himself. "Mentally? She's... not doing great. I think Ray's starting to get to her."

Ozpin narrowed his eyes slightly, "In what way? Yang seems, if not as taken with Summer's beliefs as Miss Rose, then at least very approving of the concepts. Further, your sister is many things, but a skilled and tactful diplomat is not among them. I have hard time believing she could change her daughter's mind on such things, especially given their strained relationship."

"Yeah, pretty sure Ray knows that too." Qrow shook his head, coming to a stop and letting out a ragged breath. "But she's had time to work on her, and Yang wasn't in a good mental space to begin with. I think she's trying to push Yang into thinking that she and the Tribe might not be such a bad place to run to if things go to hell here... which she's probably still convinced is going to happen."

"And," James added darkly, "May be assisting in."

Ozpin frowned, resting his chin on his folded hands. "I doubt that Raven would work with Salem of her own volition... but we are moving away from the reason you're here, Qrow. We have a situation."

"As always... hit me."

His fellow headmaster secured his hands behind his back, "Three hours ago, numerous members of my command staff, myself, Ozpin, and Glynda all received encoded text messages informing us of Roman Torchwick's location, the number of White Fang survivors with him, and the possible defenses they have erected."

Qrow, who had finally drawn his flask, froze in the process of opening it. "...well shit."

"Quite." James said flatly, "We do not know if it is a traitor in the White Fang's ranks, your sister, or another party entirely. Regardless, Ozpin and I are in agreement that we cannot let this opportunity slip by, and that it must be handled both rapidly and decisively."

"Hrn." Qrow offered as he took a quick belt, "You want me on recon?"

"Yes." Ozpin nodded, "We need to verify that the intelligence is sound before we dispatch James' forces to conduct an assault on the location."

His second pull from his flask became a racking serious of coughs, "F-fuck... an _assault_?"

"Yes." James shifted an arm, indicating the battleship visible outside of the broad windows. "Our plan will be a simple two stage offensive. The population is used to the occasional patrol flight around the city, so our movements should be unremarkable. We will break away from our pattern as soon as you indicate that Torchwick is present, and commence a long range bombardment of the area. Our bullheads will then secure a perimeter, and my troops and mechs will locate Torchwick or his remains."

Qrow's mouth worked a few times, "You really signing off on this Oz? Why not send in a couple teams?"

He sighed, "We don't have them to spare, Qrow. Those teams allocated to Vytal security are either occupied preparing or escorting Amity to Vale. I could perhaps shake two teams loose, but the farming complex in question is a very large one, with numerous ways into and out of the fields and forests around it."

"Far more," James added, "Than a mere eight or twelve hunters could secure in a timely manner. We could likely bring in additional teams over the next day or two, but the intelligence came with a warning that Torchwick intends to relocate as soon as possible. For that reason, we have already informed the Council of the operation and they have given their blessing. But that also means that-"

"-they're a bunch of political assholes." Qrow finished for him, "Any one of whom might be sending Torchwick info in exchange for some lien. So we're doubly under pressure... couldn't have just left them out of it?"

Ozpin shook his head, "If this was solely a matter for hunters, then yes, but as James indicated; we do not have the luxury of waiting the twenty or so hours I would need to gather sufficient numbers of them. Unless you would rather I dispatch students teams?"

Qrow grimaced. "I think they got enough action this year at the Breach."

"Agreed." He said, "Further, this is a chance to once again show the strength of our alliance."

"Particularly our personal one." James nodded in his direction, "Given the prevailing state of the city, particularly the government, I thought it best that Ozpin and I remain seen as a united front."

"Yeah, sure..." Qrow blew out a breath and secured his flask, "Where's this farm, and how long do I have to get there?"

It didn't take them long to give him the remainder of the details, displaying on a map the farm's location. A few minutes later saw him nodding as he finished memorizing the route, heading for the nearest window before pausing. "Oz, Jimmy... whoever sent all that crap."

"Has far more access than we're comfortable with," James nodded, "We're examining our security, and trying to narrow down the pool of just how might be aware of the scrolls in question."

"Which," Ozpin noted, "May or may not give us any suspects, it could have just as easily been the reason for the attack on the CCT prior to the Breach."

Qrow irritably waved a hand, "That's not what I meant. Sure, that asshole knows us, more than we're comfortable with, but you don't send a criminal's location to the captain of a freaking battleship because you want him taken alive."

"We're..." James sighed, "Aware. I am going to endeavor to take him alive if at all possible."

The hunter snorted, "That's fucking reassuring."

"Qrow." He warned him, "Please, trust that we have it under control. If we can take Roman alive, that is of course preferred, but I cannot ask James to risk his people's lives simply on the hope that the man will talk. If you wish to linger in the area and apprehend him yourself, I'm sure no one will object."

From the expression on the General's face, his old friend very much wanted to object, but managed to hold back. "...he will most likely attempt to flee north, towards the coastal villages. If you could be ready in that direction?"

"Eh, I'll consider it." Qrow grunted as he hauled the window open, raising his voice over the sound of the wind, "See you when it's over."

The pair watched as his body gleamed with dark red power, his body melting into the form of a massive crow that immediately took wing. Sighing, Ozpin rose and walked over to the window, watching as the bird turned with the winds, catching one that let it climb into the afternoon sky.

"I should be going as well." James said as he closed the glass, "Oz.. he wasn't wrong. If we don't take him alive-"

"We will be all right." He assured him, "I have plans for such a contingency, I will hardly be idle while you are gone. They will work regardless of whether you take him alive... but please, bring him back even if it is merely his body."

There was a confused expression, then a realization as the other man caught on to just what he was planning. "Ah, I see. We are in agreement that this must be kept as quiet as possible?"

"We are." Ozpin nodded. "I won't involve more than two, perhaps three others, all of whom I trust implicitly."

His old friend nodded one more time before heading for the elevator to leave more conventionally. He waited until he was gone, then quietly activated the intercom in his desk.

"Tsune? Could you please come up to my office, I'm afraid there is a rather critical situation I will need your help with. And, if you could, locate Glynda and ask her to accompany you." He listened for her acceptance before considering the list of names before him... and then dialing Bart's office.

One way or another, he hoped to soon have answers to a great many questions.

* * *

 _And my new trend of dueling chapters continues, with this one obviously serving to setup the next. We finally get to see a bit of Yang - Raven, bits of scenes I've been sitting on for a very long time now. I know it's less directly relevant to the core plot, but as Raven is going to become more and more involved as the story progresses, I thought it best to show her odd relationship with her daughter and expand a little bit on her general views. Also wanted it to be clear that Yang is still struggling in a variety of ways._

 _In the next chapter we'll get to find out just how the capture-Roman plan went, and just what Ozpin's extra little plan is._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 **Thanks, Kat**


	55. Semester III: Thunder

**Thunder**

* * *

James Ironwood caught the knowing expressions on several of the bridge officers, and was not at all surprised when he turned to find a haggard looking woman entering the bridge.

She wasn't limping, but knowing what he did of her recovery efforts it was likely nothing more than her stubborn pride overcoming her physical agony. Her uniform at least hid the various braces she was assuredly wearing, and she'd carefully arranged her hair so that it fell over the white patch covering the space where her right eye should have been.

"Winter." He greeted her cordially. "I don't recall you being released from the infirmary."

"Sir." Winter gave him a quick salute which he returned. "I was cleared for light duties yesterday. As such, my station during an active operation involving my specialists is clearly the bridge."

He sorely wanted to call her out on the bullshit, he knew very well that she hadn't been cleared for any such duties. The only thing the doctors had cleared her for was the ability to limp back and forth between her personal cabin and the medical department. Strictly speaking he should have ordered her to return to her cabin, or at least medical... but he wasn't sure Winter's fragile pride would be able to accept that. Especially not with her ongoing, and from her perspective, likely humiliating recovery efforts.

"Very well." He said, motioning for her to move to stand beside him. "Communications, has there been any word from Branwen?"

"Not yet." The man called back, "We have confirmation from team BONE, they are in position to block any attempt to escape on the western roads Still waiting on teams JETT and MIZE."

"Keep me informed." James ordered, crossing his arms and letting out a slow breath. "Schnee, please check on the status of your teams and their Bullheads. As soon as Qrow gives us the go we'll need to move rapidly."

"Sir." She replied, slowly and precisely walking towards the communications station before beginning to converse with the officer there.

His own attention shifted as Captain Zaytun moved away from his command position at the central table, moving to stand beside him. There was a knowing light in his eyes, though he was too professional to let a smile appear on his dark face. "Still a softie James."

James gave him his best glower, "Keep your personal opinions to yourself, Captain."

"Of course sir." The man replied, with no sincerity whatsoever. "I thought you should know that all stations are manned and ready. We'll be able to commence a long range bombardment of the target within ten minutes of the signal, and have boots on the ground in fifteen."

"Very well. Schnee?"

The woman looked over, "All teams report prepared sir. Lieutenant Anza is requesting permission to launch early, he believes they could move north and south of the target, minimize the time until they can approach it."

James once more cursed the rapid nature of this operation, the inability to spend the proper amount of time preparing. "Will they be able to avoid being spotted by the target? It's a clear afternoon."

Zaytun shook his head, "Maybe, but they'd have to stay very low and fairly distant. Still, it could shave a few minutes off their arrival time."

He clenched his natural fist for a moment, then relaxed it as he made the command decision. "Give them the go-ahead."

Winter nodded and began speaking quietly into the intercom, and a few minutes later the radar began to light up as smaller aircraft depart its hangars. At his order, those craft waiting at Beacon's landing fields also took off, carrying the mechs and standard soldiers whose duty it would be to back up the specialists in the first wave.

It was an irritating, fretful wait for Qrow to do his job, the tension slowly ratcheting up as five, then ten, then fifteen additional minutes passed by without any word from the scout. Had the target been anything but an outwardly simple farm, he may have given the order to attack regardless... but this could have just easily been an effort by Salem's agents to sow more discord and grief in Vale.

A foreign airborne flotilla obliterating some innocent farmers on poor intelligence, especially _faunus_ farmers, would be a political crisis on an almost unmanageable level. The level of public outrage would be more than enough to leave Vale under siege from Grimm, and likely see the collapse of the Atlas-Vale alliance. He had to at least assume that such a plan had been considered by Salem's Queen or her other agents... and so he had to be patient.

So, as his frustration built, he forced himself to remain outwardly calm, the face of tolerant acceptance to keep the crew reassured as they waited. In the end, it was nearly forty minutes past Qrow's assigned report-in time before the man deigned to communicate.

"Sir!" Winter called, her strained voice easily causing the bridge to go silent. "Branwen is requesting a private conversation with you!"

"Send it to my earpiece." He commanded, stepping back towards the rear of the bridge, everyone sliding slightly away from him to give the illusion of privacy. "Qrow, report."

The man delayed long enough to make it clear he didn't care for his tone, but spoke before Ironwood could lose his patience. " _Good news, I can confirm White Fang types are around, and the locals are all out in the fields. So long as you keep your attention on the buildings, shouldn't be any civilian deaths."_

He narrowed his eyes. "Do you have eyes on Torchwick?"

" _No, but Hazel Rainart is out back taking a scroll call of his own."_

James felt his breath hitch. Rainart was, to date, the only member of Salem's inner circle that they had positively identified. His voice lowered at once, words coming out quickly, "If he's there, there must be a traitor in their ranks... the intelligence is real."

" _Yeah, for once I fuckin' agree."_ Qrow replied, " _But I'm not going to be available to chase down the thief for you if he bolts. Hazel's my new priority."_

He could understand that logic, as much as he didn't care for it. While Torchwick likely had knowledge of ongoing events in Vale and could possibly expose Salem's Queen along with a few other pieces, taking Rainart alive could expose _everything._

"Team BONE is closest to you." The man would need all the help he could get, "You have permission to call them in for back-up, and I'll detail three squads to assist you."

Qrow made a quiet grunting sound, " _Right, I'll... shit. I think Hazel just got tipped off, he's grabbing another guy in a trench coat and they're strolling my way."_

"Get in position to pursue, and signal the team!"

" _I fuckin' know!"_ Qrow snapped back before ending the call, leaving him to whirl around to properly face his people once more.

"He's confirmed White Fang activity!" Ironwood barked, "Signal all aircraft! Commence operation, focus all attention on the complex! Avoid any interaction with the civilians in the fields surrounding unless fired upon first!"

"Increase engines to flank!" Zaytun's voice overlapped his as the ship's captain gave his own orders, "Lock on to the primary target as soon as it is in range! No stray fire is to impact the fields!"

"Communications," James continued, "Inform the Council and Ozpin that we are undertaking the operation, request that they make the public announcement as soon as possible. Make sure they get ahead of any false reporting! Winter! Dispatch team October and two full squads to Branwen's last known location!"

"Sir!"

The chorus of orders continued for several minutes as the ship was turned around, bow pointed towards its target. The surrounding smaller aircraft ad those sent to circle the target all began accelerating as well, beginning to outpace the flagship as even it's massive engines labored to move its bulk.

Nine minutes and forty-two seconds after the initial word, the battleship's guns began to roar.

* * *

Qrow's semblance betrayed him, as per fucking usual.

His two targets had split up on reaching the trees, and he'd naturally focused on the known quantity. Rainart had wasted a few minutes talking to a White Fang sentry, his deep voice just audible as he'd informed the man that he and his partner had to 'report in' and that they'd be back to assist in relocating Torchwick by sunset.

Which was at least confirmation that the other man was present, but that wasn't his focus anymore.

His focus was on stalking Hazel as he'd lumbered into the trees, shifting back into bird form to silently pursue him until the appropriate moment. He'd thought moment had come when the bombardment had started, deafening damn near everything around and making his target spin around to try and see what was happening back at the farmhouse.

Qrow had been circling just above, and had transformed back as he'd dove, aiming his blade right for the base of his spine... then a suspiciously stray gust of wind had carried a tree branch into his way, the leaves rattling as he blew through them, and against all odds Hazel picked out the noise against the distant cacophony.

The man spun around, getting an arm up on instinct to protect his neck and head, which sort-of worked out for Qrow, since his target was far lower. There was a deep grunt at they collided with each other, Harbinger digging deep into Hazel's flank before he focused his aura to stop the sword from simply exiting out of his back.

 _Dammit. So much for the easy way..._

Growling, he shifted his grip, trying to wedge the blade sideways to rip his guts open, only to catch a fist the size of a dinner plate with his teeth. The blow snapped his head back, and the follow-up two punch combination to his chest saw him yank his blade free and stumble away as he got into a proper defensive position.

"Branwen." Hazel growled as though the asshole wasn't bleeding copiously from a ghastly wound, "How irritating."

Rather than waste his breath responding, he simply kicked off his back foot and came in swinging. Salem's primary bruiser fell back at once, semblance letting him ignore the agony that would have flattened a normal man, blocking strikes with one arm while rapidly grabbing a dust crystal from a pocket with his other. Qrow heaved as hard as he could, shoving the blocking arm down, then twisted to slam the flat of his blade against the hand holding the gravity dust.

Anyone but Rainart would have dropped the stupid thing in pain, but the man simply grunted at the impact, lowered his shoulder and then rushed right at him.

Not looking to get trampled by a guy nearly twice his size, Qrow threw himself aside, coming up just as his opponent finished slamming the crystal into his right arm. His entire body seemed to visibly tense, his jaw clenching against pain that not even his semblance could stop... and his hand snapped down to block Qrow's attempt to deprive him of a leg while he was distracted.

"Ruthless." Hazel rumble as he shoved him back, purple light flaring along his fingers. "You're not like the others that monster recruits. You're more dangerous."

He felt his eyes narrow, why was he bothering to talk? _He_ was the one who had the time advantage, the longer this went on the more Hazel would bleed, the more soldiers who'd be showing up, and it would be easy to... shit!

His desperate attempt to fling himself to the right was only partially successful, his aura flaring along his left side as a blade tore through his shirts.

"Excellent!" A man cackled, "Such an excellent reaction time! Oh this will be fun!"

Qrow gritted his teeth, coming up from his roll with his sword at the ready, facing down both Hazel and now this new arrival. Much like the big man he wore a trench-coat, though he had two knives extended from both sleeves above his hands... and unlike Hazel's dour expression, his was set in a manic grin.

"We don't have time for fun." Hazel shifted several paces, forcing him to take a step back to keep them both in his line of sight. "The Atlesians are coming. We must kill him and depart."

"You're bleeding all over the dirt." His partner spat, "Our glorious goddess will not-"

Hazel's third step saw his foot move a bit more than he'd probably intended as Qrow's semblance did something useful for once, setting it into a some kind of sinkhole. Ignoring the other man, Qrow yanked the trigger handle on his weapon as he sprinted forwards, using the scythe's long reach to stay outside of Hazel's arms while once more aiming for his legs.

His opponents stopped him via sheer fucking insanity.

A hand ripped a pair of dust crystals, a fire plus a gravity one, out of a pocket and tossed them into the air right in between them... just as his partner opened fire with a pair of sub-machine gun analogs. Qrow had enough time to realize the plan before the crystal detonated in a flash of heat. The force and heat combined to hurl him almost sideways, slamming him into a tree and leaving him more than a little dazed.

Shaking his head furiously, he barely managed to keep Harbinger up in a defensive position as he used the tree to get back onto his feet. Thanks to his distraction he only barely heard the second man whistling, and needed a few moments to realize that more enemy reinforcements had shown up.

Hazel was down, his body a bit scorched from the explosion he'd used to keep Qrow the hell away from him, and he was probably weak from the blood loss... but that wouldn't apparently stop him from leaving as a Alpha Beowolf almost gently picked him up in its claws.

"Return him to our glorious goddess!" The crazy snarled, not looking at all happy now. "We will slay this impudent pawn!"

"I'm getting real sick of the chess analogies." He snarked back in reply, fighting the urge to curse in frustration as Rainart was carried away. There was a good dozen other Beowolves present, none of them an alpha and nothing he wouldn't have breezed through normally... but normally he didn't have to deal with an opposing huntsman at the same time. "Who the fuck are you, anyway?"

The man blinked as though taken aback, then some of his good humor seemed to return as he grinned and bowed, "Why my name is Tyrian, servant of the glorious goddess! She will be most pleased when I return your head to her table."

"Really? Right to the skull as a trophy? That's such a shitty cliche." He shook his head, stalling and hoping that his own backup would be getting here soon. "Hard to tell 'em apart really, weapons work better if you really have to go that route."

Tyrian cackled, "Then I suppose I'll just have to carve your name into it, but I think that's enough stalling, little bird. Sic 'em!"

Qrow turned and leaped upwards at once, grabbing onto a tree branch and hauling himself up just as the Beowolves rushed for him. His scythe whipped down as he carved open the head of the fastest, leaving it to topple back as he found a steady branch to plant his feet on. The Grimm snarled, claws slamming into the tree's bark as they pursued, but at least they were getting in each other's way now.

He cut down two more in rapid succession before feeling his semblance stir once more. Qrow was ready for the branch to break under his feet and plunge him into the mess of claws, and was instead pleasantly surprised when the _entire_ tree creaked and groaned before beginning to tip under the weight of the Grimm.

Yanking the trigger once more to collapse his weapon, he batted aside Grimm number four and then threw himself into the air as the tree began its rapid collapse. The wolves naturally scattered away from the impact, but the old wood seemed to twist at the last moment as he pushed an extra bit of aura in his semblance, the massive trunk crushing one of them into black paste.

His smirk lasted until his human opponent slammed into him the moment his feet hit the ground, the daggers extending from either wrist lashing at his face, throat, and chest. Grimacing as a couple of strikes got through his guard to chip at his aura, he retreated rapidly, trying to buy more time and keep the Grimm away... and as he did, he realized something disturbing.

Tyrian was at least as good as he was. Maybe even better.

It was taking ever ounce of his attention to keep the man back, and when a Beowulf reached them and he had to waste a few seconds cutting it down, he promptly paid for it by having gouges ripped out of his aura followed by point-blank gunshots that saw him reel back.

"Disappointing..." The man sighed as he crossed his arms before him to catch a heavy strike, "Hazel and the little whore thought you a mighty foe, yet all I see is a ragged old bird."

Qrow's lip pulled back as he heaved to one side, breaking the lock and triggering his weapon into gun mode at the same time. This time it was Tyrian's turn to hiss in pain and stumble back as dust rounds smacked into his chest and drove him away, but that insane grin returned almost at once as he blocked a fourth shot and then darted to one side as two more Beowolves came in.

"Ooo! The moldy old crow has a few tricks up his sleeve!" He laughed as he moved behind the Grimm, "Maybe this will be interesting after all, after all, so do I!"

 _Gods I wish I could shut you up!_

The two Grimm died in rapid order, the second's dissolving body exploding as Tyrian came blurring through it. Qrow had been expecting something like that, and had no issues parrying the attacks aimed at his right hip.

...what he didn't expect was the scorpion tail that shot out from the coat, aiming for his belly. It pricked his skin before he flared his aura against it, an involuntary grunt of surprise and pain escaping him before he shoved the laughing man away from him.

"...faunus?" He shook his head and put two and two together. "Shit. You're the asshole that almost killed Schnee."

"Almost?" That seemed to be the first thing to actually make the man blink. "The spindly snowflake survived my venom? She won't like that... she won't like that at all! I told her that the snowflake was dead! She was oh so pleased with me!"

Qrow blinked and took a cautious step back, letting the man rant while he did a headcount. There were three wolves left, all showing signs of age in bones and spikes... they were content to start circling him, waiting until he was distracted. "Salem wanted Winter dead? Why?"

Tyrian was evidently lost in his own head, "I... I should have known! _She_ must have known! That bitch! She was waiting to throw it in my face! To humiliate me before her grace! I'll... no, I mustn't kill her, I must atone! I must atone!"

That was all the warning Qrow had before the psychopath came flying in... and whatever kind of crazy he'd just succumbed to had left him little more than a screaming animal. If it had just been a one on one fight, he could have thought of all kinds of ways to take advantage of the berserk fury.

But even as he accepted a glancing blow to deliver a heavy strike to the guy's chest, one of the Grimm came in, claws reaching for his leg. He bounced away and took the thing's arm off, then it's head, then found Tyrian ramming into him in a bull-rush.

For the second time he was slammed into a tree, but this time his opponent was entirely inside his guard. Harbinger was a hell of a weapon but it wasn't doing him much good against two sets of daggers wielded by a man whose feet were right on top of his.

"Die!" The scream physically hurt his ears, "Die! Die! Die!"

"Shut up dammit!" Qrow dropped his sword to catch the man's wrists, heaving one arm aside and frantically squeezing the weapon to try and trigger the gun mode. His semblance probably helped him pull it off, since it barked just in time to put two rounds though a Grimm's skull, saving his own from being devoured.

 _One more wolf! Where is it!?_

He jerked his head aside as the scorpion tail slammed into the wood where it had just been, his arms starting to give way as he struggled to hold the other man back. The tail jerked back as his opponent snarled, the stinger dripping venom as he curled it back and then sent it forwards once more.

Qrow was about to desperately try and dodge once again when Tyrian let out another ear splitting scream... but this one was agonized.

He all but flung himself away, twisting around horribly and trying to reach behind him with his right arm trying to rip out the throwing knife buried in his left shoulder blade. His tail managed it after a couple of seconds, the blade ripping free in a spurt of blood... only for a black colored blur to streak past him and leave him on his ass.

"About time!" Qrow shouted, snapping a hand down to pick up his sword. "What, you take the scenic route?"

"Something like that." A younger man's voice called, the merry tones contrasting with the slender form that stepped into the small clearing. He wore black plants and boots, with a similarly colored breastplate, and then a brightly colored mask over his face.

It wasn't like the White Fang ones, inspired by the Grimm... this was one was very clearly modeled after a skull, and almost childlike patterns of flowers and neon colors didn't hide that in the slightest.

"Still wearing that creepy shit?" He shook his head.

"You kidding? Kids love them." The leader of team BONE replied as he brought his great-sword down from his shoulder. "Faunus huh? White Fang?"

Tyrian's lip twitched, but he said nothing.

"Thought so. Branwen, we want this asshole alive?"

"If we can manage it." Qrow glanced around the clearing and spotted the rest of the team arriving. A slender woman twirling another throwing knife in one hand, keeping a pistol low against her thigh in the other. Behind Tyrian, stepping around the corpse of the last Beowolf and leaving him surrounded was a pair of men, one holding a pair of small axes, the other letting a spear shift into the form of a heavy rifle.

Tyrian flicked his eyes around, shifting slightly as he realized he was encircled... then his gaze settled on the weak link.

Qrow brought his sword up and braced himself as the psychopath charged.

* * *

The departure of the Atlesian warship hadn't gone unnoticed, Jaune and Neo quickly electing to be good 'allies' and alerting Cinder that Ozpin and Ironwood weren't sitting on the information. She'd quickly thanked them, then invited herself into their office when she was certain Peter was in the hallway and could overhear them discussing plans for her to help in his next class.

Their ability to plan was rather limited, considering that his name-drop of her mistress had clearly both rattled Cinder and put her even more on her guard. She never quite got to the point of 'snappish' but she was definitely distracted and not her usually elegant self. In either case they made a few guesses as to just what might happen, where Roman might be taken if he was taken alive, alerted those allies whose aid they might need, and then retired to get a few hours sleep while they could.

Those few hours turned into an entire late afternoon, evening, and then most of a night as they waited for alerts that never came in. After eating dinner, and confirming that the battleship was still missing, he and Neo had simply gone back to bed to try and catch up on the sleep they'd been neglecting all too much.

As a result, when Cinder finally called at just after eleven, his exhaustion was genuine. "...seriously, now they get back?"

" _Quite."_ His fellow mastermind sounded just as thrilled as he was, her voice carrying the same tones of exhaustion. " _I have both bad news and good news I'm afraid."_

He glanced at Neo and saw her lazily rotate a hand. "Give us the bad news first, we'll need the pick-me up after."

 _"They took him alive."_

Jaune closed his eyes and let out a quiet groan as Neo rubbed at her face, beginning the long process of waking up. "Dammit. You're sure?"

" _I have access to the basic security cameras."_ That was news, though not entirely unexpected, not after she'd told them that was one of her objectives. The only real question was when and how she'd pulled it off. " _I suppose it could have been another red haired man being carried on a medical stretcher by Atlesian soldiers from an Atlesian aircraft, but I doubt it."_

"Dammit." He repeated, too tired to appreciate the sarcasm. "What was the good news?"

" _Tyrian Callows is dead."_

Something in his chest seemed to clench, and he had to lower the scroll to stop Cinder from hearing his breath hitch. Neo went utterly still in the bed beside him, then seemed to relax all at once.

"That's... good." He managed after a few moments. "You can confirm that as well?"

 _"They brought his corpse back as well, possibly to confirm that it truly was him who injured Winter Schnee."_ Cinder's tones didn't give away any of her thoughts on whether or not his death was a good thing for her.

Jaune frowned a little, desperately trying to focus rather than lose control. "Why bring them here?"

" _Security and confidentiality would be my assumption."_ She replied, " _In our experience Ozpin always prefers to keep a personal handle on such matters, and in involving his hunters rather than civilian or military authorities."_

Letting out a breath, he kicked the sheets off and slowly sat up, twisting at the waist to stretch out his back. He could think about the fact that one of the Academy's attackers was dead later, right now Roman was still a problem. "They're in with Tsune then?"

 _"Yes."_

"I don't suppose you have any idea how badly Roman was hurt?"

There was a verbal shrug to her words, " _Badly enough that an extra soldier was carrying an IV line beside the stretcher. He is likely in surgery already."_

Neo shook her head, hands waving above her as she remained laying down; if he was in surgery now, and it was only forty minutes to midnight, they'd have a very small window in which to work.

He relayed that to Cinder, who agreed. " _But I fear we have little choice. If he talks our operations will be heavily curtailed, and I would prefer not to have to fight my way out of Beacon and Vale."_

"Yeah." Jaune said quietly. He'd really, really, _really_ prefer to not have to do that as well, even if they're version of running would be more teleporting away and less fighting. It would still be painful to know they'd be leaving broken friendships behind. "What time can you handle your part?"

There was the sound of footsteps, then a fingernail tapping on a counter, " _Let us assume it will not take more than four hours for the good doctor to save him or end the attempt, and then for him to be isolated. The infirmary is not quite the target our make-shift plan had in mind... its location and nature are both inconvenient."_

"We'll just have to be fast and thorough, before Tsune can sound the alarm and all of us get yanked out of bed to help." He shook his head and got to his feet, wincing a little at the cool floor. "I don't suppose you know what room he's in?"

" _One moment."_ A short pause, sounds of typing, then her voice returned, _"He was wheeled into surgery, Doctor Kistune and an Atlesian medic going in with him. Guards are setting up throughout the infirmary, and Ironwood plus Goodwitch just ascended to Ozpin's office."_

"You have that camera as well?"

" _No, it's on a separate network."_

"Damn." He blew out a breath, "All right, I think our plan can still work. Can you set off your half at four in the morning?"

Cinder needed another few moments to consider that, " _Yes. I don't like the risks, but Roman's death must take priority. We should not speak again past this point, and I remind you both to ensure your appearance is appropriate when the alarms sound."_

"We know how to play the game." He replied, though he kept his voice gentle to remove any sting from his words. "See you after four."

She hung up without another word, leaving him to run his hands through his hair while Neo laboriously dragged herself across the sheets before giving up and collapsing on her side. He snorted softly at her antics, and rested a hand on her bare waist.

"One of them is dead." He murmured.

Neo huffed out a quiet breath, nodding as she reached out to touch is bare chest. That was a good thing... it meant there was just one more to go to avenge their friends.

"I know." Jaune exhaled, closing his eyes and trying to focus on the warm skin beneath his palm. "...Ozpin's people just killed one of them."

He felt her shift, knowing she was nodding even if he couldn't see it.

"...are we doing the right thing?"

There was another huff as she shifted, sitting up before pressing against his side. Her slender arms wrapped around him a hug, a wordless statement of both support... and restraint. They were in far too deep to back out at this point, and they'd always known Ozpin had good goals, it was the methods that Jaune didn't like.

"Are we any better? Working with criminals, bringing RAVN and Sable and Coral into this?"

She scoffed and squeezed him before letting go and give him a gently slap upside the head. He cracked an eye open to see her start signing, reminding him that Ozpin was apparently a semi-immortal wizard who'd been manipulating the various kingdoms for somewhere between decades, centuries, or even millennia and getting plenty of innocent people killed in the process of his schemes.

Being better than him wasn't a very high bar to hit.

"Maybe." He sighed. "I just wish our allies inspired more confidence in me."

There was nothing wrong with their old friends.

"No, but it wasn't them I was talking about." He shook his head, "Well, we can worry about that later. If Roman wakes up we won't get the chance to make our own decisions. You should get ready, I'll call Charrie and start making coffee."

Neo frowned cutely at him before pocking at his chest.

"...no, I'm not happy about this." Jaune admitted, "But... even if he didn't know how to screw us over, Roman crossed lines that you can't cross."

She kept frowning, but after a moment nodded before continuing to sign. Calling Charcoal wouldn't take long and he knew it, there would be time for him to shower as well, and maybe get their usual cover ready out in the office.

He smiled slightly, "As much as I'd love to massage your shoulders in the shower, that's just going to put you right back to sleep."

No it wouldn't.

"Yes, it would. Come on, up."

If Neo could have groaned he was pretty sure she would have, but instead she mostly just rolled onto her back and theatrically threw an arm over her eyes. Rolling his own, he stooped down and scooped up into his arms, earning him a baleful look as he carefully carried her small frame over towards the bathroom.

He did end up massaging her shoulders, but he made sure to leave the bathroom door open so that the room didn't become a sauna. That naturally made Neo glare daggers at him when she stepped out, expecting to still be pleasantly warm, and instead ran into the power of Beacon's air conditioners.

Jaune at least had the good sense to not comment on her body's reaction to the temperature... he was pretty sure she'd have murdered him if he had. Still, she hadn't forgiven him an hour and two cups of Nirvana later, when another petite woman stepped out of the shadows of their bedroom to collapse at the kitchen table beside her.

"Coffee..." Charcoal demanded flatly, tossing her weapon onto the table with a clatter. "...or death."

"I don't think you could fight my students right now, much less me." He noted, though he made a show of pouring her a cup of Nirvana from the pot that he'd started. "Here."

The assassin took it without comment, proving that she had at least a passing acquaintance with Nirvana by simply tipping it back and almost chugging the scalding liquid. She still slipped into a mild fugue state after, but she recovered more quickly than if she'd simply been sipping at it and dragging it out.

"What's the plan?" She asked once she returned to Remnant, leaning back in her chair and waving off an offer for a second cup.

He and Neo told her, and she immediately shook her head. "That's a bad plan."

"If Roman wakes up tomorrow he'll talk, you know that." He countered, "We don't have time for a good one."

Charcoal grimaced, "Maybe, but an assassination isn't the kind of thing you can half-ass and throw together over the course of a few hours. I know you don't like to know the details, but I usually take weeks or _months_ before I move on someone. Rush jobs are the way people get themselves killed, or captured, or captured and then killed."

The part of him that was still a good person, the 'noble idiot' that Neo liked to call him, almost snarked back at her... but he choked the words down. Charrie knew his opinion of her 'career', and he knew that she wasn't about to change the way she lived her life simply because _he_ had moral objections to it. As she, and if she was in a snippy enough mood, Neo, had noted in the past; their upbringings had been nothing like his, and it had left them with very different moral compasses.

Besides, she'd mostly made her name by going after people even other Vacuan gangsters considered scum.

Mostly.

He let out a ragged breath and shook his head, once more struggling to push past such thoughts in favor of the here and now. "I don't think we have a choice here."

A hand rose as she rubbed at the bridge of her nose, "...of course you do. You _should_ be making plans to bail out of this situation entirely, try and limit the impact on your family. Maybe start prepping whatever backup plans you have to grab your target another way at another time."

That would probably be smart, but he met Neo's eyes and saw her sigh as he spoke. "We have friends here."

Charcoal pursed her lips, then it was her turn to sigh. "...idiots... all right, it's amateur night. You mind if I turn this into something that _won't_ get us arrested or horribly murdered by an angry faunus doctor?"

"Can you do it in three hours?"

"I can try."

* * *

 _Yeah, I did it again, another cliff-hanger / lead up to the next chapter. I'm both sorry and not for that... but at least I got his chapter out at something close to my old pacing, so that's something right? In this chapter_ _we see the shadowy operations start to go loud, while Jaune continues to have doubts while still bracing himself to what he thinks needs to be done. The next chapter will obviously roll right into the plan to silence Roman for good, where things will obviously go according to plan and no will notice anything._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 **Thanks, Kat**

* * *

 **World Building: Team BONE**

 _Three years above Glynda Goodwitch and Bartholomew Oobleck, team BONE is one of the few teams of that unfortunate generation to have weathered the years intact. Easily recognized by the colorfully painted skull masks they wear when stealth is not a requirement, given to them on graduation as a gag-gift to play on their team name. While only in their mid thirties, they have become one of Vale's senior teams by dint of simply surviving; the team missed the Mountain Glenn disaster by the random luck of being on remote assignment at the time._

 _They are most often found patrolling the border with Vacuo, ensuring the many bandit tribes and criminals of that kingdom do not penetrate far into Vale's fertile western farmlands. While none of its members are overtly powerful, they are a stealth oriented team that specializes in sudden ambushes and team attacks assisted by their leader's semblance (a short range form of one-way telapathy that allows him to give orders silently and rapidly)._


	56. Semester III: Mice and Men

**Mice and Men**

* * *

Neopolitan pursed her lips as she slowly finished her circle of the infirmary, the invisible reconnaissance run leaving her both drained and annoyed. Just as Cinder's last text update had indicated; all of the doors were closed, there was an Atlesian sentry at both the interior and exterior entrances, and all of the windows were shut and probably locked.

Sliding behind a few of Beacon's many hedges, she very slowly released her semblance and tried not to let her shoulders slump in relief as the school's lights once more became visible. Settling down onto the cool grass, she pulled out her scroll and checked her aura. It holding steady around eighty percent... not the best level to begin something like this at, but she didn't have the time to teleport back to Jaune for a refill.

Fingers flicked over the device as she opened her mail and sent a quick message; _Plan A out. Shut + guards._

Charcoal responded at once, _Go for B._

Grimacing, she pulled up another number and glowered at it before letting her fingers flick across the device. _Position?_

There was a very long pause before Emerald Sustrai replied from her own disposable scroll. _Power cut in 5, distraction 30s later._

 _Go._

The younger criminal didn't respond, but Neo hadn't really expected her to. The angsty little bitch had probably thrown an epic fit at having to work with them, with Neo in specific, and she was almost sad she hadn't been able to see that particular conversation.

Keeping the scroll out in case something went wrong before things even got started, she shifted back just a bit and then called on her semblance to let her blend in with the hedge without becoming truly invisible. Not that she really needed it; she was dressed for the occasion thanks to a quick run back into Vale for supplies that Charcoal had made while she and Jaune had exchanged limited text messages with Cinder's students to get everything set.

When Charrie had returned they'd spent an hour of their limited prep time turning Neo's hair jet black and putting brown colored contacts over her distinctive irises. Combine that with a bit of makeup to sharpen her cheekbones, a little more to add a slight tilt to her eyes, and the same outfit she'd worn to rescue Roman from the docks.. she looked less like herself and more like a shorter twin of the assassin.

If things came to fighting, or if she was spotted, it would _hopefully_ be enough to disguise her without forcing her to waste aura on her semblance. It was also why her armament was limited to one of the bent-bladed swords she'd taken from the ruins, plus a slim knife and her tiny hold-out pistol. All were far less distinctive than her parasol, even if she wasn't nearly as skilled with any of them.

But still, as Jaune had pounded into her head, it was safer to be invisible, or at least camouflaged, and to not take any risks.

As always the waiting was the worst part of any plan, and she was left with nothing to do but wish that they weren't stuck relying on people who were both their enemies and their allies. Not that she'd really been able to argue with Jaune or the plan, as much as she'd wanted to... it was just annoying. Especially since he was definitely starting to have second thoughts about their plan of not approaching Ozpin, and she was definitely not in favor of Jaune's efforts to seriously lure Cinder to their side.

Before today Neo had been in favor of the former, but with Callows dead... half of the reason they'd needed the Relic at all was gone. It left her in the unusual place of being the cautious one of their partnership, wondering if they wouldn't be better off easing back a bit, and she wasn't looking forwards the debates that she could already foresee in the very near future. Especially the whole 'recruit Cinder' concept, which still struck her as insanity writ large. And as much as Jaune would normally submit to whatever she wanted when it came to daily life, when he got a stupidly noble idea stuck in his head...

She sighed and shook her head as the fourth minute passed. This wasn't the time to be thinking about that, regardless of what they did; Roman had to die. Calming herself, she glanced at her scroll just as she received another message from Charcoal on the group channel. _In position on roof. No alarms._

 _At the fuse box._ Black chimed in a second later, _Janitor is napping._

 _Watching the sentry._ Sustrai finished. _M, kill the lights._

 _Party time._

Rolling her eyes a little, she rose to a low crouch and carefully watched the building through a small gap in the hedge as she waited for the chaos to get started.

It started with her scroll abruptly flashing to show it had no signal as Charcoal activated a jamming device, almost immediately followed by the various lights inside of the infirmary going dark. Confused but muffled shouting kicked up instantly, as did the dim blue glow from battery powered emergency lights.

Of course all of that paled when the sentry abruptly began screaming his head off for help as Sustrai ambushed him. Said help wasn't long in coming, and Neo watched as the slim girl in her White Fang disguise sprinted away from the building, heading in the direction of the cliffs. About half of the soldiers present were flying in pursuit, swearing as she bobbed into gardens and prevented them from simply shooting after her.

One shouted orders over his shoulder as they pursued, the five people quickly vanishing into the darkness as the chase began.

 _Five down, five to go._

It took about a minute for Black to return from where he'd cut the power, Cinder having hopefully handled the various alarms and landlines that might have alerted Ozpin and the rest of the school. Once he arrived, he promptly kicked off phase two.

The new sentry had taken up a spot just a bit away from the building, where he'd have a better line of sight in case anyone else came in from the gardens. Unfortunately for him, the young assassin came flying _through_ the hallway window behind him, riding the Atlesian to the ground and choking him out in a matter of seconds.

That drew the attention of those still inside, especially when Black, disguised in Whit Fang gear just as his partner, let out a viciously angry curse as though frustrated that there were still guards remaining. To complete the act, he easily hauled the unconscious soldier up and over one of his shoulders and started booking it as well.

Seeing one of their own be abducted did exactly what it was supposed to do, and the remaining men and women promptly charged out in pursuit of him as well, all but ignoring the furious voice of Kitsune shouting them as they rushed off to rescue their comrade.

 _….here we go._

Neo took a deep breath, then let it out as she called on her semblance to fully hide her once again. The darkness became nearly absolute as she pulled her bandanna up and over her lower face before getting moving, trusting her soft boots and the grass to keep her movement quiet as she darted towards the infirmary.

She met Charcoal at the entrance as the other woman dropped from the roof, rushing inside, her own bent bladed sword held opposite a knife as she went in. Neo hesitated for a quick ten count, then resumed just in time to hear Charcoal enacting the most dangerous part of the plan; distracting Kitsune. Between her semblance darkening everything and the emergency lights providing almost no light at all, she couldn't actually see the fight, but the sound of women snarling and metal ringing was echoing nicely.

For her part, Neo ignored the straight hallway leading towards said duel and the doctor's office, instead taking her immediate left and starting to count doorways.

 _One... two... three... and here._

Using the back of her gloved hand, she gently pushed the door open just wide enough to fit her slim form through. The sound of fighting became muffled as she gave it a bit of a nudge to close once more behind her, letting her hear the beeping of various machines as they kept Roman alive and tried to warn people that they were operating on batteries.

She paced over to the bed where the thief was laying and found him covered in thick blankets with numerous cables running beneath them. Most of his face was covered by a breathing mask, though that didn't stop him from looking like he'd been run over by a locomotive. He'd probably been caught directly by the bombardment, never really having a chance to even fight back.

Neo didn't hesitate, grisly as this was even by her standards. She drew a small knife from her back, one carefully stylized with the White Fang's logo worked into the hilt, and without ceremony drove it down into his chest.

Taking a step back, she regarded the obscene sight of the little blade sticking up right above his heart and began to reach for her scroll to send the final signal... then blinked and stared at the dagger some more as the machines kept beeping.

The machines... were still beeping.

She turned slightly, blinking again as she watched a heart monitor continue to track Roman's heartbeat despite the fact that he now had a very large knife stuck right into said heart.

It didn't quite click until her eyes shifted back to his horrible looking face, and then the bottom fell out of her stomach.

 _Oh... crap._

Neo whipped around just in time to see the dim form of Glynda Goodwitch step out from behind a privacy screen, her crop held tightly in one hand, her other pushing a button on her scroll that caused the lights to all flare back up to full power.

Neo flinched as her semblance weakened for a brief moment at the sudden shift in the environment, and she desperately put more power into it. As it stabilized, she backed up a few steps and winced when Goodwitch's attention snapped to where she'd been standing.

She'd seen her, even if for just a moment... shit.

"The window behind you has been welded shut." Glynda informed her, flicking her weapon slightly and causing the door's lock to click behind her. "If you surrender now, I will ensure you receive a fair trial."

Licking her lips, Neo used the moments she was being lectured to pull out her scroll and frantically type five characters. _TRAP!_

That was all she had time, since Goodwitch either heard her scroll click or simply wasn't about to give her a chance to think her way out of this. Another flick of the crop ripped the blanket off of Roman's corpse, the fabric tearing along the knife still embedded in his chest, and it came flying at her.

Neo flung herself flat to avoid getting wrapped up, then rolled towards the bed while yanking her pistol out with her free hand. Goodwitch let out a surprised grunt and flared her aura as it barked twice, her body stumbling back as the two rounds caught her in the chest.

The glass was probably bullet-proof, and she had no way to break through the walls, so the door or her semblance was her only way out. The latter was too distinctive sounding, especially with no distance at all between them, so really it was just the door.

The same door behind a huntress far older than her, more experienced than her, and who had a bullshit semblance on top of that.

Glynda's arm flicked out, a broad wave of power making her flinch as it smacked against her aura, various bits of medical equipment following suit. The limited space meant she couldn't even begin to dodge all of it, and she let out a hissing breath as a few items struck her. The sight of objects hitting solid air and bouncing aside naturally drew the other's attention, and Goodwitch once again sent the blanket flying at her.

She evidently couldn't grab her directly with her power, maybe her aura was shielding her from it, but Neo had a bad feeling that if that blanket wrapped around her that she wouldn't be able to get out of it without revealing herself.

Not seeing a choice, Neo lowered her head and charged the taller woman before she could be entrapped. Goodwitch heard her footfalls and braced herself just before the contact, her back smacking into the door as they began to grapple.

Neo was far more lithe and agile, and had the advantage of being invisible, but Goodwitch was far taller and stronger. There was a snarl when a point blank shot made purple aura flare over her thigh, then a hand caught Neo's wrist and began to struggle for the gun. Using the scroll still in her other hand as a bludgeon, she smashed it over Glynda's wrist before kneeing her in the groin.

The former broke the latter's grip, but her aim was off on the second blow and all it caused was a mild grunt of pain before a dust infused crop slammed into her cheek. Neo staggered and reeled back, firing off another round to keep her opponent pinned, then lashed out with her legs.

Glynda let out a surprised yelp as her feet were taken out from under her, a sound followed by a surprisingly vicious curse when Neo lunged for the door and unlocked it. A quick yank smacked it into the prone woman's skull before Glynda slapped a hand on the ground and a wave of telekinetic energy lashed out in all directions.

Her grip on the handle snapped as the door slammed shut. Worse, her semblance cracked slightly under the impact, her opponent's eyes snapping to her as she again had to pour more of her aura into her camouflage.

Forcing herself to take a few critical seconds to think, she shoved her scroll back into a pocket and took a few silent steps to her right as Goodwitch scrambled to her feet. Yet another wave of that fucking crop saw the blanket whip through the air before curling into a kind of make-shift barrier right in front of the Deputy; a way to stop her from getting close without any warning.

Neo hissed in frustration, considered her options, then turned, aimed, and unloaded her entire clip into the window as rapidly as she could pull the trigger. The glass proved to be bullet resistant but not exactly bullet- _proof,_ the last few shots blowing out a small hole in the lower pane.

It wasn't anything that would actually let her get out, but the noise deafened both of them, and more importantly it was an obvious escape attempt. Goodwitch intermediately hurled the blanket and all of the debris her semblance could grab in that direction, leaving her open when Neo traded her empty gun for her sword and came rushing back in.

Glynda was paranoid enough to be keeping her aura flared, expending it to keep herself safe against her invisible opponent, but the lack of vision meant she wasn't braced properly when Neo took a hopping step and swung the flat of her blade at the taller woman's temple.

The true professor reeled back, staggering a bit to one side... and left the door open once again. Neo scrabbled at the handle, got it, and yanked it open before throwing herself through it.

She nearly made it before the door slammed shut over her shin.

If she could have screamed she would have. Instead a desperate, breathy cry of pain was all that got out as she frantically kicked at the wood. She might as well have saved herself the bother, if anything the frantic pounding just made Glynda up the pressure to keep her in place. Her aura, already feeling a bit low, began to plummet as forced it into her leg to stop it from breaking under the strain.

Neo was about to give up, teleport away, and live with the consequences, when the entire section of the hallway behind her abruptly exploded in gunfire.

The bullets whipped through the air above her, chewing into the wood and evidently giving Goodwitch something else to think about because her frantic kicking finally shoved the door open enough for her to get loose.

She scrambled back, realizing she'd lost her semblance at the same time as Charcoal grabbed her by an arm and hauled her to her feet. "Run!"

Neo didn't need to notice that the assassin's entire upper body was covered in burns and cuts to know good advice when she heard it. Her legs started churning at once, the two women sprinting down the hallway as shouts chased after them.

They got to the entrance to the school proper before the first of their pursuers caught up; Bartholemew Oobleck sending a literal fucking fireball screaming in their direction. Dodging meant throwing themselves to the ground, and only Neo managed to get back up to her feet in time to deflect a strike from his strange staff.

The man's face was set in a fighter's grin, his weapon lashing out rapidly as he struck high, low, and then high again, forcing Neo to backpedal rapidly as she desperately parried the attacks. Her fourth block was slow and she gasped as it struck her side, blade drooping, and only Charcoal firing the last of her clip into the man pushed him back.

Not about to stand and fight, she turned and bolted as soon as he disengaged, Charcoal doing her level best to keep up as they threw themselves out of the window that Black had broken open earlier.

She landed hard, stumbling, clinging to Charcoal and desperately squeezing her arm. The lights were blazing now, but they weren't nearly enough to banish the night entirely. Especially not with the building itself casting plenty of shadows. They rolled over one another away from the lights blazing out of the broken window into the dark patch between it and the next window over, and Charrie wasted no time in getting them out of there.

Darkness promptly began to rise, and she let out a gasping breath as she began to relax. Fucking hell this was-

"No you don't!" Her head snapped around just as a foot caught her chin, flinging her away from Charocal just as the other woman's stunned face melted into black and vanished.

Neo hit the grass hard, rolling twice before turning her momentum into a proper tumble that got her up to her feet. Staggering a little, she glared furiously at Kitsune as the Doctor grinned, tail wagging wildly as she twirled the two bloody halves of her weapon on their hoop handles.

"Sorry Glynda, one of them got away." Kitsune said as she prowled to one side, leaving space for Goodwitch and Oobleck to rush out from the school to join her. More shouts from nearby made it sound like the Atlesians were coming back as well.

... _shit._

Slowly backing up, she briefly considered running for the cliffs before dismissing the idea. Neo was exhausted, probably running on the dregs of her aura. She wouldn't make it anywhere near that distance before they overtook her.

That just left one option.

"Surrender, please." Oobleck called, "Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated. A plea deal could be arranged."

Neo kept backing up until she ran into a tree, then let her head fall as though she was considering the proposition. After a long moment, she carefully made a show of sheathing her sword, using the seconds to focus on the two aspects of her semblance she'd have to merge to have a chance of pulling this off.

"You're making the right decision." Oobleck said, evidently believing she was surrendering. "Please step forwards slowly, with her your hands away from your weapons."

Her head throbbed as she called up power, then she brought her left hand up and let them all see her middle finger as she let her body ripple to a pitch black from her feet up, the same fashion she'd seen Charcoal's semblance work time and time again. There was just enough time for them to start, then begin to rush forwards before she focused on their office bedroom and shattered into pieces of obsidian.

* * *

James Ironwood stared at the broken glass as the dawn broke, his hands folded behind him. The crime scene had been cleared at their request, his soldiers and the police keeping everyone far enough away that they'd have privacy. "I told you we should have had more troops in place."

His fellow Headmaster did not reply at once, instead idly inspecting the shattered window before nodding. "Perhaps, but you cannot deny that allocating three professors plus a full squad of your men seemed like gross overkill at the time."

No, it had merely been adequate. Overkill had been his push to have a full specialist team and two additional infantry squads nearby as well... perhaps then they could have captured at least _one_ of the gods-damned infiltrators.

"Still," His old friend continued, "This constitutes a minor victory for us. We know have information that we sorely lacked before today, and two of our greatest potential enemies have been laid low."

James made a quiet sound that wasn't quiet agreement, but not open disagreement either. "Yes... we know that the enemy has infiltrated this school. _Your_ school."

"James, we don't-"

He cut a hand through the air, "Even if the Vacuan assassin brought the others in with her, they had far too much familiarity with the buildings for this to have been a truly rushed operation. They knew _exactly_ what room Torchwick's body was in, how many guards were inside, and they managed to shut down the internal alarms on top of that. At a minimum your computer network has been compromised."

Ozpin once more fell silent. Emboldened by the lack of a response, James continued. "I want to do a full investigation of both your student body and your staff, especially the transfers and your new hires. Winter can be put in command of it."

"With whom will she work?" Ozpin asked. "We have a mere three weeks before the Vytal Festival begins and the entire kingdom will be utterly occupied. You can hardly conclude a true investigation in that time period. Especially when our focus must be on the direct security of Amity, and doubly so given the foreign status of the various transfers."

"Winter is more than capable, and I'm certain the Valean police would be happy to lend her a few of their detectives." He countered, "It will be enough to focus on the most likely persons involved. We can have the core work done before the Festival without compromising that work."

"You have no proof that either of them _was_ involved." Oz replied in kind, finally turning to face him, as always having no problems knowing exactly who Ironwood was referring to. "None of the persons involved matched their appearance or semblances."

James shook his head irritably, "That doesn't mean they weren't involved on the periphery. Charcoal is a well known Vacuan assassin and the pair of them are _from_ Vacuo. They could easily be hiding computer and hacking expertise while acting as inside agents for the woman."

"To what end?"

"It doesn't matter." He said, "Vigilantism, covering up a criminal past, working with Salem or her agents... they are too many questions and we _have_ to have answers. I am not asking permission Oz. This investigation is going to occur whether you like it or not."

That finally broke Ozpin's stoic mask, finger curling tightly around his cane as a bit of anger came out. "My _school_ was just attacked, James. I am entirely supportive of an investigation but I do not care for the direction you are already attempting to take it. Charcoal is a known assassin for hire, and the second woman seems obviously related to her given their similar semblances. Our focus _should_ be on identifying the other pair based on whatever we can discover about her."

"A pair who could be students at this very school."

"Or other Vacuans, or White Fang, or perhaps new agents of the Queen." Ozpin replied, "The hacking you already seem to blame upon Arc and his partner was most likely accomplished when the CCT was attacked. The various scroll numbers used in the warnings we received were all but certainly lifted from the database there."

He cut a hand through the air, "Yes, but they could have just as easily been involved in _that_ as well. These additional persons may be people from their past."

"Or they are simply more guns for hire." The cane thumped once on the ground. "There will be an investigation, in that we are agreed, but it will _not_ be a witch hunt focused on proving the guilt of my staff James. I will release Bartholomew from the Vytal Festival to liaise with the police on this matter."

His own anger surged briefly before he got it under control, "Oz, I understand that they're your subordinates, and that you approve of the job they've done. But you can't deny there are too many questions about their past, questions they have actively avoided answering. I don't want to believe them capable of this either but we _have_ to be sure."

"I am already certain that they are not our true enemies." Ozpin shook his head. "That is final, James. Winter may work under Bart if-"

"Winter will be undertaking her own investigation." James interrupted him, "Focusing on Arc, Neopolitan, Fall, and all of the exchange students. It will allow us to cover all of the potential persons involved, and if you're right, then I'll accept that it was a waste of time. Hell, I'll even formally apologize and pay the costs of whatever your investigation ends up being."

Ozpin still didn't look anything like happy, but he obviously knew there wasn't anything more he could say or do. Ironwood's mind was made up, Winter was his military subordinate, and therefore he was entirely free to order her to undertake such an action. The most Oz could do would be to throw up roadblocks in regards to her access of information, something that would, at best, reflect horribly on him, and at worst cause a real schism when they absolutely couldn't afford one.

The political situation in Vale remained in turmoil, with only the constant bombardment of advertisements for the upcoming Festival keeping the population somewhat calm. Many media outlets had been coerced, by threats and pay-offs, to cease reporting on the rising anti-faunus sentiment and to stop bringing in 'experts' to debate the Breach. Grimm movement outside of the walls and the occasional assault by juvenile creatures had already nearly doubled over the past month; the last thing they needed was to make it even worse.

If he and Ozpin were openly seen feuding, the Council would likely try and throw heir weight behind one or the other of them, most likely himself given their general antipathy towards Ozpin. In all likelihood that would restart the political infighting only barely being kept at bay by the united enemy of the Grimm, and provide far too many openings for Salem and her pawns to push and prod people of influence within the kingdom.

"Very well." The wizard said finally, thumping his cane once more. "Please have her coordinate with Bartholomew, and I will instruct him to do the same. In the meantime there are other matters to discuss. I believe it is time to involve the younger Miss Schnee directly and prepare her to take up the mantle if she is willing."

James nodded slightly, allowing himself to relax. "Has she or her team confronted you about any of this?"

"Miss Xiao-Long and Miss Belladonna confronted Qrow, and likely Taiyang, but not myself. I do not know if they alerted Miss Schnee and Miss Rose, but I consider it unlikely. Yang is the sort to protect her sister at any cost, especially if the cost is merely pain that she herself takes on."

He let out a slow breath as his emotions shifted from muted anger to something far more exhausted. Necessity or no, this was not a comfortable topic for him, especially given _who_ they now intended to take the maiden's powers. She may have been his recommendation, and the logic that had led him to select her remained sound, but...

Shaking himself slightly, he pushed away the silent regrets. The world would not change simply because he felt bad about involving a young woman in a critical situation beyond her experiences.

"You intend to bring her full team in?"

Ozpin nodded, "We cannot afford another candidate declining. Half of her team is already aware, not informing Miss Rose as well would be foolish. Further, I believe that the pair of us should be involved only minimally in the process."

That made him blink, "What?"

The other man sighed, "When I spoke with Arc and his partner about their involvement with Miss Nikos' refusal, they rather sharply reminded me that I am not as young and involved in the day to day activities of the student body as I once was. I had... forgotten that I am a distant authority figure at best to most of them."

Ironwood shifted a little uncomfortably at that, as he often did when reminded of his friend's unnatural existence. "...your memories blurred together?"

"Not to the degree you fear." Ozpin waved a hand, "A mere side-effect of my distraction with the numerous ongoing events, along with a resurfacing of old habits. Age, yes, but the age of this body more than the age of my soul."

"I suppose I can understand that." He exhaled, "And I can agree with the larger point. Miss Schnee only knows of me by association, and of her team I believe you've only spoken with their leader once or twice in the past. Hardly a solid basis from which to break this kind of news."

"Precisely. I think it best that Glynda and Qrow handle the bulk of the conversation, and be the only ones to accompany the children to the vault."

Crossing his arms, he considered that for a few moments. It seemed like a potentially better approach on the surface, but he didn't like the idea of Ozpin not at least being present and told him so. "My own disengagement is understandable, this is Vale, but you should still be involved. If Weiss accepts the risks and the power, she will answer to you in the end."

"...unlikely." Ozpin made him blink as he shook his head, "As I said, I'm getting old, James, and whatever my next form will be, I highly doubt that I will be the headmaster at this school when I move on. It may be best to begin preparing Glynda to fully take my position here."

This was the first time he'd ever heard Ozpin seriously implying anything of this sort, and he would admit to feeling a little rattled as a result. While he didn't always agree with him, today as a major case in point, he knew that Ozpin's heart and goals were always in the right place, and Beacon and Vale had always been his places of power. "Oz? Please tell me you weren't diagnosed with cancer yesterday."

There was a quiet chuckle, "No, nothing so severe. Perhaps I am merely being introspective over my failures and my successes over these past few decades, and considering how to best minimize the former moving forwards. I will allow Glynda to handle the majority of team RWBY's initiation to our world, I think it best. Perhaps we can have her accompany you all to Atlas with you after the Festival to work closely with them during Weiss' training."

"That... would be acceptable." It would also likely be both welcoming and painful to be close to Glynda once more. "We are still to proceed with that plan then?"

Ozpin waved a hand, "Just because we disagree over current affairs does make your prior idea a poor one James. The Festival commencement ceremony will do to announce the exchange program, and when you and your students depart for Atlas I will see to it that team RWBY journeys with you. If I am correct, and Mister Arc and Neopolitan are cleared of any involvement, they will handle Glynda's class for the remainder of the year, and my deputy will also accompany you."

"And if they aren't?"

"Then... we will have to play things by ear."

* * *

Ozpin watched as James departed, his young friend stopping to speak with the various authority figures nearby and allowing them to once more return to their work securing the crime scene. By noon the news that Torchwick was dead would likely reach the entire city, and it seemed just as likely that there would be a kind of dark rejoicing at his passing.

But such things were more the Council's concern, he had to focus on more immediate matters right now.

Such as the very small boot-print in the dirt beside his cane.

Glynda had been all but certain as to the identity of her opponent, thanks to their routine experience working together. She couldn't guarantee it, the level of preparation and disguise had been, quite frankly, extremely impressive, but... she believed she knew. As a result, so did he.

For now that information had to stay quiet. James would certainly overreact, attempt to arrest them, and if Neopolitan's semblance did allow for teleportation as well as illusions his attempt would fail miserably. They would learn next to nothing, they would cripple morale among a full quarter of the student body, and likely kick off a scandal inside of Vale itself where both teachers remained celebrated heroes for their actions against Torchwick and the White Fang.

Still, James' insistence on investigating them was not surprising, despite the various concerns it caused him to consider. The most troubling aspect was that it certainly imposed a time limit on his own ability to learn what exactly motivated the pair, and how best to convince him that they were not enemies. He felt comfortable in believing that they were more focused on the Relics than the maidens, as otherwise they would have advised their prized student to accept the offer, but beyond that...

They did not seem to be the type to follow Salem, but then he would have stated the same thing about Hazel once upon a time. Further, what did Roman know that they couldn't afford him discovering? Who were the additional persons they had brought in for their assassination attempt?

Letting out a slow breath, he thumped his cane once more, a bit of magic rolling out with the gesture.

 _I am sorry James, but this situation requires the gentlest of touches._

Ozpin turned and walked away, leaving nothing but undisturbed soil behind him.

* * *

 _Hopefully this chapter was fun with a nice little surprise in it. The next few chapters are going to calm down a bit as things slow down amid the run up to the Vytal Festival and the jockeying for position between the various groups now that the White Fang and Salem's non-Cinder agents are more or less out of the picture._

 _In good personal news, have a buyer for the home, and just two weeks now until the divorce trial and hopefully the end of that mess. Bad news, the buyer wants a stupidly fast close, work is still stressful, and the divorce is also still leaving me more than a little depressed... so yeah, chapters will remain irregular until at least October._

 _Addendum; as the story is probably twelve to fifteen chapters from completion, this is an admittedly odd time to ask for a beta. But I was rather hoping that someone might be willing to help me clean up the numerous grammatical errors scattered through the fic in a kind of late/post editing so that future readers aren't turned off by that kind of thing. If you're interested in helping please hit me up with a PM or reach out to me on the PA forums._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 **Thanks, Kat**

* * *

 **World Building: Team GCKO**

 _Widely considered the most powerful Valean team of their generation, team GCKO was among the many that rushed to Mountain Glenn when the first Grimm migration began to assault the city. Led by the now legendary Glynda Goodwitch, the team led the defense of the city's single airport, holding out for nearly two days before the weight of the Grimm and the loss of two of their members forced them to evacuate._

 _Like many of the survivors, Glynda Goodwitch and her partner Kitsune-Chan elected to retire from active service in the wake of the disaster, and were quickly recruited by Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon. While Goodwitch accepted immediately and has remained the school's principle combat instructor ever since, Kitsune-Chan served only a single year as the Grimm Studies teacher before taking a leave of absence to secure a doctorate. She eventually returned to run the school's doctor, and act as a medical instructor for those rare students who unlocked healing or (like her own) dual-purpose semblances._

 _While the pair have only undertaken minor assignments sufficient to retain their licenses, they are still generally viewed as two of the more powerful huntresses on Remnant thanks to their general experience and the power of their semblances. Both have turned down numerous offers from the other schools and work from private sources._


	57. Semester III: Choices and Lulls

**Choices and Lulls**

* * *

Weiss stared at a young woman's still features, a woman not much older than herself... a young woman who would never wake up again. She knew that her mind should have been racing, should have been in chaos thanks to everything that she had just been told. That there were a thousand questions she should be asking, a thousand answers she should be demanding.

But all she could do was stare at a girl she'd never met, and wonder if the next person in that metallic coffin would be her.

"Why does it have to be Weiss?" Ruby asked quietly, her own attention likewise locked onto the still form. "You said any girl under thirty could become it, right? So why Weiss?"

Professor Goodwitch shared a long look with her partner's uncle, then sighed. "In truth we have been vetting and dismissing candidates for months now, almost from the time we were first told she would never recover. As you can imagine giving this level of power to the wrong person could be catastrophic on any number of levels, and so we had to be very careful in who we selected as a potential maiden."

Blake shook her head from where she was leaning against a wall near Yang, the pair of them noticeably a bit apart from everyone else. "Still, there has to be dozens, hundreds, of women who could do this."

"Yes." Miss Goodwitch admitted, "But consider all of the factors that we had to. A candidate required substantial aura reserves, a versatile approach to combat, a semblance that is not restricted to a narrow scope, who has a dedicated and loyal team equally as skilled as she, and most importantly, someone who has demonstrated a degree of selflessness."

"As you can imagine," Mister Branwen spoke in between taking a sip from his flask, "There weren't all that many young women that fit all those things. Truth be told Schnee doesn't really have the kind of aura reserves we'd really like, but she's high enough in the other areas to make up for it."

"But-" Blake tried.

The man interrupted her as he lowered his drink, "Look, since we're telling the truth, the little ice queen wasn't our first choice. Hell, before we had a couple of meetings she wasn't even _on_ our list... but shit happened and our first pick turned us down. If we weren't so pressed for time we'd probably still be arguing between her and another option."

Yang stirred, finally looking away from the comatose maiden. "Who was the first pick?"

"That is not important." Goodwitch said, "She considered the risks, discussed it with her team, and then elected against accepting. We know this... is not a fair proposal to put forwards to anyone, especially not students your age, but we are running out of both time and options."

Weiss bit her lip, staring at the still form. "Was it Winter?"

Branwen snorted, "No, not for lack of trying on Jim... on Ironwood's part. She was supposed to be the last resort option before she got injured."

That made her glance at him, a frown coming across her features. "She knows all of this?"

"Hell no." The man countered, "We keep this kind of thing quiet, for damn good reasons. Last thing we need is for it to be like the old days; tons of people hunting the maidens down for power, or trying to buy their services, or worse."

Goodwitch sighed and once more moved to act as the voice of tact, "Your sister will likely be brought into the full fold over the next few years, if not sooner. I know that General Ironwood is deeply impressed with her and intends to prepare her to be his successor."

Once such words might have filled her with familial pride, but today some quiet part of her was relieved that Winter was not the one being asked. She knew her sister, her sister's loyalty and pride in their nation. She'd have accepted without hesitation before the stakes were even made clear to her.

 _She'd accept even now, despite the fact that she's still recovering..._

Weiss lowered her head at the thought. If she refused, would they go to Winter regardless? Not out of desire but out of necessity? They were definitely running low on time for some reason and there was no way that General Ironwood and Miss Goodwitch didn't know that her sister would accept regardless of the risk.

Could she refuse in light of that knowledge? Condemn Winter to risk her life once again?

Miss Goodwitch cleared her throat as the silence dragged on for nearly a minute, "This is obviously not a matter to be resolved at once. Please take a few days to consider the matter, and to discuss it between yourselves."

"All right..." Ruby began, only to trail off when Weiss held up a hand, the same motion Professor Arc would use to politely stop a conversation.

"I have questions, if I may." She said quietly.

Their combat teacher nodded, "Of course."

Closing her eyes, Weiss forced herself to turn away from the dying maiden, to instead face the two adults as she considered which questions to ask first. There was really only one option, and she led with it. "You said that I was not your first choice, and that Winter was your backup before her injury. If I refuse, will you ask her?"

Branwen sighed and shook his head, "Kid, when we said this was dangerous we meant it. The process might kill someone who's healthy and at full strength, and your sister's lucky to be up and around at all. If you say no we're gonna have to ask someone else, and they might not get the same amount of time to think about it."

"Why?" Yang demanded, earning an annoyed look from Weiss at the interruption. "Why is all of this such a rush?"

"You're smart enough Yang." He gave her a somewhat flat look as he spoke, "You already know why."

Blake let out a tight breath, "Her attacker. They're still after her."

"Yes." Goodwitch said, "It is entirely probable that they are nearby, and may have even been involved in the White Fang attacks over the past few months. The woman that you, Miss Schnee and Miss Xiao-Long, fought in the CCT tower was almost certainly one of Amber's attackers."

Yang and Ruby's uncle held up several fingers, "There was three of 'em, and at least one had an illusion based semblance. Stopped me from getting a good look at any of them when I grabbed her and got her out of there."

Weiss felt herself grimace, and allowed herself to be drawn into the tangent. "That is why Yang and I saw different opponents during that fight."

"Yeah." He brought his flask back up once more, "We don't think they've given up just because we managed to drive off the Fang and take down Torchwick. Ozpin-"

"And General Ironwood." Miss Goodwitch noted.

"...and Jimmy," It sounded like it hurt him to add the General, "both think that they've got one last plan in them, and there's a giant Festival coming up that will make for one hell of an opportunity for them."

"The Vytal Festival?" Weiss shook her head, "But security will be massively increased around the school, won't it?"

Goodwitch nodded, "Yes, but remember that these people are ruthless enough to set Grimm upon the civilians of Vale. There are many unsavory stratagems that they could utilize to distract and obfuscate their efforts, and even if we protect the maiden... countless innocents could die. That is obviously something that none of us will stand for, but it may be something we can do little about."

"Unless we've got a maiden ready and waiting to take the fight back to them." Branwen added, "Someone who could hold them off until Ozpin or Glynda could show up to take them down. Someone who'd be able to focus on just that so we could leave protecting the civilians to everyone else."

Weiss pursed her lips and thought about that. It made a degree of sense, she supposed. This enemy would be expecting to be after a crippled, wounded woman who they obviously had a great deal of information about. So the professors wanted to have them run into someone they didn't expect, someone powerful enough to hold them at bay and protect civilians long enough for the Headmaster or other professional hunters to arrive.

They wanted bait, but they also wanted that bait to be strong enough to hold their own.

Blake shook her head. "You make it sound like it's more important to protect the maiden than the people."

Mister Branwen sighed. "Kid, if the maidens are serious heavy-weights with access to magic crap that's way past anything normal people can do with dust. You get a furious maiden rampaging around a city and that could make the casualty count from the Breach look like a minor skirmish."

All four of them winced at the implication of anything being worse than what they'd seen there, and Weiss shook her head once before moving on to her second question. "If not Winter, then who will you ask next?"

To her lack of surprise, Miss Goodwitch shook her head, "I'm sorry Miss Schnee, but we would rather keep that information to ourselves."

Ruby held up a weak hand, "It wouldn't be me, would it?"

Mister Branwen grimaced immediately, "No pipsqueak. There's never been a silver eyed maiden before, not even Ozpin knows how that might react to the maiden's powers and we're not about to risk your life experimentin'."

That was a massive weight off of Weiss's shoulders, and from the explosive sigh from Yang from hers as well. Ruby's obvious nerves aside, she would have accepted in a moment, just as Winter would have. She was a kind-hearted, selfless little dunce like that.

And in either case, there was really only one other candidate in their year: Pyrrha. If they'd already eliminated the rest of the older students, then it seemed obvious that she would be the next choice if Weiss declined.

"All right," She said, "I'll allow your secrecy there. What about the other maidens? Could they not be brought in to help?"

Both adults winced and exchanged a look before Miss Goodwitch replied, "The Summer Maiden vanished shortly after the Fall of the Vacuan Academy, she was a professor there, and the Winter Maiden is unavailable for reasons specific to Atlas's national security."

Ruby perked up at the former, "The Academy? Did Professor Arc know her?"

The blonde woman shook her head, "She likely taught him when he was a preparatory student, but he would not have been aware of her true identity at the time. We do not know if she died in the attack, or simply went to ground afterwords. We were still searching for her when Amber was attacked; our focus has obviously shifted closer to home since then."

Weiss frowned, "I understand, but that is only two maidens. What about Spring?"

Mister Branwen grunted and waved his flask in the direction of Yang and Blake, "She's the Mistralian maiden, but she ran away from Haven a decade or so ago. Got picked up by a bandit tribe at some point after that."

Yang's jaw tightened. "The Branwen?"

"Yeah." He nodded, "We... think that my sister may have gotten a hold of the mantle. Not sure how, maybe she killed her, maybe the girl died in combat, doesn't really matter in the end."

"Your sister?" She blinked, glancing at Yang. "Your mom is a maiden?"

"I... don't know. She told us about this, some of it anyway," Yang reached up to rub at her face with her new mechanical hand, "But she never even hinted that she was a maiden. I thought she was just one of Ozpin's old followers, that she quit because she hated him."

"She was, and she did." Mister Branwen said, "And it doesn't surprise me she'd keep quiet on that. Ozpin wouldn't go after her just for having the power but she's not exactly rational when it comes to him, or much of anything. Doesn't really matter though, Raven won't help us. Like Yang said, she knows that something's going on, probably knows more than she's letting on, but she's not the type to stick her neck out for anyone else."

"Yang?" Weiss asked. "Would she help if you asked her? Just to train me if nothing else?"

The other girl snorted. "Hell no. She's been trying to convince me to run away and join her tribe from the moment she decided to show up, and after hearing all this I'm pretty sure I know why."

Lips pressing into a thin line, Weiss nodded in agreement. Yang's mother must have known about Amber, about her attacker, and rather than try to help defend the wounded maiden was instead simply trying to get her daughter _out_ before the fighting got worse.

She supposed, for all of Yang's complaining, that meant that Raven Branwen had some degree of maternal instinct regarding her daughter, which was more than she could say about her own parents.

Blake took a quiet step forwards, frowning at Weiss, "You're... actually thinking about it, aren't you?"

"Of course I am. This is an extremely serious matter."

The faunus didn't quite gape, but it was close. "Weiss, this could _kill_ you. Even if it doesn't you're going to be a wanted woman for the rest of your life!"

"I already am." She reminded her, a bit more sharply than she'd honestly intended, and Blake flinched at the implications towards her people. "...I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"No... it's..." There was a quiet exhalation, "I know what you mean. But still..."

Weiss sighed, "Every mission we do as hunters, even as students, means risking our lives, doesn't it? This could just be another mission."

"There's a difference." Yang noted, "You don't _have_ to do this one. Maybe we could just take out her attacker the old fashioned way, then find someone else."

"Which," Weiss noted, "Would mean risking all of our lives instead of just mine, and then passing the problem off on to someone else, just as whoever refused the offer the first time did. Not that I blame her, whoever she was, but..."

Miss Goodwitch gently interjected herself at that point, "Miss Schnee... Weiss, we're not asking you to choose right now, and in truth would not accept your answer at this moment if you tried to say yes. This is something you _need_ to think long and hard about, and something you and your team should discuss in detail."

Weiss nodded as the two adults shifted, clearly shepherding the four of them away and back towards the elevator. She allowed herself to be moved along, though she did cast one final glance over her shoulder, staring at the coffin like machine one last time.

* * *

Pyrrha walked with her team back to their dorms after Jaune's Monday morning class, and once more wondered why things still felt so tense.

She was certain that everything seemed like it was going well. Better than well, even. Roman Torchwick had been killed by Mister Branwen, the last true White Fang members in Vale had been captured or killed by General Ironwood, and the Vytal Festival was rapidly approaching. A city that had seemed so gloomy the last time they'd all gone out together now seemed like it was alive again.

Even the students seemed to be feeling the upswing of happiness and optimism. Everyone was excited and eager for the tournament, bragging in advance about how well they'd do. Boasting about secret team maneuvers they planned to surprise everyone, good naturedly teasing the exchange students about the superiority of their school over the others. And of course everyone from Atlas, Haven, and Shade replied in kind, so it was rare not to see a teasing grin on someone's face.

Well, unless the teams in question were RWBY or RAVN, in which case it was rare to see a smile of any kind.

"Ughh..." Nora groaned once they were inside, grabbing Ilia by the shoulders and shaking her before she could even attempt to dodge. "Stop being so gloomy!"

"I'm not gloomy!" The other girl protested as she tried, and failed miserably, to fight her off. "Pyr!?"

Pyrrha dutifully leaned over and pried Nora off, doing her best to ignore the protests as gently pulled her away. "Oh come _on_! Things are so much better now, you three should all cheer up!"

"Nora." Ren chided tiredly as he closed the door behind them, "That doesn't mean you need to keep trying to shake us like that."

"It works on Ruby!"

The comment made him sigh, "Ruby is a special case. Please, for me. Stop."

That drew a long groan from his partner-slash-girlfriend, and she dramatically threw herself into her bed once Pyrrha had released her. "Fine... but seriously, things are looking up! Why is everyone still so moody?"

"I'm not moody." Ilia growled, tossing her bag onto her own bed. "Neither is Pyrrha."

Nora flicked a hand at her, "Moody _and_ broody. And it's not even about fun stuff, like whether or not you want to try another date. It's all worrying about Jaune and Neo and that maiden stuff."

"Um," Pyrrha quickly spoke up as her partner's spots began to flare towards an angry scarlet, "Isn't that kind of worth worrying about? I mean, I know Torchwick is gone and the White Fang disbanded in Vale but there's still other people out there."

Ilia nodded in agreement, taking a step closer to make it clear they were united on this. "And it's not like Jaune and Neo are any more relaxed, even if they keep trying to tell us to be."

The sole seated girl bit her lip as her joviality faded, replaced with the almost unnatural sight of her looking serious. "I guess. I think they might be arguing too, they're not as touchy and funny as they usually are with each other. Ren, you think it might have something to do with the person who attacked the last maiden? Whoever that is is the last bad guy around, right?"

"In theory." Ren nodded as he sat down on his own bed, everyone else watching their team leader as he slowly martialled his thoughts. "I think... that they be arguing over the nature of that attacker."

Pyrrha frowned. "What do you mean?"

The boy held out a hand with his palm up, "I mean that Jaune seems to be a noble man, the kind of person who wants to save everyone. It is what makes him a good counselor and a good friend. But Miss Neo is... both more selfish and more wary. You've seen what she's said, how she always calls him _too_ noble and how she worries over him."

Ilia grimaced, "She doesn't think the attacker will have a change of heart. She wants to take them out instead of trying to talk them down."

"It's just a guess," Ren shrugged, "But I think it's likely based on what I know."

Pyrrha bit her lip before speaking, "How do we help them? Do you think we should push to be involved in things more than we are?"

Ren shook his head once, "I don't think we can, Pyrrha. Searching sewers for criminals and fighting gangsters was pushing Jaune's sense of propriety as it was. Whatever kind of fight is upcoming between them and the attacker, a war of words or actual combat... he won't want us involved, and I would agree. We're not ready for that level of engagement."

Nora huffed quietly, "Pyrrha might be."

"Ilia might be." Pyrrha corrected her with a sigh, "I may be a champion fighter but all of those fights had rules, and most of them took place in empty arenas. I was surprised both times I fought Torchwick, and I don't think a few months of school training is enough to make any of us ready."

Especially since whoever this attacker was probably wouldn't be fighting just to try and get away, like Torchwick and the White Fang had been. Those battles had been bad enough as it was, and she wasn't under any illusions that the next fight would be any better. And there _would_ be a next fight... whoever had nearly killed the prior Fall Maiden and stolen some of her powers wouldn't just give up and go home. Not with the lengths they'd already gone to in order to try and get to her.

As much as Pyrrha wanted to help her Professors, her friends, when it came to fight... she didn't want to be a distraction either. She was fairly certain her teammates felt the same from the less than happy expressions on the others' faces, and the fact that none of them seemed to have any idea of what do.

Ilia crossed her arms as she spoke up, "That all may be true, but I'm still kind of annoyed with them. I mean, they said they'd be open, and I guess they were when it came to hunting down Torchwick. But now that he's gone they've totally clammed up. I barely get anything out of Jaune in our counseling sessions, and I don't think Pyr does either."

Pyrrha shook her head, but it was Ren who sighed and spoke up, "To be fair, they did tell me who the attacker is, and I entirely understand if they're having problems deciding on how to confront them."

"And," Pyrrha asked, "You still won't tell us?"

"I think it would complicate things more than they already are." He said, "And I still agree with Jaune, it's hard enough for me to keep it a secret. If I told you all it would become much harder, and if the attacker realized it things could get unpleasant very quickly."

"So we do nothing?" Ilia demanded.

"We trust in our professors." Ren corrected gently, "And we continue to help them and Miss Sable train."

Ilia shook her head, "I think we should at least try and help them sort things out between them."

Pyrrha shifted uncomfortable, "I don't know how I feel about involving us in their relationship."

Nora gave her a surprised look, "That didn't exactly stop the rest of us from trying to get you two together. I think it's a good idea to at least see if Ren's right about what they're arguing about, and if there's anything we can do to help."

"But what could we do?" She asked. "If it's what Ren thinks it is, he's the only one who knows who the attacker is. We can't really say what would be right or wrong without knowing that, can we?"

"No," Ilia agreed, "But if it's _not_ what Ren thinks it is, if it's just some stupid fight, maybe we can find a way to knock their heads together or something."

Pyrrha hadn't thought of that. The notion of interfering, even gently, in someone else's love life still left her feeling a little awkward, but it seemed clear that Nora was at least going to make the effort. And since Nora was Nora, it was probably best if the rest of them got involved as well to at least try to make the effort with some degree of tact and politeness.

A quick glance at Ilia saw her partner nodding in silent agreement, the two of them on the same page.

"All right," Ilia said, "Pyr and I will see if we can push them a bit during our counseling and training sessions, if you guys can do the same with Miss Sable when you help train her."

They all nodded in agreement with the rough plan, then started moving around to get ready for lunch. Or rather, two of them did, while Nora mostly complained about their school work and lounged, giving Ilia and Pyrrha less than subtle looks as she did.

Taking the hint, and blushing a little, Pyrrha had quickly announced she was going on ahead and asked for Ilia to walk with her. Her partner had rolled her eyes at the pair of them but agreed, the two of them slipping out and leaving Nora free to make out with her new boyfriend for a few minutes.

"They are just going to kiss, right?" Pyrrha asked as they left the dorms, moving out in the cloudy day. "They aren't going to do... other things in our dorm?"

"Gods they'd better not." Ilia shook her head, "I mean, it'll probably happen eventually but I'd rather it be a few years off."

"I'd rather it not happen at all." She admitted, imagining walking on her friends doing _that_ and shaking her head almost at once.

"It definitely will... probably best not to go in to the dorms if the door is locked from here on out."

Pyrrha had already made a mental note saying as much after the first time they'd woken up to find out that Nora had migrated from her bed to Ren's in the middle of the night. Still, the subject remained a bit awkward, especially considering her... uncertainty regarding just where she and Ilia were. The chaos of the Breach, and then everything that had come after, had more or less ruined her attempts to figure out whether or not they could or should be 'together together'. Ilia, bless her, hadn't pushed for another date and had made it clear that she didn't think this was the time for them to be worrying about that kind of thing.

Which was nice, but once and a while it still left her feeling a little uncertain.

"Huh." Ilia's voice broke her from her thoughts as they walked towards the cafeteria, "What's RWBY doing with Miss Goodwitch?"

Following her gaze, Pyrrha tilted her head a little on seeing the other team speaking with deputy headmistress near the central tower. It was hard to tell from a distance but she thought they all looked rather serious. "You don't think something else has happened?"

"I didn't see anything on the news." Ilia frowned, "I don't think Goodwitch would be breaking bad news to them in public either."

"I suppose not." She said as the five abruptly started moving, heading inside. "They have been very distant lately though."

"To be fair, so have we."

"True." Pyrrha said, though she couldn't help but feel a bit worried. She couldn't quite put her finger on why, just that something about the sight of her friends talking with the professor had set off an alarm in her head. It shouldn't have, there was nothing unusual about the situation, but still...

"Come on." Ilia nudged her elbow, "Let's get some food, then see if we can't track down Neo. We can interrogate Ruby when she comes to spar with us tomorrow."

"Interrogate?"

"Well, that or just bribe her with candy."

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile, "She's fifteen, not five."

"You wouldn't know it sometimes."

Laughing, Pyrrha did her best to defend her absent friend from Ilia's teasing remarks as they kept walking. By the time they'd settled down beside team MINT with their food, she'd forgotten entirely about the strange worry she had felt.

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _A bit of a slower paced chapter here, tying teams RWBY and RAVN back into the core plot and doing a bit of preparation for the Festival Arc that is rapidly approaching. We'll be back to Neo and Jaune in the next chapter, touching on their relationship, how Cinder is doing, and a few other things. Based on my current, and hopefully final outline, chapters 7-9 will be cover the remaining few weeks to Vytal, with 10-18 covering the Festival and it's associated fun._

 _Personal news is mostly good at the moment. Work is a bit stressful thanks to too much to do and not enough time to do it, but my divorce is final, the old home is sold and profits split with the ex-wife, and I will be closing on a house this week so long as the sellers actually fixed all the crap they were supposed to._ _I'm hoping, key word there, to be able to establish a once per week update for this story as well as my Mass Effect series by the end of this month, with this story ideally being finished by the New Year at the very latest._

 _One last quick note, the next few world buildings will all focus on the various kingdoms and how their huntsmen and huntresses act / are perceived._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 **Thanks, Kat**

* * *

 **World Building: Hunters and Mistral**

 _Nowhere is the glorious life of a Hunter or Huntress more celebrated than in the kingdom of Mistral. Remnant's largest nation by both area and population requires a great number of such men and women in order to protect themselves from the Grimm, and nearly as many to protect them from the bandit tribes that have plagued the countryside ever since the Mistralian Emperor united the continent in the run-up to the Great War._

 _The modern solution to this constant need to recruit new hunters is the promotion and celebration of the tournament circuit, with fighters in the top leagues counted among the most wealthy individuals in the world. The lure of fame and fortune ensures a steady diet of applicants from all walks of life, and the number of Mistralian hunters has exploded over the past forty years. While still far below Vacuan levels, Mistral boasts far more such individuals than Vale or Atlas._

 _These leagues are typically organized by age brackets, with the youngest allowing fighters from the first years of preparatory school to compete. The yearly champions are often given sponsorship deals on top of their not inconsiderable winnings, and the faces of Pyrrha Nikos, Prasi Louloudi, Burrado Mun, and others can be seen on boxes in every Mistralian store. While other kingdoms have followed suit to one degree or another, creating their own minor tournament brackets, Mistral's remains the most prestigious and often lures in foreign talent._

 _While this has allowed Mistral to accumulate a very large number of aura-enhanced fighters, the approach is not without its drawbacks._ _Mistralian hunters are often derided by foreigners as 'garrison' or 'duelist' hunters. Skilled at defending towns and at dueling one another, but with little or no experience in true field craft. While not a universal truth, the stereotype is also not entirely inaccurate; there are Mistralian hunters who, despite massive acclaim in the dueling ring, have never once actually fought a Grimm._


	58. Semester III: Civil Unrest

**Civil Unrest**

* * *

Jaune was half convinced that Cinder had managed to bug their office somehow, despite he and Neo's precautions, because her timing was improbably awful.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Their fellow criminal asked, glancing between he and Neo. The question had to be rhetorical given the way they were both standing and glaring at one another, but they obviously couldn't indicate as much without looking both weak and divided in front of their partial ally-slash-partial rival.

"No." He replied as he returned to his office chair. For her part Neo let out a silent little huff, gave him a look that told him in no uncertain terms that their argument was _not_ over, and then strode past Cinder and out of the office without a gesture of farewell.

"Lover's quarrel?" Cinder asked dryly when the door slammed shut.

"Something like that." He sighed, "Did you need something? Please tell me it's not school work, Glynda forced me to actually give homework this week and I'm really sick of grading."

The other criminal let out a soft chortle, "Fear not dear Jaune, this is not school related."

"Good." Jaune lied, doing his best to relax. In truth he'd much rather be dealing with more grading or other things related to their cover against whatever illegal information she was about to give him. Grading may have been mind numbingly tiring but it was at least straightforwards and uncomplicated.

"So," He asked once she had taken one of the armchairs facing his desk, "What kind of news do you have, and what do you want in payment?"

Cinder let out a quiet chuckle, "Fear not, we are still allies and I have no need to demand petty favors in exchange for information. I have news that is both welcome and unwelcome, if I recall your preferences, you prefer the latter first."

"I do, makes sure the conversation can end on a happier note." He settled his hands before him, folding his hands together. "What's the bad news?"

"You are, of course, aware that General Ironwood is investigating what happened when we attempted to deal with Roman?" When he nodded, she continued, "It would seem that Winter Schnee has been personally placed in charge of that effort, and if my sources are correct, she has orders to look closely at the three of us in specific given our status as outsiders."

Jaune felt his gut sink a little, "That's... unfortunate."

"But not unexpected?"

He shook his head once, "It's something we've had in mind since we first started here, I'm guessing you're prepared for something like this too." When she nodded, he sighed and went on, "It's just not something that I particularly want to deal with right before the Vytal Festival, especially coming a couple of weeks after that mess with Roman."

Mess hardly seemed to be the right word there. It had clearly been an effort to ensnare whatever agents were in Beacon, and it had come damned close to working even despite their precautions. Worse, while neither he nor Neo could be certain, they were fairly sure that Glynda was starting to suspect them.

His first friend on the staff had gotten rather cool lately, and tended to cut casual conversation short in favor of running off to do work elsewhere. Which wasn't all that unusual for Glynda, and with the Festival so close it wouldn't have seemed suspicious if not for the fact that it hadn't really started until just after that evening. Thankfully Bart, Peter, and Tsune were all acting normally, and he still had very little to do with Peach.

Not that anyone did, the poor general-education teacher had been dragooned by Ozpin to plan the setup for the Festival Village... and those few times he'd seen her she'd looked as if she was in dire need of an IV line of pure caffeine just to stay upright.

"So long as they have no hard evidence, we should be all right." Jaune said, pushing away his wandering thoughts. "It might get a little awkward having to defend ourselves, but I can't imagine that Winter will find anything solid."

"Mmmm... perhaps." Cinder allowed, "But do consider, dear Jaune, that your own past is not a false story as my own is. You and your partner often worked with less than admirable groups in Vacuo, including the assassin who has been so publicly involved in recent events."

He closed his eyes and groaned, "I know, but we never hid any of that. If they press us on it we can always counter that we made it blatantly clear that we lived in _Vacuo_ , with all of the things that goes with that... and we can ask why they never bothered to question us after the first time Charrie showed up. Bart at a minimum knows she was one of the other freelancers at the Krauf mines when that debacle went down, so it's hardly like we kept the fact that we knew her a secret."

There was another low chuckle, "Something to put pressure on Ozpin to disguise his own failures?"

"Something like that." Jaune shrugged, "If we make it clear we never bothered to conceal anything it should give us enough reasonable doubt to get through the next month. What about you? Are you sure your background is secure?"

Cinder smiled demurely, "Of course. I have my own contacts in Mistral, highly placed ones, all prepared to vouchsafe for me."

"Good." He said, "If things do go badly, we've got an escape plan ready that will still let us make a try for the Relic in the wake of the Festival."

"As do I." She replied, "But let us hope that such precautions prove to be unnecessary, I believe we are both quite tired of the setbacks and chaos of the past several months. It is past due time when an plan came together smoothly, and without complications."

"Yeah." He agreed, though he tactfully refrained from pointing out that things would have gone _very_ smoothly if not for the fact that she'd shown up. If not for her the worst thing they'd have had to deal with was his parents and family, and he'd take that any day over the chaos, confusion, and death that Cinder's involvement had caused. "What was the good news that you had?"

Cinder's smile returned at once, becoming almost vulpine. "One complicating factor will no longer be present. The injures dealt to Hazel by Branwen have proven more severe than he hoped, and he has been forced to depart the kingdom to seek superior treatment in secrecy elsewhere."

Jaune sucked in a slow breath and then let it out.

The slaying of Callows at the hands of Qrow and team BONE had been welcome news, even if a small, dark part of him, and all of Neo, had been annoyed that they hadn't been in at the death. He'd been one of two surviving people immediately responsible for what had happened to the Academy, ignoring whatever shadowy organization lay behind them and Cinder, and they'd been hoping to pay him back for that.

If Hazel was badly hurt enough that he had to flee for expert care... Cinder was obviously thrilled to have a potential rival out of the picture, but he was pretty sure she was also testing him. What was more important? Staying here and grabbing the Relic, or going after their wounded prey?

If Neo had been present she would have definitely said the latter, but she'd have also made it clear that she didn't trust Cinder or her information as far as she could throw her.

Jaune was more than beginning to disagree with her on that, but there were other problems to think about. If they were being investigated directly that meant that they couldn't really afford to run off so often anymore. It wouldn't be good for them if they went out drinking, vanished, and someone was tailing them and able report that they hadn't stuck around the club.

Even if they wouldn't be able to figure out where they'd gone it would be obvious they were up to _something_ beyond being near-alcoholics.

"That's... good." He said finally, picking his words with care. "One less player in the game here, and maybe something we could handle together once we're done here."

Cinder' smirk seemed to widen even further, her voice lowering to a sensual purr. "Nothing would please me more, dear Jaune. Once such personal affairs are concluded, perhaps we will also be able to discuss future plans in a... calmer setting."

Fighting the urge to lick his lips nervously, he nodded slightly. "You know our opinion of both Ozpin and the person behind what happened to the Academy. If you've come around on those things, I think it would be extremely good for us to have a long conversation on what might come next."

"Then we are in agreement." Cinder continued to smile as she rose to her feet, "If it puts you and your partner at ease, I believe we could even meet on your home-ground at a time and place of your choosing. Simply keep me informed of your decision and I will do the same."

"Of course." Jaune stood politely as well as they exchanged polite farewells, and then his fellow criminal was slipping out of his office.

He sat heavily once the door had closed, trying to relax a little. The quiet sound of cracking glass wasn't terribly surprising, nor was Neo irritably locking the door. "When did you get back?"

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. She'd never really left, simply double-backing into the closed bathroom before slipping out of the open bedroom door. It wasn't as if she was going to miss out on that conversation, especially with how idiotic he was being.

"I'm not being an idiot." He countered at once, their old argument resuming. "If we can turn Cinder then-"

They _couldn't_ turn Cinder! The bitch was playing him, how many times did she have to say it!?

"Maybe." Jaune allowed, "But if there's even a chance that we can get a maiden _and_ a relic on our side think of what we could do!"

Neo scoffed, her eyes a flat shade of angry pink. What could they possibly do? According to Raven, this Salem and Ozpin had been trying to murder one another for at least a thousand years. Was he so arrogant to think that they could pull it off?

"I'm not saying that we try to kill them," He wasn't sure he wanted to remove Ozpin. The man might have been a bit screwed up, and Raven Brawnen loathed him, but personally he thought the man's goals were in the right. Just maybe not his methods... and the gods alone even knew where Salem was or what she could do.

Hell, Raven didn't think she even could be killed, and for all any of them knew she could reincarnate just like Ozpin even if they did manage it.

"Maybe entrap her or something." Jaune suggested, "Look, the point is with her on our side we'll have a lot more options than we would otherwise."

But what was the _point!?_ She threw her hands up in the air. Callows was _dead._ Rainart was, supposedly, _crippled._ The reason they'd wanted the Relics in the first place was to give them the strength to take on those two and whoever was backing them. She was only going along with the whole steal-the-relic plan despite the fact that they didn't really need it anymore just because keeping it away from Salem struck her as smarter than leaving it in a place where she obviously knew where it was.

"That's what I'm saying!" He protested, "We take away a Relic from her _and_ we take a Maiden away!"

Killing Cinder would work just as well, she noted. Doubly so since it was almost certain that another student was going to get picked in replacement of Pyrrha, and did he seriously think that Cinder wouldn't try and remove her to gather all of the power? If they killed Cinder the power would consolidate into someone 'good', she'd have thought he'd approve of that.

Jaune shook his head, "One, there's got to be a way to consolidate the maiden's talent without killing them. Two, there's no guarantee they're going to pick another maiden now. I mean,t he Festival is coming up, that would be an ideal way to test out potential candidates."

She scoffed. Wishful thinking.

His fists clenched for a long moment before he made them relax, "Why are you being so stubborn about this? Yeah, there's a chance she's not being truthful and I'm not saying we go into this blindfolded... but there's a chance she _does_ want out from Salem, that she's just in this for her own sake. If we can find out what she wants we could ally her with us and Raven, get the Beacon and Haven relics, and be in a place to make real change."

Neo rolled her eyes. _She_ wasn't in this for real change or fighting the Grimm or whatever noble fantasy he was letting himself fall into. She, _they_ , were in this for _revenge._ They were here to steal a weapon that would let them kill the assholes who killed their friends. End of story.

"That's why we came here at first, but-"

No! No buts! They'd made friends, more than they should, and Cinder Fall was not among them, and they weren't about to join some stupid eternal war!

"She could be, and we don't have a choice!"

No, she couldn't, and yes, they did!

"Yes, she can!" He all but shouted back, "We're going to take precautions but we're going to try and flip her and that's final! I'm not going to argue with you anymore!"

Neo bared her teeth in a silent snarl, stomped a foot, and then shattered into glass.

Jaune stared at the shards as they settled onto the ground, slowly fading away into nothingness.

Dammit... he shouldn't have lost his temper, but he was still sure she was being too closed minded and thinking only in the short-term. Which described Neo a lot of the time, and normally he liked her selfish focus, but... sometimes you had to look at the bigger picture. One on the scale of cities, kingdoms, even all of Remnant.

He wasn't stupid, he knew the odds were against them. Ozpin and this... Salem had been fighting for so long it probably qualified as 'forever', and the chances that a bunch of humans and even a pair of maidens could disrupt it were minimal.

But... wasn't that a chance worth taking, if it was there? The chance to end the Grimm, or least mitigate them? Even if it was only the kind of truce that last for a few years, wasn't that worth it? How many lives would be saved if the Grimm were weakened, forced to defend some leader instead of being free to roam?

The weak link was really Ozpin. Jaune wasn't sure what to do about him, or how much to confide in him if it came to that. He didn't trust him, and still hadn't really forgiven him for putting that bitch in charge of the Academy, but he wasn't sure he wanted him as an enemy either. And of course Neo wanted absolutely nothing to do with him, since she was entirely in agreement with Raven that avoiding the entire thing was in everyone's best interests.

Jaune could see that, he really could, but... when there was a chance, even a slim one, to ally two maidens and grab two relics, to form a third faction... wasn't that a chance worth taking?

"Dammit... she'll come around. I know it."

* * *

Weiss's eyes snapped open as she gasped, a desperate fear making her heart pound as she frantically tried to rip the _thing_ off of her face. Instead all she did was scratch at her own skin, the pain making her flinch and her eyes squeeze shut as she realized blazing fluorescent lights were directly over her head.

"Weiss! Are you all right?" A young woman all but shouted into her ear, which also had the effect of making her realize that her head was absolutely _pounding_.

"Miss Rose! Give her space!"

She shook her head as she vaguely heard someone being jerked away from her, trying to think through how utterly terrible she felt... and the horror she could still remember from the vivid dream. "...I'm... all right."

The sounds in the room stopped, save for her own breathing, then she heard Miss Goodwitch speak again. "Can you tell us your name?"

Why would she need to... oh, right. "Weiss Schnee, heiress the Schnee Dust Company. You're Miss Goodwitch, and I heard Ruby screaming in my ear."

"I was barely whispering!" Ruby protested.

Weiss winced at the noise. "...still screaming."

"Miss Rose, please quiet yourself. Are you all right Miss Schnee? Your eyes are still shut, and that was... not the reaction we expected when you awakened."

"Light." She said simply, wanting to take things one step at a time, and desperately pushing away that lingering feeling of panic and terror.

There was a quiet murmur, then rapid footsteps before the pressure on her eyelids dimmed. When she opened them again the hospital room was dim enough to not hurt, and she could make out her teacher and her partner standing nearby. It was hard to tell with the lighting, but she thought Miss Goodwitch looked concerned, and Ruby looked half-panicked.

"Weiss..." The latter spoke, thankfully keeping her voice down. "...what was that? Are you ok? Are you... ya know, still you?"

"I... think so." Weiss replied, taking a deep breath before letting it out. "Just a dream, I think. Or maybe... maybe a memory? I don't know, it's already fading. I just remember being terrified, that there was something on my face and it hurt. It hurt everything."

Ruby let out a little whine and scampered forwards, but was surprisingly gentle when she touched her shoulder, then her face, then checked her forehead with the back of her hand. "You're not too warm, does anything hurt now?"

It felt a little awkward being tended to by a girl two years younger than her, and she tiredly but equally as gently reached up a hand to push Ruby's away. "My head hurts and I'm quite tired, but nothing else. How long was I asleep?"

"Overnight." Miss Goodwitch supplied, "So far as the rest of the school is aware, yourself and Miss Rose spent the evening with Qrow after a late night training session. Your teammates are prepared to back up that excuse, though both remain disapproving of your choice."

Frowning, she thought about that, only slowing remembering that had been the planned excuse from the start. The man had even volunteered to take the blame, public humiliation, and legal lawsuits if she hadn't made it through the … event.

Even the barest recollection of the last night had her flinching, breathing a little more heavily as the memories came back. She'd informed them all that she had made her choice the prior afternoon, fending off Yang and Blake's final efforts to dissuade her before she and Ruby had gone to see Miss Goodwitch. The deputy headmistress had called Professor Ozpin himself, and the pair of them had led her and Ruby down into the sub-levels in the late evening. Once there, she'd lain in the device as instructed, braced herself, and realized that she hadn't quite understood what she had agreed to.

Weiss wasn't sure she could even find the words to describe what it had felt like. The pain had been agonizing beyond anything, and it had been accompanied by emotions that she was certain hadn't been her own. Pure terror tinged with an impossible rage, the last thoughts of a woman finally dying.

"Your eyes were glowing." Ruby said as the silence dragged on, as Weiss tried to get a hold of herself before she did something unseemly. "When you were asleep, I mean. They were... reddish."

Weiss shook her head a little, "I... what? Red?"

Miss Goodwitch cleared her throat, "It is a side-effect of wielding magic as a maiden. Your eyes will appear to burn, typically with a red or orange colored hue. That is partly why we must begin your training as soon as possible, so that you do not accidentally reveal yourself."

"I... yes, I suppose that makes sense." She managed, struggling to focus on the now as her head throbbed once more. "Water?"

Ruby vanished in a puff of rose petals, re-appearing nearly as quickly with a bottle of water in her hands. She entirely ignored Weiss's protests that she didn't need help sitting up, and she only managed to avoid being bottle-fed like an infant by grabbing the water while Ruby was distracted trying to re-arrange the pillows behind her.

To her great relief the liquid helped a great deal, and she managed to slowly wall off the memories of the night prior.

"I believe I am all right now." She told them both once she felt confident in her ability to speak evenly. "Will I be returning to our dorms tonight?"

"Yes, provided that you are physically and mentally healthy." Goodwitch stated, "But first we need to ensure that your general memories remain your own. Could you please tell me each member of your family and your relation to them."

Fighting down the urge to groan, Weiss dutifully replied. She was then run through the various tutors that she'd had as a child, various Atlesian politicians she'd been forced to meet, and then Ruby had quizzed her on the functionality of Myrtenaster. Her initial hope that was all of it was dashed when the professor had moved on to her classmates, bringing out a tablet to show them one at a time and confirming that Weiss remembered who each one was.

"That is Helena." She said, her patience waning at the twentieth or so image, something not helped by Ruby's typical fidgeting. "Professor, is all of this necessary?"

The teacher regarded her stoically, though her voice was soft when she spoke, "Given that Helena Mars has been dead for three years... yes, it is Miss Schnee."

Weiss's mouth opened, then closed with an audible click as she glanced at the image once again. A smiling girl with short-cropped red hair stared back at her, the same face she'd seen just yesterday morning at... at... sh'd seen her at breakfast, hadn't she? Talked... with... no...

No, that wasn't...

She sucked in a ragged breath, her fingers twitching before she forced them to smooth out the blankets over her legs. "I... I did say I didn't know several of them. I know I said that."

"Yes." Miss Goodwitch said, "So far you have correctly picked out everyone in your year, correctly stated that you did not know four of Amber's classmates, but you also identified three from her year."

"Meaning?" She asked quietly.

"Meaning that Professor Ozpin had several ideas as to how the transfer could go, and this was one of his better case theories." The older woman lowered her tablet and held up a hand, "Not his best case, obviously, but a better one. You seem to have gained _some_ of Amber's memories but not all of them, and so far do not have seem to have lost any of your own."

Weiss closed her eyes and tried to relax. "That's... good, and annoying. How do I get rid of them?"

"With luck," Miss Goodwitch said, "They will simply fade over time, perhaps quite quickly, and unless you encounter individuals or situations where both yourself and Amber had disparate experiences you should have little occasion to mis-remember subjects."

That made sense, she supposed. If she was picking out people that Amber had known in school, it wasn't as if they were still around as students.

Ruby coughed once, "Um, what can we do to help?"

"For now, ensure that she has a comfortable and relaxing environment in your dorm rooms." Came the instructions, "A day or two to recover will be needed, after which she and I will begin her training with the maiden's talents every evening. Should anyone ask you are being tasked with assisting me in preparing for the Vytal Festival due to your outstanding grades and intelligence."

Part of her wanted to puff a little in pride at the notion, but the rest of her just wanted to sink back into the bedding as the headache made a slow return.

"Will we," She paused to sip more water, "Be going over the details of being a maiden then? As far as what I'll be capable of, I mean."

"We will." Goodwitch assured her, "Although given our current time constraints your training will be necessarily limited. As I am not a maiden I can obviously not teach you magic directly, and as using said magic would be an immediate give-away of your identity we would desire to avoid that regardless. Instead we will focus on further enhancing your semblance via the maiden's powers while ensuring you can conceal the general effects."

That also made a great deal of sense, and she found herself nodding. "I understand ma'am. May I return to my dorm now?"

"You may. If you have any health complications please alert Kitsune at once. Miss Rose? I trust that you will do so if Miss Schnee attempts to refuse."

"Yes ma'am!" Ruby almost looked like she was going to salute the teacher. "Should we get you too?"

Miss Goodwitch nodded once, "Yes. If I am not available, summon Professor Ozpin or your uncle. They will be able to assist as well."

Weiss fought down the urge to protest. Aside from her head and feeling as if she hadn't slept, physically she felt _fine._ She didn't need to be treated like an invalid.

Thankfully Miss Goodwitch departed around then, likely to report on her condition to Professor Ozpin, while Professor Kitsune-Chan bustled in with breakfast right after. It was typical medical fare, nutritious if not exactly palatable, and she quietly answered a few questions when the doctor asked how much she'd over-strained herself 'training' the night before.

Considering that the faunus examined her anyway after, Weiss personally felt the questions rather useless, but she knew better than to complain. After perhaps ten minutes of being prodded and looked at, she was pronounced healthy but for a mild case of aura exhaustion along with some unusual fluctuations.

Weiss had muttered an excuse about attempting to utilize the summoning aspect of her semblance while already exhausted, and been relieved when the excuse had been accepted without argument. After she turned down the offer of several auric boosters that she definitely didn't need, the doctor had departed, leaving her free to finally be able to return to their dorms without being treated as though she was about to fall apart.

Ruby evidently disagreed, as she once again ignored her protests when it came time for her to stand up and walk back.

"I can stand on my own! I don't need your-gah!" She swayed when the partner she'd been pushing away abruptly used her semblance to whip around to her other side, wrapping an arm around her chest before she could even try to stop her. "You nearly made me fall!"

"Miss G said you needed to take it easy." Her partner replied stubbornly. "So you're gonna take it easy and you're not going to complain! Team leader's orders!"

Weiss felt her teeth grind as she was forcibly 'helped' towards the door, "This is a gross and unnecessary abuse of power."

"Put it in a memo." Ruby shot back.

She blinked as they exited the room, "Do you even know what that means?"

"It means stop complaining and follow my orders."

Weiss, naturally, did no such thing, and increased her efforts to get free as they exited the small medical wing to cut across the grounds. "I don't need help, and I don't want to be seen like this!"

"Everyone needs help sometimes Weiss."

"This is _not_ one of those times!" She growled, working her left arm around to dig her elbow into the other girl's ribs. Ruby tried to keep her grip, but seemed unwilling to fight too hard and 'strain' her partner. Weiss made sure to grab her by the shoulder the moment she was free, keeping her at arm's length before she could try and dart around again.

"I'm fine." She stated firmly. "If you absolutely insist, you may walk this far away from me all the way back to our dorms."

Ruby groaned, "Why are you so stubborn?"

"I am not being stubborn," She countered, " _You_ are being utterly unreasonable."

Ruby threw her hands up in the hair and shook her head. That or their prior arguing drew attention now that they were out in public, and both turned to see several of their fellow classmates watching them with interest.

"Don't mind us," Cardin Winchester drawled, "We were about to start betting on if you two were going to start throwing punches or start making out."

Pyrrha sighed and shook her head, looking embarrassed at the suggestion. "Cardin, must you?"

The boy snorted and crossed his arms, though Weiss spoke before he could continue. "Pyrrha. Cardin. What are the pair of you doing together?"

Winchester waved a hand at the medical wing behind them, "Teams did some early morning training and Valkyrie knocked Sky around pretty good, figured he could do with an auric booster and some aspirin."

CRDL and RAVN training together? Since when? Had she forgotten that thanks to last night?

"Since when do you guys spar?" Ruby asked, instantly making Weiss' chest feel lighter. "And why didn't you invite us!?"

"Since this morning." Pyrrha replied, "We all met last night to talk about the Festival, and Cardin, Ren, and Meral all thought we could do with some additional four on four training. We would have invited you too but since you already had plans..."

"Awww... next time then!" Ruby said, "Anything cool happen?"

Cardin snorted, "Not unless you count Nikos and her posse beating the rest of us senseless."

"It was hardly that bad!"

The boy rolled his yes, "You're right. You missed them kicking the shit out of us as per fucking usual. Don't suppose you've got some secret plan to take her out if you hit them in the group rounds?"

"Maybe." Weiss supplied, "Though are odds of encountering them are poor. We were hoping to try two on two maneuvers that might work, though they'll require us to know who she is taking with her into the doubles rounds."

Pyrrha shook her head, "You do remember that I'm present? Shouldn't you be keeping this kind of thing secret?"

"Nikos," Cardin rolled his eyes, "The naive innocent thing is cute as hell, but you know as well as we do that _everyone_ is trying to think of ways to fight you. That or just praying that they can avoid you until someone else pulls off a miracle. Oh, you might want to watch out for that fourth year team from Vacuo."

The redhead blinked once. "...why?"

"Think they're considering sacrificing someone to take you out before the tournament starts." He replied.

Weiss shook her head, "That's despicable."

Cardin snorted again. "Can you think of a better way to keep her from winning?"

"She's not invincible." She stated, "We simply need the right strategy and tools."

The girl in question looked somewhere between mortified and stunned, as though she couldn't quite believe she was being talked about like this. "Um... I'm... uh, Weiss? Are sure you're all right to leave the hospital? You must have gotten back very late."

Taking some pity on her, and once more starting to feel as tired as she evidently looked, Weiss nodded. "Yes, I'm all right, merely tired. I exhausted myself fighting Mister Branwen, and we didn't return until extremely late."

"After midnight late." Cardin smirked, "We were out clubbing and didn't see you on the last Bullhead. You trying out your anti-Nikos strategy, or were you out on the town too?"

"The former." She said firmly, "If you'll excuse us, I'd like to go lay down for a while. Pyrrha, do you think you could ask Nora to keep it down today? ...Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha had been staring at her oddly for a few seconds, but at the repetition of her name shook her self and quickly smiled. "Of course, I'll make sure she knows."

"Thank you." Weiss said, nodding once before resuming her walk with Ruby hovering a tad too close beside her.

She never noticed Pyrrha watching her go, biting her lip in worry as she did.

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _A bit later than I thought it would be, got distracted working on Another Realm and on an original project... that on top of the new house needing a ton of work. Furnace died last weekend, getting all of the second floor windows replaced, arranging for an electrician, unpacking, decorating... the list goes on and on._

 _In better news, most of that should be wrapped up pretty quickly and work is starting to slow down a little, so I should have more time to write and believe I'm still on schedule to finish this story before the new year. This chapter got adjusted a bit from the outline, I cut some Festival prep that didn't really further the plot and bumped Weiss' post-maiden experience up a chapter as a result. I think it works all right, hopefully you all found it enjoyable._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 ** _Thanks, Kat_**

* * *

 **World Building: Hunters and Vale**

 _The Hunters of Vale are a mixed but nearly dying breed. Of the four kingdoms it has the smallest number of active hunters despite being the home of the famed Beacon Academy and the holders of the King of Vale's legacy. Much of the reasons for this lack trace back to the Great War, where Vale's triumphant status hid an exhausted and battered nation._

 _Much of Vale's fertile eastern lands were savaged during the war, with much of the population fleeing to the coastal plains in the west. After the great truce there was little lust for further combat against the hordes of Grimm lurking in the old battlefields, and so the kingdom maintained a highly dense population beyond the Grey Mountains. Only minimal villages and mining operations exist the east, often with the understanding that the inhabitants live there at their own peril._

 _With few passes available to get through them, fewer hunters were needed to protect those on the coastal plain once the great majority of the Grimm there were removed by the last campaign of the Royal Army before its disbanding. These extreme natural protections were combined with a wave of cultural conservatism and economic prosperity._

 _With little need to expand thanks to a still recovering population and plenty of resources brought in by trade, there was equally little need for hunters beyond those needed to protect the walls and strategically positioned fortresses. It wasn't until the Mountain Glenn incident that Vale would make an organized effort to expand back into the eastern lands._

 _The fall of Mountain Glenn was devastating to Vale's already small hunter corps, and the new headmaster of Beacon attempted to declare it a national emergency as Grimm began to encroach beyond the Grey Mountains for the first time in decades. He was countered by a new wave of politicians who looked to follow the Atlesian example rather than embrace Vale's heritage as the founder of the huntsman academies, and the struggle between a nascent military and the slowly recovering Hunters has continued quietly ever since... to the detriment of the kingdom's defenses._


	59. Semester III: Setting the Stage

**Setting the Stage**

* * *

Ozpin had not been looking forwards to this day, primarily due to his own lack of time to review the evidence, come up with a proper defense, and then to approach the targets of the inquiry to ensure he had their side of the story.

Between all of his advanced duties regarding the Vytal Festival, working with Glynda and Qrow regarding Weiss Schnee's progress, dealing with the Council, the media availability expected of the Vytal host, and even simply handling the small mountains of routine paperwork that came with running a school... in the end his actions had fallen far short of his hopes.

He had assigned Qrow to try and ferret out as much information as he could on his own, but he was one man acting in competition to an entire team, and a man who had other duties to work on as well. It also seemed clear that Jaune and his paramour had been told more than he was comfortable with by someone, that someone almost certainly being Raven Branwen, regarding Qrow's abilities.

Despite the extremely pleasant weather and sunny days, their office windows had been locked and shuttered with the curtains drawn for several weeks now.

As much as he wished to believe that they were not enemies, certainly no friend of Salem... even he could admit the paranoid levels of secrecy did not paint them in the best light. But then again... he could hardly throw stones in that regard, and they likely viewed his own withdrawn nature in much the same light.

He could only trust that their reasons were as good as his own.

The presentation, such as it was, was occurring in his office, with additional chairs brought in for everyone. While he sat behind his desk as usual, Glynda and James had taken up seats to either side, while Winter Schnee sat across from them. The former was healing well and quite quickly, thanks to both the miracles of aura as well as Tsune's... 'gentle' attentions, but she continued to walk with a slight limp and was obviously still adjusting to the loss of her right eye.

"I would once again," As he expected, it was Winter who began the briefing. "State that we did not have enough time to go over all of the possible angles... and our orders to not interview any of the individuals directly was a severe limitation on our investigation."

Ozpin sighed. "Your concerns have been noted multiple times in your documentation, Captain Schnee. Please continue."

Winter was too collected to react to his exasperation, instead she simply spared a single glance for her top paper before continuing, "The final opinion of myself and those investigators tha I have worked with is that, while there is no _direct_ evidence that either Mister Arc or Miss Neopolitan was definitively involved in the criminal and terrorist events these past few months, there is considerable circumstantial evidence implying that the pair had at least peripherally involvement or knowledge of said events."

Inhaling slowly, he folded his hands before him in a suitably grave pose. "Please explain."

"First, we have definitive evidence that the pair lied on their official application to Beacon." Winter said. "According them, they arrived very shortly before their application, but we can confirm both were active within the city of Vale and routine visitors to the establishment known as 'The Club' at least twelve months prior to their application. While they still undertook at least three visitations to Vacuo in that time-frame, their place of residence was clearly somewhere in Vale."

"And," He interjected, "You can prove that they were living in Vale?"

There was a slight hesitation, "The VPD is still gathering evidence but we _do_ have numerous confirmed sightings from believable witnesses."

James leaned forwards in his seat, giving him a look that made it clear he did not appreciate the interruptions. "Continue, Winter."

"Their continued visitations to 'The Club' establishment appear to have occurred on an intermittent basis throughout that year, all ostensibly as nothing more than standard customers." She paused for a moment, taking another glance at her paperwork before resuming, "However, the VPD can confirm that the establishment in question is highly suspected to be the headquarters of a criminal family, to hold an information broker of some repute, and its proprietor to be the leader of the Red-Axe gang. It was also believed, though admittedly not confirmed, to be one of Roman Torchwick's preferred recruiting locations."

Ozpin leaned back in his chair as Winter continued to lay out the, circumstantial to be sure, but less than flattering evidence against his two newest teachers.

The pair had, by their own admission, worked with the Vacuan assassin known as Charcoal on at least one, possibly more, occasions in the past. While the fact that they had admitted as much to Bartholomew and several of their students in the past, and the occasions they had worked with her had not been strictly illegal, the fact that they had never approached any of the authorities with their knowledge in the aftermath of the Docks and the Rally did not paint them in a positive light.

It did not help that both Bartholomew and the students that Winter had obliquely questioned, certainly her own sister though she declined to give names, had naturally assumed that Jaune _had_ told at least Ozpin or Glynda of the past relationship.

Next came a variety of police reports indicating that both the Red-Axe gang and Roman himself had accelerated their criminal activities somewhat in the same time-frame that Jaune and Neo supposedly arrived in Vale, and that reports had reached the VPD that they were being assisted by a duo whose appearance was wildly inconsistent in between the various reports. The crimes were generally limited to burglary, particularly of corporate assets, and to her knowledge none involved any fatalities or even injuries to civilians.

"You imply," He said once she had finished, "That this mysterious duo was Jaune and Neo, utilizing the latter's semblance? Do you know if it is even possible for her to affect more than one individual at a time?"

Winter shook her head, "I imply only that it _could_ be them, Headmaster. I will admit that this is hardly definitive evidence that they have undertaken more than a year of criminal, minor perhaps but still criminal, actions... but the fact remains that the most consistent reports regarding the individuals in question is their height; they are most often seen as a tall man, and a small woman."

Thankfully, as bad a light as that painted them, that was also the end of the most definitive proof that the two were involved in any of the year's past events.

"Yes," Ozpin allowed as Winter finished her section regarding the various encounters with Roman Torchwick, "They did fail to prevent him from escaping on all three occasions they encountered him. However, unless you mean to suggest that they actively planned ahead for such encounters I can hardly see how they _could_ have prevented his escape during the first two events."

Glynda cleared her throat, "I agree. The encounter at the docks was a chance one, and Jaune could have been easily startled into not reacting quickly by the sight of an old comrade in arms aiding a wanted fugitive. And regarding the raid on the White Fang rally, he requested Bartholomew lead team RAVN rather than himself due to the Doctor's much broader combat experience. It was only on my insistence that he accepted the role."

"That may be what he said, Glynda." James countered, "But it just as easily could have been a man not wishing to fight against an occasional ally in Torchwick, and it does not explain their failure to bring their past criminal relationships to light."

"James," He chided, "Please remember that they are both of Vacuo, or at least mostly so. They have a very different opinions regarding what does and does not constitute 'criminal relationships'. As Miss Schnee herself noted, they never made any effort to hide that they personally knew the assassin Charcoal," though he could recall at least one conversation where Jaune had pointedly _not_ volunteered such information, "And they likely assumed that if we had any such questions regarding her that _we_ would have approached _them_ , rather than the other way around."

James scoffed. "A thin excuse of cultural differences does not excuse them, Oz. At a bare minimum we have enough evidence for warrants and questioning regarding their past actions, what they were doing in Vale if they lied about their time of residence, and their possible work with Torchwick and this Red-Axe group."

Ozpin felt his eyes narrow. "James, the Vytal parade begins in eight hours, and you wish to potentially _arrest_ a pair of local heroes? On nothing more than circumstantial evidence that they _may_ have once worked with a man who is now dead?"

"The Breach," James's own expression became angry, "Was nearly a disaster of unimaginable levels, Oz. If they knew about it in advance, if that was supposed to the precursor to something that may still be coming, we cannot simply let it go."

Giving his old friend a look of mild reproof, he then flicked his eyes pointedly to the young woman who had not yet been read in to the full situation.

The Headmaster of Atlas needed a long moment to calm himself, but did so commendably. "Thank you for your report Winter. Please continue to work with the investigative team regarding Miss Fall and be prepared to discuss your findings there by the end of the week."

"Sir." Winter Schnee rose with only a hint of stiffness, saluted her superior, gave himself and Glynda a polite nod, and then departed the office.

As she did, he casually opened a drawer and drew out a thermos. A long sip did more than anything else to help calm him down, the old magic infused in the beans as soothing as it always been. His deputy evidently disagreed as she gave him a rather disappointed look, and he acquiesced to her silent demand by taking only one smaller drink before setting the cup aside.

Not nearly enough to lose himself, just enough to fortify him for the argument he knew was coming.

"Ozpin." James rose from his seat, though to his credit he kept his voice even and his stance neutral. "They were, in all probability, working with Roman Torchwick, who worked for the Queen, who worked for _Salem._ You cannot possibly be suggesting we do not, at a bare minimum, interrogate them."

"For one," he countered evenly, "I do not care for the word 'interrogate' when referenced to valued members of my staff. Secondly, you are making several leaps of logic based on evidence that, as even your own subordinate and investigative team admitted, is thin at best. And thirdly, I was not suggesting that we ignore it, I was merely pointing out that current events make it unwise to create any kind of scene."

"It could be done discretely."

Ozpin sighed, "James, please be reasonable. The media would be all over such an event, and I think it likely that at least one or more members of your investigative team will leak that the pair were under investigation sooner rather than later. The fact that it hasn't already concerns me."

"Perhaps it simply shows that Winter chose her volunteers well." Ironwood said, crossing his arms to make his defensive attitude abundantly clear. "They all had to sign the proper agreements and came with the highest VPD recommendations for discretion. We could undertake the proper questioning here if you insist on being controlling about this."

It was Glynda's turn to cross her arms as she made her own opinion clear, "Where any student, students who are even more fond of Jaune and Neopolitan than the city at large, could easily realize that you're arresting them?"

The other man's expression darkened for a moment before he forced it back into a neutral position. "What do you propose then?"

"The Festival," Ozpin noted, "Is hardly the ideal time for this, as I have said. Once it is over, and yourself and team RWBY have departed for Atlas, I will quietly bring them both up here for questioning under the guise of a post-Festival evaluation. And yes, James, I will of course have Miss Schnee with to act as your representative in this."

That last was intended to calm him before he could erupt at the delay, and seemed to work to at least delay any overt reaction. "That is more than a week away, a week during which the Gods only know how much damage could be done if the Queen has a contingency plan ready."

"Which is why," he said, "we must focus our efforts on locating her and derailing any plans she may have. I believe I've made it more than clear that I do not believe that either Jaune or Neopolitan is involved with her, but as you seem convinced of the opposite I will have Qrow tail them both for the duration. Will that be sufficient?"

James crossed his arms once more, his eyes narrowing as he considered it. "And if something should happen?"

Ozpin's voice turned dry, "If I am right, and they are not involved, we may need every huntsman we can get our hands on. If you are right, and they are involved, then Qrow will be in position to isolate them."

There was a slow breath, then James nodded very slightly. "I still believe we should question them immediately, but... I can see your point regarding the politics of the situation. I will agree to your compromise with two additional conditions."

His own eyes narrowed slightly behind his glasses, but he nodded once and motioned for him to go on.

"First, I want my own people to be able to watch them as well, at least outside of Beacon's grounds. Qrow is... good at his job but he will have other priorities and we both know it."

Ozpin exhaled, but having admitted as much to himself not that long ago, he could hardly argue the point. "Very well, but _only_ when they are in Vale."

James nodded once more. "Second, should the Queen make any action, and I believe even for a moment that the pair of them _might_ have been involved, I am going to take them into custody on my ship."

"James-"

"No, Oz." The other man growled. "I am not going to budge on this. Less than two months ago we had Grimm running loose in the city, and I cannot imagine that whatever is coming will be less destructive. The last thing we could afford in such a circumstance would be for two capable hunters, located in this very school, to turn on us."

Glynda stirred, "And what if you're wrong, and we need every fighter?"

"Then I will of course release them with full apologies." The General said at once. "Hell, I'll make any restitution you feel I need to offer them. I'll even stay silent if you want to bring them fully into this operation."

Ozpin took another slow sip of his coffee, then a second as he considered the matter.

He.. didn't care for it,

James had tendency to over-react at the best of times, and it was quite clear that he was feeling the stress just as much as the rest of them. It was likely he would attempt to arrest Jaune and Neopolitan at the slightest hint that the pair had done anything, regardless of whether or not they had actually done anything suspicious.

It was further complicated by the fact that he could hardly deny that the pair were up to something. They had certainly been behind the attempt to silence Roman, and Winter's investigation did shed some light in that area. In all probability she and James were correct; the pair had been in Vale for far longer than they had admitted, and likely been at least tacitly friendly with the master thief.

Would that have been sufficient to see them attempt to kill him? To bring in Charcoal, and two other possibly Vacuan mercenaries to assist?

Certainly possible, especially after the Breach. Even being accused of having once been friendly with one of the men responsible for that disaster could have seen them burned in effigy in the media and immense pressure brought onto himself to fire the pair of them. True, attempting to assassinate the thief to keep his silence was a tad extreme, but... well, as he'd told James, Vacuans tended to have different views on such things.

But just where did Raven Branwen fit into this? If the pair had known Torchwick, were they also aware of the Queen?

He didn't want to believe that they were in league with Salem and her minions, their genuine affection and parental concerns towards their students were not things he considered false, but he couldn't rule out the chance that they were being manipulated and deceived. Nor did he believe that anyone bearing the name of Arc could have fallen in such a way.

Or, perhaps, they not in league with Salem but rather in league with _Raven_ , acting as her proxies in some kind of effort to rejoin the eternal war. That could explain why they had so readily acted against Torchwick and the White Fang in the past, despite being friendly with the former, and why they had said so little on the matter. If they were here to try and aid Raven in absconding with the Relic and Fall Maiden... he had once admitted he would rather see them hidden away by a tribe of bandits rather than letting them fall into Salem's hands, and his opinion on the matter was unchanged.

If the situation was the former case, his best avenue would be to question them immediately and privately, or at least to accept James' revised plan with no complaints.

If the situation was the latter... Raven had no love for him, but she had less for Salem and her minions. It would be in his best interests to keep tabs on them, to learn what they were planning, but if the worst came to pass to use them as an emergency fall-back to get the new Maiden, and potentially the Relic, away from Beacon.

"I will accept your modifications." He said finally. "With one condition of my own; that, should you or your people discover activity you deem over the line, that you involve myself and Glynda _before_ you attempt to arrest them."

James's broad shoulders lowered in evident relief, as though he had not actually expected him to agree. "Of course, Oz."

"Good." Taking a final sip of his coffee, he quietly returned it to the drawer before turning to Glynda. "Unfortunately there is no rest of the wicked, and so we still have work to do. Glynda? Could you please bring up the security plans for the parade?"

* * *

Emerald Sustrai would not normally have combined the words 'bored' and 'stressed', yet somehow the pair had managed to combine in her stomach to leave her feeling vaguely nauseous and mildly exhausted.

" _Do you have eyes on the primary target_?" Cinder's voice easily cut through the crowd noise around her, the hidden ear piece doing its job flawlessly.

"Yes ma'am." She murmured, disguising the words in a sip of some mediocre coffee from some chain restaurant, and a moment later adjusted the backpack she was wearing. "Still just standing around, watching."

Her mistress made a low humming sound, the tone indicating both thoughtfulness and mild displeasure. " _Keep on alert and be ready to act."_

"Yes ma'am." She repeated, keeping her eyes locked on the man with the cat's tail as he leaned against a building. He was tall enough to see over the crowd in front of him, everyone waiting with a kind of happy impatience for the Vytal Parade to begin, but unlike the civilians around him the ex-White Fang officer had a far more stoic stance.

This was not a man waiting for a celebration of life and all of that crap.

This was a man waiting for his moment.

It was one of the many problems that had been kicked up when that moron Taurus had gone against orders and personally involved himself in the Breach, and taken so much of his senior leadership with him on that death or glory ride instead of sending the disposable idiots that Cinder had ordered him to recruit specifically for the suicide mission. That had snowballed with Sienna Khan getting wind of things thanks to the same idiot bull's inability to kill a middle-aged woman before she could return to Menagerie, and the excommunication of the entire Vale branch of the White Fang.

All of that had left the branch broken, leaderless, and desperate... Desperate enough to try and do something stupid, right when Cinder _least_ needed her plans complicated any farther.

Emerald was fairly certain that her mistress had debated allowing the rabble to make their last effort, to keep the despair and anger burning in the city, but had decided that the vastly increased security that could result simply wasn't worth the minor bump to an already ill-at-ease population. Further, with how poorly the Breach had gone and how aggravating Hazel and Tyrian's interference had been, Cinder had made it crystal clear that there would be _no_ further deviations from her secondary plan.

And so she and Mercury were out in the crowd, waiting for the order to play hero... and to improve Cinder's standing with their new 'allies'.

" _The parade has begun."_ Cinder informed them, " _Mercury, keep eyes on the captain. Emerald, please begin eliminating the spares."_

Cracking her neck once, Emerald allowed her eyes to play in a little smile as she casually turned and began slipping through the crowd.

Based on what Cinder had been able to determine, the White Fang remnants had a fairly straightforwards plan. There was six of them, heavily armed, who would open fire on the parade sometime when the Atlesian portion of the 'unity' section marched past. They would assuredly die in the process, but they also clearly intended to force the Atlesians to fire into the crowd to get after them, thus harming the nation they hated the most.

The second wave was to be a pair of suicide bombers, who would come in just as search and rescue efforts were underway. They probably expected the Atlesian soldiers to be desperate enough to handle that themselves, in a bid to not appear to be the cold-hearted villains, and thus the two ex-SDC miners would get one last bit of revenge on their old tormentors.

It was that pair that Emerald was heading for right now.

Slipping and weaving her way through the masses, Emerald made her way back to the open air cafe that had been setup outside of the restaurant proper to take advantage of the busy and pleasantly warm day. Tossing her disgusting coffee into the nearest garbage can, she bypassed the busy outdoor stand and its overworked faunus workers in favor of heading inside the mostly empty cafe.

A single bored teen was lounging behind the counter, more interested in playing a game on his scroll than minding the store, and she had to exert very little effort via her semblance to walk right past him and into the back. The single camera that was supposed to be watching the door remained disconnected, legacy of an early morning burglary on Mercury's part.

So at least the smarmy ass was good for something.

Once the door was closed behind her, she got to work. A few moments effort saw it locked and a pair of gloves removed from her pockets, and then a small pistol pulled out from her bag. A quick checked confirmed low-velocity gravity dust rounds were loaded, and that the silencer was securely screwed into the barrel.

Emerald briefly considered retrieving the veil from her bag as well, decided the time to get it out and on, and then off again, wasn't worth it, and re-adjusted her bag before prowling forwards.

Luck was on her side today; none of the actual workers were in the back retrieving more product, leaving her able to ghost through the empty kitchen to a locked door. Dropping to a knee, she found the key right where Merc had left it, taped to the bottom of a storage shelf, and even more surprising it proved to actually be the right one when she turned it.

 _Dammit... I might actually have to compliment the bastard._

Dimly lit stairs led down to the buildings cellar, and the sound of wracking coughs indicated her targets were still present. It was loud enough she didn't have to make much effort to be quiet as she quickly moved down, though she slowed considerably as she neared the bottom.

"...it'll be over soon." A woman said, her voice weak and raspy with the characteristic sound of someone suffering from acute dust poisoning. "Just a little longer."

A man responded in the same gravelly tones in between more wracking coughs. "I... I know. Soon. I can make it... don't worry."

A juvenile part of her wanted to offer a one-liner at the obvious opening as she stepped around the corner, but she managed to throttle the urge in favor of taking in the scene and aiming.

Two faunus in the cafe's livery were sitting on the floor, oxygen masks set aside beside them; they'd probably been hired in spite of their obvious condition as part of some PR drive to make the company seem more faunus-friendly. Both had their coats open and were assisting one another in securing dust bombs to scarred and withered torsos, though the woman currently was trying to help the man remain upright and clear whatever was left of his lungs.

Neither one of them was looking towards the stairs, though the dog-eared woman must have seen a bit of motion because she began to turn Emerald's way with her mouth opening.

Emerald didn't give her the chance to say a word, simply pulling the trigger and putting the round right into the woman's head. The sound was still shockingly loud, even with the suppressor, but not much worse than someone slamming a book on a table or dropping something heavy. What the impact did to the ex-SDC mine worker's skull was... best not described, and she quickly sighted on her second target.

The man had only just begun to react to the mess that had been his partner when she put two shots into his back. The gravity dust in the round made a mess of _that_ as well, and actually ripped off the bombs he'd been in the process of strapping to himself. She flinched on reflex, taking a quick step back, and let out a short breath when they proved to not be live yet.

A few quick steps brought her to the dead woman, and a bit of effort pushed the pistol into her limp hand. The notion of a murder-suicide probably wouldn't hold up under any real investigation, but Cinder was of the belief that such in-depth analysis would be suppressed on the off-chance the police bothered given the delicate political and social climate.

Her exit was a quick as her entrance, save for a short pause where she checked herself for blood and returned her gloves to her pockets.

The cashier proved to still be occupied when she slipped past him and into the customer's space. Grimacing a little, she let her semblance go and cleared her throat loudly, affecting the pose of a woman annoyed at not being notice.

The young man jumped a little, bobbling his scroll, then flushed in embarrassment when it fell to the floor. "Um, gods, I'm sorry ma'am! What can I get for you?"

"Mocha with hot chocolate, if you can manage it." She sneered.

His flush worsened as he scooped up his scroll and rang her up, though she allowed herself a sniff of satisfaction when he gave her a hefty discount not to mention this to his manager. Her new coffee in hand, she headed back outside and reported in between sips.

"Targets eliminated." Emerald murmured. "Crowds picking up, think the parade is nearly at our position."

" _Indeed."_ Cinder's throaty purr was one of total approval, and Emerald felt her heart lighten at the sound. " _Well done Emerald, your timing was impeccable. Mercury is in position to deal with several of the rabble, please take up a post near the Captain and be ready to incapacitate him."_

"I'll keep him alive." She promised, "We'll look more like heroes that way."

There was a low chuckle, " _I have trained you so well. Get it done."_

Rolling her shoulders a little to loosen them, Emerald started back the way she'd originally come, pausing just long enough to toss the cheap coffee and her used gloves into a public garbage before resuming.

By the time the Unity section was moving past, displays from all of the major kingdoms showcasing how amazing everyone was, she was lurking just a few feet away from her target, a hand negligently resting on the hilt of a weapon as she waited for him to make the first move.

To her amusement, someone else noticed the man drawing the gun from his baggy sweatshirt before she could try and shout a warning, screaming that there was a faunus terrorist in the crowd. The bleating sheep reacted like the idiots most of them were, whipping their heads around rather than trying to get clear or diving the ground.

Admittedly, that worked to her... to _Cinder_ 's advantage, since that meant everyone had a clear view of Emerald when she rushed forwards, shouting for everyone to get down, her weapon sliding smoothly into her hands.

As she, Emerald Sustrai, became a hero.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:**_

 _ **Very, very, very delayed for a lot of reasons and excuses I won't bother to repeat here. You all have my sincere apologies for that. As you can tell, we're now assuredly in the final arc of the story, with the Vytal festival beginning and the various factions making their opening decisions / moves.**_

 _ _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."__

 ** _ **Thanks, Kat**_**

* * *

 ** _ **Hunters and Vacuo**_**

 _While originally they were organized in much the same way as the other kingdoms, the failure and collapse of the Vacuo Council and the state's shift into a form of anarchy has seen Shade Academy and its members forced into a pseudo-peace keeping role in order to try and maintain some level of security against the Grimm._

 _The Academy and its various sub-schools have been partially successful in this goal, but the breadth and nature of Vacuo's smaller cities, its exploited past, and bleak outlook on the future has ensured that it remains the most endangered of the kingdoms when it comes to Grimm assaults. Just as Vacuo has more hunters than the other three nations combined, it is the rare Vacuan hunter who survives long enough to reach retirement._

 _In addition, more Vacuans than any other nationality have their aura unlocked as a matter of course in an effort to simply survive and have more combat-capable bodies ready to fight the Grimm, though this also had the noted drawback of attracting more of the creatures to the beacons of emotion that the hunters give off, and in making 'civil disputes' extremely destructive in a region that is already poor and struggling to maintain something akin to modern infrastructure._

 _Vacuan hunters tend to have far more practical combat experience against both the Grimm and their fellow humans and faunus than any other Hunters, save perhaps for Atlesian specialists, but they often suffer from poor equipment quality, poor group discipline, and share their national attitude of living in the moment both for themselves and their kin rather than placing any hope in higher ideals or causes._


	60. Semester III: Festival Atmosphere

**Festival Atmosphere**

* * *

Jaune collapsed into his office chair with a quiet groan, rubbing tiredly at his face as he glowered out the window beside him. Unfortunately for his mood, the overdone monstrosity that was Amity coliseum proved to be utterly immune to his distaste and continued to float a few hundred feet above the school grounds.

It had been three days since the confusing near-debacle of an opening ceremony, and the last of the four on four rounds has been concluded yesterday. Any pride he might have once felt at four of his first year teams breezing through their opening fights was more than dampened by everything else going on, but he'd put on his best smile and hopefully made sure that Ruby, Ren, Meral, and Cardin knew he was proud of their teams.

Still, it was probably a good thing that Pyrrha had waited for today to bring him the news... he wasn't sure he'd have been able to fake his good cheer if he'd been told in advance.

Today was an off day for the tournament, instead the coliseum would be splitting its time between mech demonstrations in the morning, a circus event in the afternoon, and then some kind of operatic show in the evening. The last also went with a grand dinner for the upper crust thrown by the Council, and he'd received a polite invitation from Glynda requesting he and Neo attend thanks to their fading but still present 'celebrity' status.

Declining had been one of the few things they'd agreed upon this past week, and it had left their afternoon open for one of their students to bring them her fears.

"You're sure?" He asked quietly.

Pyrrha, sitting on their couch with her hands folded in her lap, bit her lip while Neo paced irritably behind her.

"No." The young woman said, "I mean, I haven't confronted her or anything like that, but... it just feels like it happened."

Jaune let out a slow, furious exhalation to try and calm down. This... could change things. Neo had already gone down to the great vaults beneath the school and at least confirmed Pyrrha's thesis; Amber's body was gone. So either Ozpin had pulled off a miracle and healed the crippled woman, or they'd gone ahead with the auric transfer thing and given the power to someone else.

Weiss Schnee if Pyrrha's worries were accurate.

Which was a problem.

A massive problem.

A catastrophic problem.

He'd been... _willing_ might have been a strong word, but at the very least he'd been _resigned_ to allowing Cinder to finish off Amber Eld as part of the idea of getting the Fall Maiden entirely onto their side, and more importantly getting her away from Salem. The poor girl had already been dead, in all but the most technical sense, and if that brought Cinder around then the amount of lives they could save long-term...

 _Doesn't matter now... everything is up in the fucking air. May the Gods damn you Ozpin._

There was no way he could leave Weiss to Cinder.

"Give me it all again." He ordered quietly.

Pyrrha sucked in a quick breath and nodded. "The first thing I noticed was all of team RWBY speaking with Miss Goodwitch. It was a little unusual but I didn't think much of it, at least until a few days later when Weiss came out of the infirmary looking quite pale."

Neo snorted, and Pyrrha smiled a little before correcting herself, "Paler than usual, I mean. She claimed to have been out training with Mister Branwen into the late hours, but Cardin was with me and he said he hadn't seen her on the last Bullhead since his team had been out clubbing. I think he meant to suggest that something untoward had happened, but it made me concerned since Weiss did not snap back or really explain herself. I don't think she even realized what Cardin was suggesting."

There was a short pause as she collected her thoughts, and then she pushed on, "I asked Ilia to help me... well, follow her, and she's supposedly been assisting Miss Goodwitch with preparations for the Festival, but she's covered in sweat and looks exhausted after leaving those events. She ducks into a bathroom to clean up as best she can before coming back to the dorms so no one else notices. Also, from what Ruby was discussing with us, the plan was always for Yang and Weiss to be the pair to advance to the two on two rounds if they won past the four on four, but when it came time to choose she picked Blake instead and said that Weiss was too tired from all the extra work with Miss Goodwitch."

She jumped when Jaune abruptly slammed his fist into his desk, shoved his chair back, and rose to begin pacing furiously just as Neo was.

"Gods damn you Ozpin!" He spat. "Dammit!"

Everything had changed now. Ozpin had literally flipped the table and thrown all of the chips up into the air right when Jaune had finally been sure he'd had everything figured out, known what bets he was going to make when, and who was holding what cards. Neo might not have been happy with his plans of subverting Cinder, but he'd been ready to go through with it all the same. They'd have had all of their allies ready and waiting to back them up if Cinder betrayed them, and either way it would have led to Salem losing the Maiden she'd probably spent years working to acquire.

It would have been clean, contained, and hopefully the only person who'd have ended up hurt was the mostly-dead Amber, and possibly Cinder with her minions.

 _But now..._

Cinder hadn't warned him in advance of her little scheme to make Emerald and Mercury into heroes by stopping the White Fang's suicide attack on the opening day parade. She'd claimed that she hadn't involved them since it had been a last minute affair, and that in the end there hadn't been any way to warn them in the time frame, parroting back his excuses for being involved in the raid on the White Fang's rally.

He'd been a little concerned, and puzzled over just what it gained her beside a bit of extra cover for her students, but it hadn't exactly been a priority considering everything he'd had to get ready. Vest, Charcoal, and Levi had all needed the details and the rough plan, while Junior had also been brought in on the fringes to get ready to take Charrie's place protecting Sapphire and Coral.

Jaune didn't really _want_ to trust his sister's safety to the Malachite twins, but he had few options. Should things come to a head, they and Sable would get Saph and Coral onto a Bullhead and out of the city.

There'd also been Raven to consider. She wasn't really interested in getting involved in a battle with another maiden, but she had agreed to provide an escape route should it be necessary. That had taken several careful conversations on its own, plus a great deal of lien, not helped by Neo's sulking intensifying since she had been in favor of grabbing his sisters and team RAVN and simply leaving all of this chaos in favor of going to Mistral.

 _But now? Now what?  
_

Cinder's actions on the opening day seemed to imply that she knew something. He couldn't imagine that she knew it was Weiss or she'd have already tried to remove her, so it was more likely that she'd just felt something weird via her magic... some kind of shift or something when the maiden's power had been transferred.

Or something like that... damned magic and it's lack of manuals.

Either way, she had obviously changed her plans, with a three day head-start now, and there were only four more days left in the Festival. Whatever her plan was it had to come to its end before or during the final ceremony, there would be plenty of questions asked if she were to try and stay when the rest of the Mistralian group went back home.

Then there was the bit in Ozpin's speech about creating a transfer/outreach program as part of the alliance between Vale and Atlas. He'd be willing to put all of his money on team RWBY being 'randomly' picked to head to the other school the moment the festival ended, and Cinder would be smart enough to realize that the maiden was about to leave the country as well.

So she'd have two real options; let it happen in order to learn who the maiden may be and then come up with new plans, or simply go to some kind of emergency plan that she'd been saving in her back pocket.

Knowing his luck, she'd picked the latter, which meant... the gods alone knew what was going to happen now.

Neo caught his eye as he turned at the end of his run, her fingers flickering as she spoke. He barely needed to follow her words to know what her idea was; they should leave, convince RAVN to come with if possible, and drop a message to Ozpin to alert him to Cinder and leave him to deal with the chaos.

"And openly become wanted criminals?" He countered, mostly on reflex... he wasn't really sure there was another option. "Ironwood would declare us accomplices at the very least, and Ozpin would want to know how we'd learned what we did and how long we'd known it. We'd probably be stuck working and living with _bandits_."

Better that than being killed, or arrested by the Atlesians to be executed later!

Pyrrha coughed politely, clearly not having been able to keep up with Neo's signing. "Professors?"

"She thinks we should tell Ozpin about the Fall Maiden's attacker, and that we should all leave the city before things explode and fingers get pointed in our direction." He summarized.

The way Pyrrha's mouth opened and then whipped her head around to gape at Neo made him feel a little better, especially when Neo actually flinched slightlyat the expression on her protege's face. "You want to just abandon everyone?"

Neo twitched her head. This wasn't _their_ fight. Ozpin had all of his hunters, and Ironwood had an army! And neither one of them could say that they wouldn't be blamed!

It was Pyrrha's turn to flinch at the last bit when he translated, "We could vouch for you, couldn't we?"

"The only thing that would do is put you in the cross-hairs as well." He sighed as his pacing brought him back to his chair, and he forced himself to settle back into it. "I know you would do it anyway Pyrrha, you're a good person, but I don't think it would help."

The young woman bit her lip again, "Um.. then what are you going to do? Don't you have a plan?"

He grimaced. "I did, but that plan is pretty much shot now. We were going to lead... the person who almost killed the last maiden into the vault. Give her the chance to work with us, and if she refused, we'd ambush her with a few old allies of ours. It was supposed to be quick, quiet, and with no one else in the area... but I think she knows that the powers have transferred, and she's basically gone silent these past couple of days."

"She's gone to a back-up plan." Pyrrha understood, "So that means you have to as well. What is yours?"

Jaune waved a hand in Neo's direction, "Tell Ozpin and run, more or less."

"I thought you said you weren't going to do that!"

"I don't _want_ to do it." He shook his head, "I... _like_ being your teacher, Pyrrha. I like living here, doing this. I don't want to end up a wanted criminal and have to make you go through questioning... but whatever her plans are I don't think they involve a quiet, out of the way place where people won't be hurt. If we tell Ozpin he can shut her down without anyone else getting in the way."

Neo's hands shifted as she rejoined the conversation, reminding Pyrrha that it wasn't as if they'd be gone forever or out of touch. They could easily meet up in the ruins beneath the school whenever they had the time to talk and to train, or the could simply meet up in Mistral and beat up her parents together.

Pyrrha let out a weak chuckle when he translated the last, a small smile on her face. "I... I don't think that's a good idea, but thank you. Um... are you sure, Professors?"

He glanced at Neo and saw her shrug once. This was what she had wanted to do for a while now, though she'd still prefer to try and take RAVN with.

"They aren't our pets." He reminded her, "I don't think they want to be marked criminals for life, and like you said, we can always meet up with them later."

Neo huffed once, but shrugged to show her acceptance.

Jaune smiled, though he knew it probably looked a little bitter. Everything they had done, planned for, hoped for... all of it was turning out to be for nothing, all because Cinder had tried to murder an innocent woman for power, and because Ozpin and thrust that power onto a girl who didn't deserve to be hunted for the rest of her life.

"We're sure, Pyrrha." He said, leaning forwards onto his desk. "Right. Can we give out a last assignment?"

"Of course." She replied at once, making him smile weakly once more.

"Stay away from team EMRD. And away from Professor Fall" Jaune said seriously. Pyrrha stared blankly for a moment, but there wasn't anything wrong with her mind, and she let out a quiet gasp as she realized what he was telling her. "... in fact, bunker down in your dorm room for the rest of the day if you can, until the Headmaster deals with this."

"But-"

Neo stomped a foot and shook her head sharply when Pyrrha looked her way. Cinder Fall was dangerous to the point where they thought they needed to outnumber her six to one to make sure they could take her down without losing anyone. They were to _stay away_ from her and from her minions.

Pyrrha still looked uncertain as she received the translation, "What if we see them approaching team RWBY?"

He grimaced, "Invite them over for games and drinks."

"Should... I tell them who is going to be after Weiss?"

"If Ozpin acts fast enough, it shouldn't matter." Jaune said cautiously, "but... if things go wrong, use your best judgment. We'll get our things together and then send messages to the Headmaster, Glynda, and General Ironwood before heading down to the ruins to camp out."

Pyrrha nodded and rose before hesitating, "Are... you sure we can't help in any other way? What about Miss Sable?"

"She's out wandering the city with Coral." He shook his head as he stood up as well, "We'll send her a message to head back to the dorms, then Neo can pick them up."

Neo's hands flicked as she added that they should check their dorm when they returned from the Festival tomorrow. She'd sneak in while everyone was gone and leave a burner scroll they could use to contact them with if anything came up.

The champion fighter nodded, glanced between himself and Neo, then stepped over to hug the smaller woman. Neo stiffened slightly, but he couldn't help but smile slightly as she awkwardly patted the girl on the back. Pyrrha let go after a few moments, then moved around to do the same to him.

"Tell Ilia to remember to vent once and a while." He murmured.

"I will. Thank you professor, for everything." She whispered before stepping back.

Their student... their former student, gave them a final sad smile, then turned and headed for the door. They watched as she departed, the quiet click sounding far too loud in the silence, and he sighed in the wake of it.

"Right." Jaune shook his head, trying to fight off the heavy weight in his chest. "Send Sable and Charrie a message, tell them to grab Coral and whatever they need to camp out for a few days. I'll grab our things and figure out what to tell Oz-"

" _-afternoon General Ironwood!"_

He froze on hearing Pyrrha's loud greeting, her words easily audible through the doorway. It didn't really click until there was a muffled thump as if something, or some _one,_ had just been shoved hard up against a wall.

Neo surged forwards for the door, slamming the deadbolt shut just as someone on the other side overrode the electronic lock. For his part, Jaune yanked out his scroll then let out a viscous curse when it politely informed him that it had been disconnected from the network.

"Dammit!" He swore as he shoved the thing back into a pocket, then lunged for the weapons rack as Neo came rushing back over; the door thumping hard as someone tried to force it open. While she only retrieved her parasol and then rushed to the bedroom, he took the extra seconds to Crocea Mors onto his belt, to sling Dragon's Breath over his shoulder, and then simply carried Variable Impact as he ran after her.

His feet had just reached the kitchenette when the General gave up on subtlety and simply shot out the lock and then slammed his shoulder into the rich wood.

Jaune spun around and planted himself defensively as the Atlesian leader stormed in, a man and a woman in the uniforms of Specialists right behind him, and what looked like a small army of regular soldiers right behind them in turn.

"Arc." The General growled as he stepped over the door's remains, a massive pistol aimed directly at him. "You and your partner under arrest."

Jaune felt his fingers tighten around Prim's old weapon, and though he tried for nonchalance his words came out a bit harder and more frustrated than he intended, "On what charges and whose authority?"

"In the name of the Valean Council, you are charged as an accomplice to acts of terror, murder, and treason." Ironwood stated flatly, his cold eyes matching the barrel of the gun aimed right at Jaune's chest. "Lower the flail and keep your hands away from your body. Neopolitan, you will also drop your weapon and the pack you are holding."

He flicked his eyes to his left on reflex as Neo moved out of the bedroom to stand beside him, a pack slung over one shoulder while her parasol was clutched in her left. Twitching his chin in a tiny nod, he quickly returned his gaze to where it needed to be, not surprised to see that everyone had rolled a step closer in the second it had taken him to look back and forth.

"I don't suppose we'll be allowed to defend ourselves?" He asked, trying to figure out just what the hell had happened. _Either Cinder betrayed us, or they found out something else_. "Perhaps talk to Ozpin?"

"You are going straight to my ship." Ironwood replied, "Don't worry, your accomplice Charcoal will be in the cell right next to yours. Specialists are retrieving her now."

 _...what?_

Jaune could only gape, and it wasn't until more soldiers piled into the office and leveled their weapons that he managed to recover. Charcoal was supposed to be out protecting Sable and Coral, just as she had been watching over them and Sapphire these past few weeks. He had been mostly sure, and Charrie had been very sure, that Cinder hadn't figured out that she was the one protecting his siblings.

So who had spotted... _no, that doesn't matter. If they're after her, that means Sable and Coral are about to get dragged into this!_

"I will only repeat myself once. Put your weapons down."

The man's voice snapped him out of it, and he shook himself once before nodding firmly and shifting a foot so that it was touching Neo's.

"Sorry, General." He did his best to channel Roman's flair, "You have the wrong person. I'll tell Ozpin all about it as soon as we find a new scroll. Neo? Do your thing, love."

Gunfire erupted a split second later, one of the Specialists realizing that something was happening... but the bullets only struck glass.

* * *

James Ironwood fought the urge to slam his fists into something as he and Ozpin watched all of Vale's major news networks reporting on something they should not have known anything about.

The morning before the debacle of the opening ceremony, he had received an anonymous tip that indicated the Vacuan assassin who had been causing so many headaches had been spotted lurking around the city's largest college campus, and that there was a bounty out for Professor Arc's eldest sister.

Not quite trusting it, but unable to simply let such a clue go, he'd immediately dispatched one of his Specialist teams incognito to case the area... and yesterday they had spotted the woman casually spending an afternoon following three of the Arc sisters around a shopping mall. At first they had feared she was pursuing them as targets, but the situation had turned for the worse when one of the sisters had split off and been approached by a rather insistent young man.

His people had watched as Charcoal approached, driven the man off with a few words and a glare, then escorted Coral Arc back to her sisters before once more fading into the background.

Plans had been thrown together quickly after that.

It had been supposed to be a fast, surgical move to take down Arc's little cabal before they realized what was happening. He had personally led the team to capture Arc and his partner, while Winter and two other Specialists, one of whom had a control semblance, had planned to take down Charcoal with the aid of a VPD special response team. A police sniper armed with a sleeping dart would drop the teleporter before she realized she was targeted, and his people would remove her to the security of his flagship where she would be properly contained. Another such team would, _gently,_ take Arc's sisters into protective custody until they could determine how much or how little the young women were involved.

Not a single critical aspect of the plan had gone right.

Arc's partner had revealed an aspect to her semblance that he had no intelligence on, and the pair of them had simply vanished right before his team. Worse, Pyrrha Nikos had been present and witnessed the entire event, and had broken away the moment she'd heard gunfire. The news that Atlas had attempted to arrest, and then attacked, the Professors had spread like wildfire through the school.

The move against the others had gone even worse. The VPD sniper had managed to completely miss his target to strike an elderly passerby, and the heavy dose had left the old woman hospitalized in critical condition. Warned, the assassin had vanished, re-appeared behind the team taking Sable and Coral Arc into custody, and had easily crippled them all before vanishing with the two women.

About the only thing that _had_ gone according to plan was the gentle retrieval of Sapphire Arc from the college, who was now under a kind of house arrest in a VIP cabin aboard his ship, but he very much doubted that the young woman knew anything of what her brother was involved in.

Still, despite the litany of setbacks, he had felt vindicated in the aftermath. Innocent people did not run, and the assassin's retrieval of two of the Arc sisters clearly indicated that they _were_ in league. He'd been preparing an adjusted press statement to lay out their probable guilt and association with the attacks on the city, and their clear connections to Roman Torchwick, when Ozpin had furiously summoned him to his office.

There... he'd found every news outlet in the kingdom already howling about Atlas attempting to arrest Valean citizens inside of Vale, the injuries to the VPD team, and the 'collateral damage' that had resulted. The family of the old woman was already being questioned, the VPD was being swamped with reporters demanding to know why they were taking orders from a foreign body, and others were also reporting the sounds of gunfire from Beacon's central tower and rumors that Professor Arc had been killed in a botched arrest attempt.

"Congratulations, James." Ozpin spoke after a few minutes of letting the magnitude of the crisis sink in, "You have created an international incident."

" _You_ gave me permission as soon as we had confirmation that the assassin was escorting his sisters." He countered.

"I gave you permission to apprehend said assassin." Ozpin snapped back, real anger lacing his words. "I don't recall telling you also attempt to apprehend two of my employees along with members of the Arc family."

"I did what had to be done, what was necessary." He growled in reply, "They were obviously in contact and you can't deny that they were colluding given what happened."

The older man began tapping a single finger on his desk, staring at the news screens before swiping his other hand over the controls to dismiss them. "And you cannot deny that whoever sent you your anonymous tip manipulated you brilliantly."

Ironwood felt his teeth grind together, "I _know_ Ozpin, you don't need to remind me."

"Considering that I only authorized a _limited_ attempt to incapacity one _known_ criminal, I feel that I do." Ozpin exhaled sharply before visibly forcing himself to be calm. "Glynda is already heading for the CCT to try and spin this in the short term, but no matter what message we send negativity is going to rise."

"Better that than allowing Arc to fulfill whatever plans he was laying." He countered.

Ozpin snorted, "I highly doubt that... I believe it best if you allow us mere Valeans to handle any pursuit and investigation."

His living fingers tightened into a fist, but he held back his temper. "Ozpin... Amber was attacked by a man and two women, one of whom had a semblance capable of disguising the appearance of themselves and the people around them. Arc, Neopolitan, and Charcoal _fit_ that description."

Unstated was the fact that such semblances were extremely rare, and that finding two such combinations of people and powers was astronomically low. From the way Ozpin's lips tightened he knew as much as well, and recognized it as a rather harsh blow to his defense of his employees.

"It would explain a great many things about them." He pressed his advantage, "The timing of their arrival, Arc's insistence on his partner living in the school with him, their past lies, their obstructions."

"You believe one of them is the Queen."

"Charcoal is the most likely suspect." Ironwood nodded once. "The powers of the maiden would amplify her natural semblance, much as they appear to be bolstering Raven Branwen's. Their plan seems obvious in hindsight; Arc and Neopolitan would infiltrate the school, locate Amber, and then call in the assassin to finish the job. They'd also be in a perfect position to keep tabs on us given Arc's affability, perhaps even allow them the time to find the Relic of Choice."

Ozpin pursed his lips, finger still tapping. "...it does not track, James. Whatever was done to Amber was not done by science, but by magic, and the only person who could have given them such power was Salem, whose agents were assuredly pulling Torchwick and the White Fang's strings."

"It could have simply been an effort to obscure their actions. Their first few efforts made them both well loved in the city, all but untouchable."

The elder being snorted once, "You don't believe that anymore than I do. It is too convoluted, and even if your theory is right, peace and quiet would have furthered their goals far more than the chaos that unfolded. No, James, they are not Salem's pawns."

Ironwood glowered at him. "Then what are they?"

"Our enemies, thanks to your heavy-handedness." Ozpin replied, finally shifting his hand to retrieve his cup of coffee and take a fortifying sip. "I don't suppose you found anything incriminating in their quarters?"

He grimaced and ground his teeth once more. "Nothing aside from a dozen or so containers of your precious coffee."

Ozpin stilled for a moment, then let out an almost rueful chuckle. "Well, perhaps arresting them was the right decision then."

"This is not the time for your jokes, Oz."

"This was not the time for you to overreact either." Ozpin's eyes narrowed. "I anticipate that the Council will be calling a full meeting any moment now to discuss your actions, and that the Festival will be delayed a day. We will need to evaluate public reaction before we can decide if we need to adjust security."

"My men-"

"May have just become the most hated people in the city." Came the sharp retort, accompanied by a wave at where the news screens had been. "You have enough allies in the Council that I doubt they will tell you to pack up and go home, but you cannot deny that having Atlesian soldiers all around the Festival grounds will be good for morale."

Ironwood narrowed his own eyes in return, "They will be good for people's safety, Ozpin. If I'm right, and Arc and his people are a threat, then we'll need them. If you're right, and the Queen is still out there, then we'll still need them."

"Perhaps, but that does mean that they will need to be in direct public view at all times."

"Then perhaps you and your Council should not have tasked me with security." He countered. "And I fully expect that they will support me in this, given their opinion of you."

Ozpin's mug froze partway back to his mouth, and he slowly lowered it without taking another drink. "You are not making me enthusiastic about sending the Fall Maiden to Atlas with you, James. This is not the way allies act."

"I am doing what I believe to be right, doing what I believe will save lives." Ironwood shook his head and turned away, "And I will continue to do so. I will see you at the Council meeting."

Behind him, Ozpin set his drink aside, steepled his hands, and said nothing.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:**_

 _ **I offer no excuses beyond life being life, and me evidently needing to take close to three months off from writing to rejuvenate a bit. The good news is that it seems to have helped, and my personal life is finally looking up once more, and I'm feeling fairly refreshed and enthused to finish this story.**_

 _ **In the interests of time and pacing, and a few reviewers noting that they think it's past time for the final Arc to begin, I've cut out the last bit of preparation and a bit of fluff in favor of jumping right into the final act. As always a bit of parallel to the original story is intended, along with changes, and hopefully everyone continues to enjoy.**_

 _ _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."__

 ** _ **Thanks, Kat**_**

* * *

 ** _ **Hunters and Menagerie**_**

 _The poorest, least populated, and smallest of the inhabited kingdoms, Menagerie lacks any kind of professional training facility for Hunters, not evening having the kinds of preparatory schools that dot the other nations. Technically this is in violation of the various treaties that created the realm, which require them to maintain a Hunter Academy as the other organized kingdoms do, and is usually held up as one of the legal 'justifications' for Menagerie not being considered a full nation._

 _The reasons for the lack are many and varied. Teaching hunters is a specialized skill, and all but requires a fully trained hunter to be the one doing the teaching. Prejudice in the other kingdoms keeps the number of Faunus hunters down to begin with, and those who make it through their own schooling quickly realize that they can make far more money and live more comfortably in other kingdoms. There is also the factor of resources; hunter grade weaponry is extremely difficult to manufacture and often requires a great deal of dust, and Menagerie is both almost entirely lacking in dust and has little native industry._

 _While there have been efforts by Vale and Beacon to aid in getting such a school created in the past, the militarization of the White Fang more or less ended them, as nearly all of the prospective students immediately departed to join the organization._

 _Still, in some ways, one is not necessary. Its brutal climate and rough terrain is as much an obstacle to most Grimm as it is to Humanity or Faunus kind, and the few notable trails connecting the capital city to the inhospitable interior are easily blocked off. What few Grimm do make it to the city can be handled by the citizen militia, or by mercenary hunters temporarily brought in (usually from Vale or Vacuo)._


	61. Semester III: Last Moments

**Last Moments**

* * *

Glynda carefully set the paperwork back down on Ozpin's desk, her lips pursed as her mind raced. "Is this confirmed?"

"I spoke with Miss Schnee not an hour ago." He replied. "She was rather distraught while informing me that Miss Nikos told her that Arc and his partner suspected Miss Fall as the other half of the Maiden, and that neither team RWBY nor RAVN should ever be alone with her or team EMRD."

Though perhaps 'distraught' was the wrong word, or at least not strong enough to describe the turbulent emotions the young woman had been operating under when she'd stormed into his office shortly after breakfast.

The poor girl had clearly believed the Professor to be innocent, and while he _was_ innocent against the majority of the crimes laid at his feet by James, the fact that he still was very much engaged in criminal activity had rattled her badly. To find out that her close friends had not only known, had known for weeks, but had also been actively _helping_ him had left her wavering between rage and tears.

Those feelings had been tempered, somewhat, by him confirming that Miss Nikos had in fact been the first choice for the maiden, and that it had been her flight to Professor Arc that had revealed his past to her rather than any intentional act by the Professor to ensnare them. She had also been calmed, again just somewhat, by his own admission that someone, quite probably Neopolitan, had deposited a folder filled with evidence, observations, and even guesswork on his desk during the night.

He'd finally managed to settle her down with some coffee and gone through what Miss Nikos had told her along with what the papers before him had said, and eased her fears with his firm belief that, while Jaune and Neopolitan were operating outside of the law, they were doing so both in the pursuit of noble goals and in a desire to limit collateral damage.

Much as he himself operated.

Glynda let out a tight breath and shook her head, returning him to the present. "Do we have _direct_ evidence?"

"Unfortunately not." He sighed, "Which complicates things."

"More than a little... she pre-empted our action rather neatly." She replied as she settled back in her chair, a foot twitching slightly in irritation. "James has been made to look the fool and he knows it. Atlas' reputation here and abroad hangs by a thread. They are already disliked by many outside their borders, and another misstep could see them become complete pariahs. He won't act against her without clear proof that we cannot provide... he'll never accept Arc's word on the matter."

"Indeed. And if we attempted to present this as something we had kept from him he would claim that I had simply invented it in an effort to divert blame."

There was a scoff from near the window, Qrow turning back and waving a dismissive hand. "So fuck him. We go down there right now and deal with her ourselves."

Ozpin was already shaking his head before the man could finish. "You mean to attack and murder a foreign citizen in broad daylight, Qrow? If you truly wished to return to a life on the run with your sister there are easier ways to arrange it."

Qrow irritably yanked at the top of his flask, tipping it back before replying sharply, "So what? We do nothing?"

"I did not say that." Ozpin retorted, "But we cannot simply kill her, nor is it truly possible capture a Maiden alive and expect to hold her in custody for any degree of time."

Glynda frowned, "You truly have no way of doing so?"

He pursed his lips and took a single sip of coffee before answering, "Perhaps I could, if I had sufficient time to prepare the proper rituals, and if she is not well versed in the subtler aspects of her own talents, but even in that case I would not be confident of holding her for long. It requires degrees of concentration and rest I am unlikely to be able to maintain given everything else occuring. No, she must be eliminated so that the full power may flow to Miss Schnee, but we must be very careful in how we proceed if we do not want to start a war."

Such a thing would undoubtedly play into Salem's hands, just as the Great War had. She and her agents had milked that horrible decade for all it was worth, and had enough energy left over to ensure Vacuo's unstable foundations cracked entirely in the aftermath.

 _No... such chaos cannot be allowed to play out again._

"We must be careful indeed." He murmured, "War is a very real threat at the moment, Qrow. When we do act, I promise we will act decisively, but we must take extreme care in picking the time and place."

The repetition of his warning and fears finally made Qrow settle slightly, the huntsman frowning as he lowered his flask. "You think this could start one?"

"The international balance is more than merely tense." He grimaced, "As Glynda stated, Miss Fall prepared for this moment brilliantly. She is a citizen in good standing in Mistral, and evidently she or Salem has numerous allies in the media there who are already attacking James, myself, and our respective nations. The citizens in Vale are likewise outraged at Atlas, are becoming infuriated with the news from Mistral, and we have already received word that the Atlesian Council is closing ranks around James to defend their own."

About the only good news on the international stage was that the other nations were staying out of it. The White Fang were, according to one of his few agents remaining on Anima, currently occupied. Sienna Khan had evidently given up on trying to peacefully deal with the more extremist members of her organization, and was instead violently purging them. The end result was that Menagerie was in chaos, and a good portion of the mercenary Hunters that Vacuo possessed were likewise wrapped up, having been hired by Khan and Chieftain Belladonna to deal with the Grimm drawn in by the chaos on the island.

 _That_ situation was where his focus should have been, where the world's should have been. A chance to finally heal the old wounds from the Faunus Wars... but it was not to be.

Glynda sighed, easily picturing his own fears. "If James eliminates Fall, there will be fallout between Atlas and Mistral, and Vacuo will be all to happy to stir up more problems. If we eliminate her, there will still be fallout between ourselves and Mistral, while James is unlikely to withdraw his accusations against Mister Arc. Even if we moved with stealth, it is all too likely that Jaune would simply be blamed for her death in the absence of other suspects... which could also exacerbate the existing tensions."

"Quite." Ozpin nodded tiredly, "There are simply too many avenues that lead to disaster. Worse, given that Leo gave her an extremely proud letter of recommendation, I fear that he may have been turned, which means we may not be able to trust _any_ of the teams from Mistral."

Qrow let out a soft series of swear words in no particular order, seemingly directing it all at the world in general. "What do we do then? What'd you tell the ice queen?"

"For now, she and her team are to remain in their dorm rooms along with team RAVN. They are to sleep there as well, and to always move as a group." He tapped a finger against his thermos before continuing, "If we can manage events until the Festival closes, they will depart with James as planned, and we will work to rehabilitate Mister Arc's good name."

The younger man snorted, "And when shit goes to hell?"

He was opening his mouth to reply when an alarm flashed on his desk. Qrow winced a little as both he and Glynda spared a second to give him irritated looks before he reached out to accept the transmission. "What's happening?"

Tsune's pale features appeared, the shaky nature of a scroll call enhancing her obvious emotional state. " _An Atlas soldier just tried to murder Professor Fall in the gardens! Supposedly she was shot, repeatedly!"_

... _ah, so that is the next part of her plan._

"Take her to your medical wing immead-"

 _"There was a Festival medic nearby, he and one of the Mistral teams already dragged her to Vale for emergency treatment."_

Centuries of experience in self-control stopped him from cursing out loud, but it was a near thing. "...I see. Please tell me that you have taken the soldier in question into custody."

The view shifted as she worked her scroll around, revealing the inside of one of the temporary stalls setup for the Festival. It had obviously been shut and locked, with just enough space for Tsune, a member of team BONE, and two Atlesian soldiers standing guard around a third who was gagged, handcuffed to a chair, and sitting with the slumped posture of a man in total despair.

"What does he have to say for himself?"

" _He swears by the gods that he saw Fall passing lien to the Vacuan assassin, that he shouted for them to halt, that Charcoal teleported and that Fall moved to attack him after stating that there couldn't be any witnesses."_

He pursed his lips, "Did anyone else observe this?"

" _The encounter? No. The aftermath? Half of Vale."_

Qrow let out several vicious oaths while Glynda's fingers tightened into fists. He himself needed a long pull of his coffee before he could respond calmly, "Please ensure the soldier is transferred, peacefully, into VPD custody. Inform his comrades that the pair of them may accompany him to ensure Atlas is not excluded from the process, then please do your utmost to track down Miss Fall's current location and bring her back to Beacon's infirmary as soon as she is stable."

 _"Got it."_

The screen cut out just as Glynda spoke. "She won't find her."

"No." He agreed quietly. "If I am correct, Miss Fall will shortly be pronounced dead, her body flown at speed back to Mistral for a closed casket burial."

Of course she would not be within said casket. She would likely be somewhere within the city, or just outside of it, preparing whatever her next steps were.

"...shit and fuck." Qrow yanked his flask off of his belt, taking a heavy pull, "Two incidents in two days? The Council may worship the ground Jimmy walks on but the public is going to be pissed off beyond all reason. They'll have to give him the boot."

"Yes."

Glynda flinched as she likewise realized the scope of it. "They'll remove the Atlesian Armada even as negativity rises... and if Fall is the Queen, she'll-"

"-launch a full Grimm incursion." Ozpin took another hefty sip of his coffee. "The Festival cannot be delayed further, the Council will be desperate for good, distracting news rather than all of this. Three days until the closing ceremony, which will give Fall three more days to drive up the city's emotions before making her final move."

Qrow frowned, "You think she'll wait that long?"

"Salem would." He spoke with absolute certainty. "Consider the long term impacts of a mass Grimm attack during the Vytal Festival's closing ceremony, of such an event being broadcast across Remnant. It could haunt... no, it could ruin an international peace event for decades, even generations."

The man growled and drank more alcohol, "What are our options Oz?"

"Dispatch Miss Schnee with James?" Glynda proposed, though her expression made it clear she knew his answer.

"Is now politically impossible." He sighed, "I cannot send her without her team, and there would be mass protests at the notion of sending Valean students to Atlas. The exchange program will be canceled by evening, or else the Council will push to transfer it to Haven which... I have concerns about Haven at the moment. Shade is not secure enough either, which leaves no real options."

"Sure there is." Qrow's eyes glinted suddenly. "I don't know if we can arrange it three days, but there's at least one place out there that definitely hates Fall's guts right now."

Ozpin blinked and frowned, trying to work out what his capable subordinate was proposing, then it clicked. "...ah, yes, I suppose that does have potential. It will be difficult to convince the Council, however."

"So don't fucking bother." The younger man shrugged, "Just announce it. It'll be the biggest slap in the face to Atlas I can think of, so the public will love it and those old bastards will just have to go along with it. Send Glynda and Tsune with, call it prep to finally build a school there."

Glynda cocked her head a little, then her mouth opened slightly as she too understood the rough plan. "I believe that I should remain here. Yourself or Xiao-Long could accompany the students... but in either case, I don't believe that we should announce anything until after their departure. Nor should we communicate openly."

He nodded slowly, "I quite agree. Fall, and it must have been her, attacked the CCT for a very good reason and I doubt that Miss Schnee and Miss Xiao-Long were fully able to stop her. We cannot simply withdraw the team from the tournament however, there will be enough notions of conspiracy without Weiss Schnee vanishing the same day as the Atlesian fleet."

Qrow grunted, "I'll tell Yang to throw their fight tomorrow. They get eliminated, we get them on a Bullhead, you announce it at a press event after the evening rounds."

"Do so." Ozpin instructed, "And then track down team EMRD of Haven. You are to observe them at a distance as consistently as possible. I don't doubt they were the team that Tsune mentioned, and with Fall evidently being the Queen, we can be certain that one of them possesses an illusion based semblance. Whatever the next stage of their plans are, I do not doubt that it will feature prominently."

They both nodded, Glynda about to speak again when his desk again began to light up with incoming calls.

He glanced at the screens and sighed. "The Council and James both. Please excuse me... oh, Glynda? Please have the kitchens send up lunch and additional coffee. I have a feeling I will not be getting much rest today."

* * *

Events were moving quickly now... too quickly for Jaune's liking, but there wasn't anything he could do to slow things down.

To say that the situation inside of the school above was tense was akin to calling water wet.

While he and Neo hadn't been very well known outside of the first years as far as teaching went, they were both still fairly popular thanks to their actions during the Breach, and thanks to his mediocre efforts to counsel and normalize everyone in the aftermath of that horrible event. More than either of those, however... they were teachers of Beacon, and the news that a foreign group had tried to arrest them, had shot at them in their own _office_ , had made the school less than hospitable to anyone wearing Atlas' colors.

He'd been both flattered and horrified at how badly the students and staff had taken it, certain that it was all playing into Cinder's hands somehow.

He'd more or less gotten his confirmation when Sable had paled, shoved her scroll in front of his face, and let him watch a live news update about an Atlesian soldier 'fatally' shooting the visiting Professor from Mistral.

"Well... crap." He said, glancing at what he was now mentally calling his inner-circle; Neo and Sable. Charcoal was at the Club in case someone attempted to arrest Junior and his people, as well as getting in touch with Vest and Levi to make sure no one had gone after them, while Coral was amusing herself by exploring the ruins. "We're in trouble."

His sister gave him a flat look even as Neo rolled her eyes while her hands signed an exasperated 'No. Shit.'

Sable frowned, snorted as she processed the words, then glanced at her scroll as it chimed again. "...more good news, the Council just told General Ironwood to take his ships and men and depart from Vale."

"What about the students?"

Blue eyes tracked back and forth before she shook her head, "Uh... Council is deeply disappointed about what happened... shocked... more politicking... more bullshit... oh, here we go. Looks like they and the Schnee woman get to stay as part of the festival, something about not punishing innocents for the crimes of others."

Neo shook her head as her hands flicked, that was more than a little idiotic. The brats would basically be walking around with targets on their foreheads, and if an Atlesian team won a fight the negativity would go through the roof.

"Assuming it isn't already." He rubbed tiredly at his face, "What about Saph? They can't let her be taken away."

"...doesn't say." Sable reported, "Shit. You don't think she'll be taken to Atlas do you?"

Jaune pursed his lips as he thought furiously, "I...don't think so. Ironwood doesn't strike me as the hostage type, and he'll know soon enough that she doesn't actually know anything."

"Maybe he'll personally release her to try and get some good PR or something." His sister sighed, "So... the Festival just lost pretty much it's entire security force, three really big battleships are leaving, and the woman you say is behind all of the crap the city's gone through just faked her own death. I don't suppose you have any idea as to what she'll be doing next?"

"Besides trying to kill all of us?"

Sable winced. "Besides that."

Neo made a prim little shrugging motion, keeping her motions slow enough for Sable to mostly keep up. Whatever Cinder was planning, she would bet on it happening soon. They'd given Ozpin everything they had, and she had to know they'd do as much. The Headmaster may have been odd but he wasn't stupid, he'd be getting Schnee out of the city as soon as possible.

He glanced at his scroll. "It's almost dinner time, Festival resumes with the doubles rounds at nine tomorrow morning. Think Ozpin will rig it to get RWBY eliminated?"

Obviously, Neo rolled her eyes, and Cinder would either be waiting to attack any team leaving the school, or she'd have some other kind of backup plan... which meant they had to figure out what the hell the woman was planning. Something they hadn't figured out over several months, and now they only had a matter of hours.

"Less complaining, more thinking." He ordered, "Look, we know she's at least half of a maiden and has magic. She's got her own pet team, one of whom might have some kind of illusion semblance but we're not certain, she's got some kind of hacker on call and might still have something in the CCT, and on top of all of that she's now on an extreme time limit."

Neo added that she might also have the ability to control or guide the Grimm.

"And she might be able to control the Grimm." A hand rose to rub at his forehead, "I don't know how she'd use them, considering all of the security and the city's defenses. Even without Atlas around they're pretty formidable"

Sable bit her lip before nodding, "She might have them as some kind of way to get out after she gets the full powers... wait, can a Maiden fly? Branwen can turn into a bird right?"

"Yeah, but I get the feeling that's a lot harder to figure out than fireballs and explosions." Jaune shook his head, "I think... I think we've got two options. Either we try and find Cinder to take her out directly, or we wait and try and see how things play out tomorrow."

His lover promptly held up a third finger, reminding him that they could all simply pile into the Bullhead that Junior had scrounged up for them, and have Levi and Vest fly them away from the coming chaos. That or just call up Branwen and crash with her tribe for a while.

"You really want to leave RAVN behind?" He asked quietly. "You heard Pyrrha yesterday, she's not going anywhere."

Neo's lips curled, then she let out a frustrated huff and then held up a single finger.

"Sable?"

His sister blanched slightly. "Um, you're talking about assassinating her?"

Speaking the word aloud made him wince. "...yeah."

"Oh." One of her hands strayed to the hilt of her simple sword, a tic he was starting to notice whenever she was upset. "That's... I don't think I'm used to this criminal thing yet, Jaune."

"I don't think I am either." He admitted, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. It was getting long... with all of the stress these past few months he hadn't had time to cut it. "But... I don't even know how we could do it at this point. My old plan relied on getting her into the vaults so no one would interfere, and it relied on her not knowing about Neo's semblance in case she didn't decide to defect. Now she _does_ know, and she won't have any reason to go down there."

"But where would she be?" Sable asked. "She's ditched the school, and that thief is dead. So... where?"

He frowned, though on it, thought some more, and grimaced. "I have no idea. If she's gathering Grimm somehow, probably in the Emerald Forest, out beyond where the school's camera's and sensors reach. If she wants to jump any team leaving the school tomorrow, maybe she could be lurking in the city, or even still in the school. It's big enough to hide in, especially if she managed to subvert the security cameras."

Sable might have been edgy about being involved in a conspiracy, but she wasn't stupid, "So either we rush out less than half-ready in the hope that we randomly run into her...or we just end upright back where you started: waiting for something to happen."

If nothing else, Neo noted, her face for once grim, they knew exactly who Cinder would be going after tomorrow. So all they really needed to do to find Cinder was trail Schnee and her team until the bitch showed up. Then they could enact their old 'gang-up-on-and-murder-her' plan, just with a bit more collateral damage.

Jaune flinched a little at the idea of engaging her in the open, surrounded by students and civilians... but at the moment he wasn't sure what their other option was. They couldn't exactly just go back up to their rooms; Ironwood would probably drag his feet in terms of departing, and even if Ozpin believed them he'd probably still be obligated to arrest them for everything else they'd done.

"I don't like that plan." He admitted, "But... I don't know if there's a better one."

Sable gently reached out and touched his shoulder, "Life sucks sometimes little brother, but we do what we can."

Reaching up, he gently held onto her wrist for a moment before sighing, "Yeah, guess we do. Right, you and I are going to stay here with Coral for now. Neo? Do you mind heading down to the city and making sure everyone is ready for action tonight?"

His partner shrugged and nodded before asking exactly what they'd be getting ready for.

"Depends on how much chaos Cinder causes, but... I think our best play is to help Ozpin get the maiden out of Vale. Soon as Cinder makes a move, you and I will run distraction, Charrie will grab RAVN and RWBY and bring them down here, then you and I will get out as well. We'll get Levi and Vest to fly in low, we pile in, and we head as far from Vale as our fuel tanks will let us."

What about Raven?

"She stays as our ace in the hole." There was no way he was going to risk revealing her unless it was a dire emergency, especially as he still wasn't sure he trusted her not to stab them all in the back if she thought in her best interests. Or that she and her tribe wouldn't just try and take them all prisoner for ransom to Atlas if they went through one of her portals.

Still, she'd be the best chance they had of taking out Cinder in an actual battle... no, best to keep her at arm's length unless everything went to hell. Besides, if they did pull this off and escape, and if Ozpin didn't manage to kill Cinder, they'd need Raven in the future. It wasn't as if Cinder would just give up after all, not after all she'd already put into this.

For now, they'd go with what Neo wanted; they would leave. They just wouldn't be doing it alone, and they'd be making sure they were setup for the inevitable second round.

"Soooo..." Sable drew out the word, "We're _not_ going to try and kill Cinder?"

"If we _can_ , I think we _should_ , but it'll depend on how much she cooperates with that idea." Jaune grimaced, "And if Atlas turns around their ships and comes running back, if I manage to hold her off at all in the first place, and if Ozpin is understanding enough to let us help. Summary: No, I don't think we're going to take her out here and now. Think that's going to be a future battle."

"Ok... that's good." His sister sounded more than a little relieved, not that he blamed her. "So we're grabbing your students, assuming they're willing, and running first chance we get to start our lives as wanted fugitives."

The 'willing' part would probably be the issue, especially since they'd have to send Charcoal to get them; he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to hold back Cinder for very long on his own, so he'd need Neo with.

Still, of the eight, he'd guess that Ilia, Blake, and Ren would all be in favor of retreating if the situation was bad enough, and Weiss could probably be persuaded that the power of the maiden wasn't something to take chances with. That being said... there was no way in hell he could imagine Pyrrha, Nora, Yang, or especially Ruby leaving the school until the bitter end if the situation seemed dire.

 _Well... Pyrrha and Nora might be persuaded to retreat if we get there before things really go sidewise, if Ren and Ilia have a few minutes to talk sense into them, but Yang and Ruby... dammit._

He could already feel a headache starting, and knew he'd spending the rest of the night trying to think of the right words and actions that would convince the young girls that discretion was the better part of valor.

"Pretty much... might take a few potshots at Cinder's crew on our way out if we can, but getting the Maiden to safety should be our priority."

Sable eyed him. "You didn't comment on the criminals bit."

"Didn't you want to be a freelance huntress who robbed from the rich to give to the poor?" He smiled weakly, "Now's your chance to live the dream."

Neo let out a silent huff of laughter while his sister groaned and glowered. "...sometimes I hate you, little brother."

"Love you too sis."

* * *

Emerald smiled a she leaned back in her seat, absently munching on popcorn that some civilian boy had bought her.

Evidently there were a few advantages to being a hero.

"Smug much?" Mercury smirked, his own boots kicked up on the railing in front of them. The stands around them were slowing filling in as the crowds gathered for the first of the doubles matches, though unlike the first few days the excited hum had a nervous tension to it.

"You're smug enough for the both of us." She replied, in far too good of a mood for even Mercury to spoil it. "Is everything setup?"

He waved the scroll in his left hand while sipping from the soda in his right, "Yeah, yeah. Soon as the roulette starts I hit the button, I remember."

Emerald hummed as she tossed back some more popcorn, but once more decided not to engage. Her 'partner' may have been an egotistical shithead, but 'see wheels spin – push button' was about as simple of a task as was possible. Of course _she_ was the one trusted to do the real work, as always.

"You really think this is going to work?" He asked, voice lowering somewhat as he stared at the empty arena.

"Of course." She replied equally quietly, "It's one of _her_ plans."

Mercury let out a grunt. "The one with the blonde and his little pipsqueak didn't really work out."

"It worked out just as it was supposed to." Emerald hissed. "She knew they were hiding things, and it let her get them out of the way _and_ made sure we won't underestimate them today."

"I suppose." He didn't exactly sound convinced, but then his eyes lit up slightly. "Still, should be a fun day."

"Just remember to do your jobs before you indulge in whatever impulses you have." She muttered. "If you fuck this up I _will_ kill you."

"You'd try." Mercury snorted before falling uncharacteristically silent, his eyes narrowing slightly to their left.

She followed his gaze and fought back a wince; Qrow Branwen was casually wandering in their direction, a bag of his own popcorn in one hand, and his own red eyes were locked onto them. Sucking in a slow breath, she let it out and focused her talent, ensnaring the man in an illusion even as he waved a cheerful greeting.

"If it ain't the newest celebrities in town." He smiled, though the expression didn't reach his eyes. "You're a bit early."

"Eh." Mercury waved a hand dismissively, "You know how it gets, too keyed up to sleep. Was it the same back in your day, old man?"

"Old man?" Branwen looked almost comically affronted as he stepped around and collapsed into the seat behind them, "Kids these days, no damned respect."

Merc was good at banter if nothing else, and twisted around in his seat to keep up the verbal exchange while she made a show of casually pulling her scroll out before stretching out and getting comfortable; acting for all the world like she was another teenage girl _far_ too involved in herself to care what mere bickering boys were up to.

Behind the illusion, she casually accepted Mercury's scroll and tried to relax her tense shoulders as she adjusted herself to match her illusionary ideal, feeling her aura ticking ever so slowly downwards as she maintained the connection.

Cinder had been right once again... the 'Professors' had ratted them out to Ozpin in record time.

Well, it was a good thing that Cinder had the foresight to prepare multiple contingency plans, and that she was more than capable of carrying them out. It would leave her tired and perhaps a bit less capable for what would come in the future, but she would rise to the occasion.

She wouldn't let Cinder down. Not today.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:**_

 _ **This has been sitting half-completed for quite a while thanks to work exploding with problems and taking up nearly all of my time, but things are finally calming down enough that I can make progress on finishing this story. As you can probably tell this is the absolute last chapter of setup before everything literally goes to hell in the usual S3 ending ways, so hopefully everyone is still enjoying the fic and is ready to see the violent end scenes.  
**_

 _ _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."__

 ** _ **Thanks, Kat**_**


	62. Semester III: Queen's Gambit

**Queen's Gambit**

* * *

Blake licked her lips as she stared at the team across the arena from them, double-checking the giant screen to make sure that her eyes weren't deceiving her.

Nope. Two members of team CPPR were stepping into the battlefield, neither of the girls aware of the fact that they weren't supposed to be there.

"Your uncle said we were supposed to fight team CVFY right?" Blake muttered, feeling her ears flattening as the crowd began to boo the Atlesians.

"Yeah..." Yang whispered, looking just as nervous as she was. "Something bad's about to happen, isn't it?"

"Probably." She swallowed. "We need to lose this fight fast, Yang."

Her partner grimaced but gave her a game nod, not even making an effort to put on a fake smile as Soleil and Polendina approached. Blake spent a few moments wracking her brain for memories of Ruby describing them, the young leader had mentioned hanging out with them a few times, but she couldn't remember any descriptions of their fighting styles.

"Salutations!" Polendina, looking entirely unaware of the rumble of displeasure from the crowd, gave them both a cheerful wave as they approached. "Let us have an honorable and fun battle that results in camaraderie and friendship in the aftermath!"

"Uh... sure." Yang replied distractedly, her attention more on looking around the crowd then on the other girl. "Sounds great."

"Excellent!"

Blake grimaced, but thankfully the strangely exuberant girl didn't get the chance to continue before the landscape around them rumble and began to shift. Whatever machines processed dust into destructible terrain did its job as efficiently as ever, and soon enough they had a broad rubble field to their back, while the Atlesians had a broad pond beneath some kind of bizarre gravity-dust fed zone.

Only half paying attention as the terrain rose, she felt Yang give her a slight elbow with her mechanical arm before nodding to a portion of the crowd. She followed her gaze to see Mister Branwen seated directly behind two members of team EMRD right in the front rows, and she felt some of the tension leave her at the sight.

Whatever this was about, they wouldn't have an easy time of it with a professional hunter right behind them lack that.

"Right." Yang murmured as the countdown began, both of them backing away from their opponents as the two members of team CPPR did likewise. "Lose fast, but we should at least make it look like we're trying. I'm going to go all in first, you hang back and act like you're just fire support. I'll get knocked around, use my semblance, miss my shot, and then they should take me out."

Blake nodded once. "Got it. I'll move towards the edge after that, make it look like I want to harass them, let them ring me out. Shouldn't be too obvious."

When Professor Port's booming countdown reached zero, she threw herself back and drew her weapon even as Yang blitzed forwards.

* * *

Qrow Branwen was nervous, sober, and as usual he didn't care for being either of those things. It made it all too easy to feel the storm rolling in even as the ground started to crack beneath their fucking feet.

He'd sort of expected things to go wrong, he was used to it thanks to his damned semblance, but he hadn't figured it would start with someone else over-writing Ozpin's rigged pick of a safe fight. Ozpin's response to his furious scroll message hadn't exactly calmed him down either: the old wizard telling him in return that one of the other huntsman teams had found improvised explosives beneath the coliseum's landing zones, which was keeping almost all of the security detail occupied.

That wasn't something they could take chances with, since Amity wasn't exactly designed to land on its own, and if the civies got wind that there were bombs aboard they'd stampede for the shuttle zones that were filled with bombs just waiting to blow them all to hell. And even if they _did_ manage to keep them from running around like idiots, probably by locking them all up in the stands, the combined fear and panic would draw every Grimm on the continent in their direction.

It was such an obvious play that he was suspicious as hell about it, and so was Ozpin. It had to be some kind of distraction, or back-up plan, and Oz had told him to maintain a firm watch on the two brats in front of him while he handled the other crisis. With luck, the girls would throw the fight fast enough, and security would get everything cleared, before anything else happened.

Because something _was_ going to happen... the question was when, and if they could prevent it.

Fall had just stuck an ex-White Fang faunus into a cage match with a pair of Atlesian students, in front of a crowd more than primed to hate both groups... it wouldn't take much for a riot to start if something happened at the wrong moment.

But at least at the start, thing seemed to return to normal... or what passed for normal when competitors were trying to lose on purpose without making it obvious. For all that he thought the world of his niece, Yang was _not_ an actress. It was pretty obvious she was letting herself get hit by the flying blades despite her attempts to look like she was trying to dodge, but it was probably enough to fool the civilians who seemed extremely put-out that the locals were losing.

Or that Yang was losing, none of the civilians seemed to care much about the faunus girl.

Still, said partner was doing a bit better of a job, keeping the dark-skinned girl pinned down with pistol fire and drawing sporadic mutters of approval from the student crowd, but the fact that she wasn't charging in either would have told any professional hunter with the name that she wasn't anymore interested in winning this fight than Yang was.

But none of that was where his focus was supposed to be.

His attention needed to be on the two in front of him, and on keeping a slow but steady push of aura into his semblance to see if he couldn't derail whatever the hell they were up to.

So far it wasn't going well. He'd made two people nearby spill their drinks over themselves, a girl had face planted after slipping on a napkin of all things, and a male student was currently cursing up a storm as his scroll went to a white screen of death.

Not for the first or last time he wished he could at least target someone in specific with his frustrating ability.

A vibration on his right leg made him glance down to the scroll balanced there, words appearing as Ruby texted him; _Still n front of u_

He was about to lazily text back a thanks when another came in, even more abbreviated; _Jst gt up!_

Snapping his eyes up, Qrow swore aloud as he saw two bored teens still relaxing and tossing back junk food as they watched the fight. A quick nudge of his foot into the girl's back _felt_ like he was touching someone, but she didn't so much as glance in his direction or shift her stance.

 _Right!_ His niece informed him as he rose, his eyes flicking down to his scroll and then back up as he got moving. Three sections down he saw the little ice queen holding tightly onto Ruby, stopping her from running off even as the ex-White Fang girl grabbed the scroll out of her hands and started walking towards the nearest exit, typing as her partner followed.

 _They went-_

His screen abruptly went blank, and a moment later the girls' forms rippled like they were behind a heat wave before vanishing all together.

Qrow could only stare blankly before cursing himself for being an idiot; the people they were after weren't stupid, and the moment they'd seen him glancing at his scroll they must have realized he had other eyes on them to make sure he wasn't under an illusion. As soon as they'd noticed him following him they'd made sure he couldn't, or at least made sure that they delayed him.

Of course that was assuming the little bastards weren't still sitting behind him as they tried to panic him into doing something stupid.

"Which means..." He sucked in a furious breath and let it out, forcing his body to turn left and stalk over to the railing. Rising to the bait or running off half-cocked was exactly what they'd want right now, and he had empirical evidence that he'd been compromised.

Which meant his only option was to sit tight until he was sure the semblance wasn't on him anymore, and hope that his nieces' friends were up for whatever was going on.

* * *

"Mister Branwen!?" Pyrrha again tried to shake the man, only for him to continue to not even notice that she was doing so.

Ilia grabbed her in turn, tugging her away from where the huntsman was staring down into the arena. "He can't hear us, come on!"

She hesitated for a moment, then allowed herself to be dragged back into motion as the pair of them set off after the two members of team EMRD. One of them, the green haired leader, was keeping an eye on them and the huntsman who she must have ensnared in some kind of semblance, while her silver-haired partner guided her through the arena's stands.

The other girl had definitely noticed their pursuit, her lips visibly moving as she snapped something to her partner.

Pyrrha felt herself tense, expecting the world to change as she was caught in an illusion as well... only to see the boy abruptly yank hard on his partner as they neared an exit tunnel, the pair of them breaking into a run as they vanished.

"Fuck!" Ilia snarled, surging forward as well, Pyrrha not wasting any time in following.

They hadn't been that far behind, and when they turned the corner they did so just in time to see a maintenance door slam shut and the small light flick back to a locked red.

"Pyr!?"

"On it!" Stepping forwards, she focused her semblance, feeling the metal of the door and its parts as though she was running her fingers along them. A twisting motion of her wrist and a tiny bit of aura was all it took to push the deadbolt back, letting Ilia yank the steel door open.

Mercury Black stood alone, perhaps a dozen paces inside, his hands on his hips as he stared them down.

Pyrrha cautiously entered first, Ilia slowly following, keeping just enough distance between them to be safe. The boy didn't react beyond smirking a little and shaking his arms out before leaving them loose beside him.

"Didn't know you two were into guys as well." His smirk widened as he spoke first, "Not the best place for a threesome, how about we all go down to your dorm instead?"

Ilia's freckles shifted to an angry scarlet, but she kept her voice even. "Where's your partner?"

"Sorry to break it to you, but she's only got eyes for one person. She's kind of an obsessed bitch about it really."

"Stop stalling." Ilia snapped back, rolling a few steps forwards as a hand drew her weapon from her bag. "Where is she?"

The boy's smirk took a darker edge, "You really think I'm going to explain our evil plan or something?"

"No." Pyrrha said quietly as she stepped up as well, looking around sharply to try and figure out where Emerald could have vanished to... and finding a service ladder to their right almost at once. "But we had to at least give you a chance. Ilia, the ladder!"

Black's suddenly narrowed eyes were the only warning he gave them before he surged forwards.

Ilia's whip cracked at once, lashing out as her partner counter-charged, "Get after her! I've got him!"

She froze for a half-second, not wanting to leave her partner to fight alone... but then she nodded once and lunged for the rungs of the ladder.

Black had obviously stayed behind to delay and distract them, whatever his partner was doing was the real threat. Ilia could hold her own, and with the door open the sound of fighting would carry. It wouldn't be long before security and Mister Branwen showed up... so that meant all she and Ilia had to do was the same thing that Black was trying to do.

They had to delay whatever was going on for just a few minutes.

Normally Pyrrha was a bit embarrassed by her height, it left her feeling awkward when she could look down on more than a few boys and pretty much every other girl in school, but there were times when it came in handy. This was one of those times, her long arms and legs letting her ascend rapidly to the next level where she found the maintenance door hanging wide open.

Pulling her scroll off of her belt, she hit the speed-dial button for Ruby as she cautiously looked around. Quick as she'd been, the bit of snark that Black had offered had delayed them enough that she couldn't see his partner in crime anywhere, and the general rumble of a stadium full of people stopped her from hearing movement as well.

" _Pyrrha!? Where are you!"_

"...the VIP level." She replied after a glance at a sign, "Ilia is fighting Black in maintenance, I'm trying to find Emerald. You need to get your uncle there to help Ilia as soon as you can!"

" _We're on our way!"_

Somewhere on the other side of the line she heard Weiss shouting that they were going to stay put and that Nora and Ren would go with her uncle, but her eyes had found an unlocked suite door. Barely hesitating she headed for it, a glance would confirm whether it was actually their opponent rather than some rich person who'd just left the door unlocked,

"Ruby, I think they're in suite ten, you need to tell Ren-"

The moment her other hand touched the door's handle she realized that she had walked into a trap. The smell of ozone was her only warning before electrical current surged through her fingers, up her arm, and then across her body. Her muscles spasmed, refusing her panicked orders to let go, her scroll creaking in her other hand as her grip tightened violently.

Her aura did nothing to stop the flow, not so much as dimming the pain, and her vision began to swim and go black.

* * *

Arthur Watts pressed two fingers against a pale throat, checking his watch as he felt for a heartbeat. After a few moments he hummed in approval before dragging the unconscious body inside, taking just a moment to kick her scroll farther down the hall before closing the door. Such devices could easily be tracked, best not to keep it around. "She lives, but I do believe that I heard her indicate our suite number. You had best hurry up with your plan, girl."

Fall's little obsessed pet didn't so much as react, her attention locked onto whatever was happening in the quaint little battlefield.

Rolling his eyes he turned back to the twitching redhead sprawled across his floor. "I do apologize for the necessity, but as you are one of the most likely candidates for maidenhood I simply had no choice. I'm sure you'll understand."

The girl, to his mild surprise, made a gurgling sound and shifted slightly, her eyelids shifting as her brain attempted to rouse her wounded body.

"I wouldn't, if I were you." He continued, pulling a pair of cuffs out from his coat pocket and affixing them to her wrists. "I gave you a rather heavy voltage, you won't be in any shape to do much beyond basic bodily processes for quite some time."

Well, not that such things would trouble her for long.

For all that he couldn't stand Cinder's self-serving, self-promoting attitude, the woman was more than merely ruthless in her plans and schemes. The moment she had been sure the maiden's power had been transferred, and what he wouldn't give to know how _that_ had been accomplished, she had contacted him to put one of her many back-up plans in motion.

He, in return, had already come up with an algorithm based on Salem's knowledge of Ozpin and his preferences in servants, and identified five potential maidens among the student population; with Pyrrha Nikos being by far and away the most 'ideal' candidate. If he was correct, and she was the other half of the Fall Maiden, she would be killed the moment it was confirmed so that Cinder could inherit the entire mantel.

"Of course, if you are not the Maiden, we'll likely be obliged to put a bullet through your head, so I suppose you don't have much time left in either case." He sighed. "Deplorable, given your youth and skills, but our mistress is quite convinced it is best to nip those with potential in the bud before-"

"Would you shut the fuck up?" Cinder's pet growled the gritted teeth, "I'm trying to focus on two people at once here!"

Watts glowered at her back, honestly why Fall had selected a pair of uncouth little street rats as her minions he still couldn't fathom... but for once he held his tongue.

Brat and pet she might have been, but she was a necessaryone at the moment. Salem was already quite upset about the setbacks and losses they had suffered in this operation, and she was liable to have all of their heads if they didn't produce results.

So instead of putting her in her place, he focused on ensuring their prisoner was secured and ready to be hauled out of the coliseum at speed.

The time to move her came a minute later when the crowd went utterly silent, letting them hear a feminine scream of pure anguish with perfect clarity.

* * *

It had seemed like everything was going fine. They were both down to less than half aura, and Yang and signaled that was going to get herself eliminated by igniting her semblance and rushing in with no real sense of strategy. Deciding to play it up a bit, try and make it look a bit more authentic, Blake had shouted for her to stop, then sworn loudly and started firing past her as if to provide covering fire.

Yang had just been about to hit Pollendina when she'd abruptly changed positions. Blake hadn't blinked, hadn't so much as glanced away, but one moment Yang had been pulling back for a wild haymaker, the next she was a full yard to the right and stumbling, wavering she clutched at the exit wounds on her stomach.

Letting Blake see the two neat holes in her back.

She heard someone, it had to be Ruby, scream in horror as Gambol Shroud fell from her numb fingers.

Yang managed to stay up long enough to turn a little, stare at her blankly, then her eyes rolled back as she fell face-first to the ground, blood spreading rapidly onto the ground around her, the fire of her semblance dying out as she lost consciousness.

 _Oh gods... they got us._

"White Fang!" The furious scream came from their other opponent, the one who hadn't so much as contributed to the fight beyond letting herself be pinned down since the start. Blake barely got her head around, then her aura up as Soleil drew and unfolded a gun of her own and opened fire.

It was some kind of shotgun, and the solid rounds had to be military grade because they hammered her backwards, leaving her to stumble and fall back, a hand plaintively rising, "No! I d-didn't-!"

"Drop your weapon!"

"I already di-" Two more gunshots struck her chest, tearing chunks out of her aura and flattening her entirely as she gasped in pain.

 _Yang...!_ "...s-stop! I didn't-" A foot slamming onto her sternum cut her off and left her gasping for breath again, ice flooding her veins as a monstrous gun barrel alighted with her head. "Stop!"

"You have a suicide ve... no! You won't!" Soliel jammed the weapon into her cheek, and Blake could only gape as her eyes saw the fingers tighten.

A dark sword saved her life, slamming into the weapons' barrel and causing the shot to tear apart the metal floor of the platform rather than her head.

"Lieutenant Soleil!" The other girl's voice boomed, literally _boomed_ loud enough to rattle the debris around her, "I require you assistance in a medical emergency!"

"But... what...?" The other Atlesian gaped down at her, then at her gun, then at Blake's chest. "You... what happened to the bomb?"

Blake could only shake her head, trying to process what had just happened as the adrenaline continued to pump and the crowd began to scream and hurl furious insults.

Someone had hit her with an illusion... a simple one that had made it seem like Yang was more to the left than she had been, so when she'd tried to fire past her partner she'd hit her in the back instead. Yang must not have expected her to shoot, maybe she'd been hit too and thought Blake somewhere else, hadn't had any aura protecting her back at all, and as a result...

"Yang..." She gasped, irritably shoving the foot off of her chest and making a still confused Soleil stagger before regaining her balance.

Polendina was kneeling beside Yang, her hands almost blurring as she rapidly attached bandages and began to bind them, though her strange swords continued to hover in a defensive circle around them both.

"Both of you please stay back." The girls' voice quieted to something just audible over the roaring crowd. "Something is obviously wrong, please do not react to any further events."

The words had barely left her lips when one of the swords behind her quivered, turned, and then plunged down into Yang's chest. Blake surged forwards on pure, horrified reflex, and then felt herself struck from the right as Soleil abruptly tackled her to the ground. She flared her semblance as they hit the ground, the Atlesian's grip fading as Blake twisted away to leave a clone grasped in her place.

She'd barely gotten up to her feet when two swords slammed down on either side of them, and she gaped at the sight of Yang very much not dying from a sword to the heart.

" _It never ends."_ The feminine voice from the coliseum speakers cut off anything she could have said, and quieted the screaming crowd. " _The endless cycle of violence. Look at them, citizen of Vale. Look at what your glorious leaders have allowed to happen again, and again, and again. How many of your people must pay the price? How many times must you be caught between the unfeeling robots of Atlas, and the wild animals of the White Fang?"_

* * *

Ruby grabbed onto Weiss, uncaring about anything else, and narrowed her eyes in focus. Using her semblance with someone else always felt like getting kicked sharply in the head, but she didn't care about that at all as she shot them down into the arena, down to where Penny was frantically trying to help Yang.

" _How many innocents have died because your leaders have chosen to extend trust to those unworthy of it? Blake Belladonna... daughter of the White Fang's founder, somehow allowed to attend Beacon. To be taught how to kill ever more efficiently then she did when she was merely one terrorist among many. Is it any wonder that she should betray her human partner?"_

"Friend Ruby, please press down here." Penny grabbed her hands as she knelt beside them, pushing them with surprising force against Yang's stomach. "Miss Schnee, please use your glyphs to accelerate the medical team's approach."

" _And Atlas... the glorious protectors of world peace, so quick to act as judge, jury, and executioners in lands that are not their own. When faced with a crisis their first reaction is to kill whatever, or whoever, stands in their way. A people to whom the military and government are one in the same... an ideal your own Council holds in greater respect than the freedom they claim to represent."_

"Oh gods... Yang..." She whimpered, staring down at her sister's pale face. "Why?"

" _Where were the protests when Professors of Beacon, heroes who bled to defend this city, were shot at in their own home? Who were forced to flee against an unlawful attempt to arrest them? It was only when a woman was killed that your Council was forced to act, to banish the foreign army they hold in such great respect."_

"The crowd is becoming agitated." Penny spoke even as she pulled some kind of little pouch from her backpack, hands tearing it open to reveal some kind of tiny syringe. "Angry. Confused. Afraid. Negativity levels will be rising, Grimm will be drawn in this direction if the situation is not calmed soon."

Ruby didn't need to look up to know that she was right. Exactly what Professor Ozpin had told Weiss, what Pyrrha said that Jaune was afraid of, was happening. People were screaming, some were shouting insults at Blake, others at the Atlas girls. Others sounded like they were arguing, screaming at one another as people who tried to stop others got drawn in instead.

" _How long can a kingdom endure when its protectors train terrorists, when its allies kill and arrest its people, and when its leaders some content to allow it all to happen? Not long at all..."_

The medics arrived just as the alarms began to howl.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes**_

 _ **So, here we are at the end game. Thanks to Emerald, Yang is down and thanks to Watts, Pyrrha is captured, not the best start for the good guys. Originally this was going to be a bit longer, but that would have either meant the next chapter would be very short or this one would need to be nearly double in length to get the right cut-off points, so the Coliseum part of the fight will continue through to the chapter, after which the Battle of Beacon will begin in earnest.**_

 _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_

 **Thanks, Kat**


	63. Semester III: Declined

**Declined**

* * *

Ilia backpedaled several steps, her whip stiffened into its sword form as she frantically blocked a rapid series of kicks. Black smirked at her as he shifted his stance, stomping hard at her feet to keep them in motion, then throwing a quick jab at her chin to force her to keep her weapon up.

"What's the matter?" He taunted as he easily weaved away from a quick thrust, twisting his body around as his strange boots put two shots into her chest, making her stagger backwards and gasp for breath even as her aura stopped her ribs from simply caving in. "I thought Arc's little pet would be tougher."

She felt her skin ripple to red while her teeth ground together, but she didn't let him goad her into some kind of stupid berserker move. The bastard was good... he was freakishly good, definitely better than her, and the narrow confines of the maintenance corridor weren't helping at all. Her whip needed more space to be used to its fullest, and all of her extra dust, grenades, and other less-than-honorable tools were stuck in her backpack.

If she could just get a little space, and a little time, she thought she could even things out, but Black wasn't giving her either. Worse, he had something on him that was grounding out the electrical discharge from the dust in her whip, maybe gear or even his semblance, nullifying what was usually her greatest advantage in a fight.

Letting out a sharp breath, she moved forwards with her weapon up and ready. Black's smirk took on a vicious edge as he let her close the distance, his arms coming up as she lashed out with a pair of quick slashes. His aura took the initial blows, and even though he gritted his teeth in pain, the dust in her weapon didn't do much more than that, letting him counter with a knee aimed at her stomach.

Twisting, she took it on her side and then used the new angle to ram her shoulder into his chest. He let out a quick exhalation, the first sign of surprise she'd seen from him, but his stance was too solid, and he simply weighed too much, for her to do more than rock him back more than a half-step.

But that brief retreat was enough to give her the momentum, and she was used to fighting people taller than she was thanks to countless hours being beaten on by Jaune and Pyrrha.

It was her turn to snap a knee up, aiming for his groin, forcing him to backpedal further and shift to take it on his thigh instead. He threw a snap-punch at her to try and force her back, only to miss above as she let herself drop into a low crouch. Black snarled as her whip cracked hard against the same thigh her knee had just bruised, then swore as his attempt to drive a boot into her chest saw her fall left and slam her weapon against the back of his other knee.

Her position, falling onto her side onto the floor, meant it didn't have much strength behind it, but with all of his weight on the leg it should have been more than enough to knock him onto his ass.

Her mouth dropped as metal clanged against metal, and Black didn't so much as waver.

"Surprise bitch!" The snarl came as he quickly yanked his other leg back down, stomping hard onto her flank and triggering the gun in the heel as he did.

Ilia yelped in a mixture of surprise and pain as her aura plummeted, rolling away as he tried to follow that hit up with a kick aimed at her head, probably hoping to knock her out then simply kill her when she was unconscious... assuming whatever projectiles he had didn't just snap her neck in the first place.

Evidently what little she'd done had been enough to piss him off because he pursued her relentlessly, barely missing two more stomps, then changing his aim and catching her stomach with a kick as she slammed into the wall and tried to gather her feet beneath her.

"Sorry babe," He grunted as she struggled to keep her weapon up, barely deflecting one kick, then a second, then taking a third to her left shoulder. "But I don't have time to drag this out."

Ilia tensed to throw herself sideways as best she could as kick number four once again came at her head, only for several other events to happen in rapid succession.

Somewhere up above them a Grimm-raid siren began to howl, followed quickly by several alarms beginning to shriek in the hallway. Black apparently expected that to happen because he didn't hesitate for more than a second when a red light began to flash directly above them, but that second was enough time for the light to flicker just as it tried to brighten a second time, then... not so much burn out as so much as simply _explode_ into a million pieces of glass and metal.

Both of them let out cries of shock as shards rained down onto them, though she came out better having been pushing all of her remaining aura into her head and neck area to brace herself, where as he hadn't seemed to have much ready for defense at all given how much he'd been kicking her ass.

"Son of a fuckin-!" The kick intended to either break her neck or knock her out missed wildly as he stumbled away, staggering and clutching at his head while blood began coloring his silver hair. He had enough sense to quickly lurch a few steps away as he kept swearing, putting distance between them as he tried to recover.

She'd barely begun to react to the bizarre sequence of events when the maintenance door slammed open, allowing as armed Mister Branwen to rush in, Nora and Ren following him with their own weapons drawn.

"What the-fuck!" Black staggered as the professional huntsman surged past her, hammering the flat of his blade into his chest and throwing the younger man backwards a good yard, and Black wasted no time in taking another quick pair of steps back from his new opponent.

"Nikos ain't picking up her scroll." Branwen snapped as he hefted his sword up to an ready guard while Black continued to take a few seconds to recover, "Get upstairs, find her, then get back to my niece's team and help them get off this flying palace."

"Understood." Ren said as he moved forwards, offering one hand while keeping one Storm Flower aimed at Black with the other.

She took it gratefully, gasping out, "Careful with this jerk. He's good."

"Thanks kid." Branwen replied, beginning a quick stalk forwards, Black wavering slightly as he tried to simultaneously back up and settle into a proper fighting stance once more.

Grimacing a little, she forced her bruised body to follow her teammates towards the ladder, grasping the rungs and heading up as Ren began to speak. "Pyrrha's voice cut out just as she reached suite ten, not sure if she was hit with an illusion or if something else happened. Either way we need to find her."

"No shit." Ilia replied, pushing away the various aches and focusing on climbing as quickly as she could, the sounds of battle echoing wildly as the fight continued behind them. "What happened out there?"

"They hit the fighters with an illusion, or possibly with several to cause friendly fire. Yang is wounded, Grimm are coming, they're attempting to evacuate the civilians." Ren stated flatly as he reached the next floor. "Nora?"

"Her scroll's on the ground." The words were clipped and furious, her massive weapon shaking slightly as her anger built. "Suite's empty, they must have taken her with them... oh no, they think she's the maiden, don't they!?"

Ren stepped aside, giving her space to climb out as well, his eyes up and alert as he checked the two options.

"That is the most likely reason for her abduction, the VIP landing zone is that way." He nodded to the right after a few seconds, "Let's go. Illia, what is your aura level?"

A glance at her scroll had her grimacing once more, "Thirty five."

"Please remain behind us then, and try to reach one of the numbers Jaune gave us to contact him." Ren ordered as the three of them picked up the pace, moving from a quick jog to a near sprint as they followed the signs for the tiny, exclusive dock reserved for the wealthy elite. The empty corridors and open suite doors blurred as they ran past them, revealing that either the city's upper crust had already evacuated themselves, or that most of them simply hadn't bothered to arrive for the early morning matches.

Which was probably a good thing, at least as far as Ilia was concerned. It meant there weren't wealthy morons getting in the way or being taken hostage, and it meant the place was shockingly quiet once the interior alarms cut off, making it easier to hear as she frantically ran through the various numbers that Jaune had given them in case of emergencies.

Call number four proved to be the magic number, the small screen lighting up withJaune's exhausted features, the area behind him whirling as he moved rapidly through some kind of underground tunnel. " _Ilia! What in the gods' names is going on!?"_

"Fall made her move, Yang is wounded, Grimm are coming, they took Pyrrha." She summarized breathlessly, "We need backup at the VIP hanger on Amity!"

" _Neo!? That's where we landed for the early round!"_ There was a second's pause before he nodded once, " _Go and get RAVN out of there! We'll contact Charrie and see if Ozpin's in the mood to coordinate!"_

"Hurry!" Nora shouted without turning around, her hammer folding back into it's grenade launcher form as she put on an extra burst of speed, "I can hear engines!"

* * *

Emerald grunted as she heaved the red-headed prisoner into the Bullhead, "What's taking so long!?"

"This is an advanced and highly complicated machine, not a common street car!" Watts called back from the cockpit, "It would seem the man you bribed to have it ready to go accepted your money but not the job that came with it."

"Useless fucking faunus." She growled as she dragged Nikos a bit farther in before reaching for some extra rope. The tall bitch was pretty fucked up thanks to the jolt she'd gotten, but there was enough groaning and twitching to make Emerald want to be extra sure she was securely tied down, "Just get us airborne!"

"I take it we're abandoning your erstwhile partner?" The dry reply came along with the sweet sounds of engines humming to life, the noise nearly making her relax in relief... but she knew better than to let her guard down before they were back to Cinder with Nikos dumped at her feet.

"If he couldn't kill one student and meet us here then he's not worth anything!" She shouted as she glanced back, "Let's go-Incoming!"

As much as she hated the stuck-up asshole, she'd willingly admit that Watts wasn't stupid. Or slow for that matter. The moment the word was out of her mouth he did something to the controls that had the engines roar up to full power and the Bullhead begin to spin in place, but even his rapid reaction time wasn't enough to stop the grenades that the orange-haired nut had fired from reaching them.

The first one actually made it inside, forcing Emerald to flatten herself across Nikos on the floor to avoid getting hit, Watts letting out a surprisingly vicious series of swear words when it slammed into the partition between the cargo bay and cockpit and exploded in small cloud of pink shrapnel. His frantic turn kept the next two from further wrecking the inside of the aircraft, the entire thing shuddering but not much more as the armor plating kept them away.

There was a momentary pause before she felt the acceleration start, not assisting her attempt to get back up to her feet in the slightest. She managed to get up to a knee and see the three other members of Nikos' team futilely running after them as the Bullhead slipped sideways out of the hanger and into the open air, turning as Watts began to put them into a dive to avoid the next volley of grenades that were already incoming.

That gave Emerald a perfect angle to see a blur of colors appear on the right side of the hangar before seemingly disintegrating.

With Cinder's warning ringing in her head, she was already throwing herself to the side when the sound of shattering glass reached her, letting her avoid a thrust of a narrow blade as Neopolitan attempted to drive her sword through Emerald's skull. The dodge didn't work as well as she'd have liked given the tiny confines they were fighting in, plus an additional set of shudders on the right side as at least one more grenade hit before they were out of sight, leaving her to stumble over Nikos and end up sprawled onto the ground for the second time.

Of course, that left her in a perfect position to yank a weapon free and shove it against the moaning redhead's temple, so she supposed it could have been worse.

The tiny bitch abruptly froze in the middle of her follow-up attack, lips peeled back from teeth in a silent snarl as her eyes changed color with each rapid blink.

Emerald sneered right back at her, already reaching for her semblance to make sure that the threat was all the bitch could see... and feeling more of her aura draining as she did. "Back off or your play-toy will find herself missing half her head... and don't even think of using your semblance, I'll pull this trigger the moment you so much as twitch in this direction."

Those creepy eyes settled into their off-white coloration, with only pin-prick pupils being visible. A shudder ran through Emerald at the sight of them, but that didn't stop her from drawing her other weapon under the cover her semblance and carefully stretching herself out until it was nearly pressed against the other woman's knee. She was just beginning to caress the trigger when the snarl abruptly became a vicious smirk and her opponent shattered into shards of vanishing glass.

Emerald started to yank the trigger to execute the hostage, then forced herself to freeze when she realized that the attack hadn't been directed at her, Watts letting out a surprised cough as the bitch re-appeared in the cockpit's doorway.

"Her sword is in my lower back." Watts reported after a silent moment of tension, "Just deep enough to stop my aura from affecting a thrust through my liver... well played. I don't suppose we could persuade you to adjust your loyalty? What do you desire? Lien? Safety?"

Neopolitan let out a tiny snort, shifting her feet farther apart, visibly bracing herself in case Watts tried to throw the aircraft into a maneuver to throw her away from him. While one hand kept her weapon firmly pushed through the pilots' chair and evidently into Watts's body, the other came up and pointed firmly at Nikos' form.

Emerald gritted her teeth and frantically ran through her options. Her aura was already low and her head was killing her after everything she'd had to do to get things started, she wasn't confident of being able to take the bitch on directly, especially with the motion of the aircraft. As she much as she loathed, and very much wanted to kill the tiny little cunt in as horrible a fashion as she could think of, she didn't think she'd be able to throw up a credible enough illusion to stop her from killing Watts... which would be bad given that she had no idea how to fly a plane.

"Watts, I have her in an illusion, she can't hear us."

"That is not comforting given the steel currently under my skin." The man replied, "Can you eliminate her?"

"I'm at thirty on my aura and dropping, and she's probably burning her aura to make sure I don't sneak a shot in." She replied with a glance at the scroll on her wrist, wincing as another throb ran through her temples. _Dammit... I should have gone lower key in the coliseum, hitting both of those idiots was too much of a drain..._ "Can you get up and break her neck?"

"I'm rather occupied keeping us airborne at the moment, our right engine took a grenade hit from the students and is likely to fail soon."

She sucked in a breath. _Crap._ "Can we land?"

"Do you believe that our guest will allow such a change to the status quo?" He paused as the aircraft shuddered somewhat, meaning he was probably telling the truth about the engine, "Allow her to hear the next section." Another quick pause as he gave her time to adjust her semblance's affect, "What assurances do we have that you will not kill me if we agree to let you take your student?"

Neopolitan pursed her lips for a few moments, then brought her free hand up to her face, wiggled her fingers in a fan shape near her left eye, then shook her head sharply.

Emerald frowned. What about her eyes and fans? And strange little... wait. Burning eyes? "You're saying she's _not_ the maiden?"

There was another almost-snarl, she was clearly not happy to say as much, but a quick nod followed.

"Do we believe her?"

"She was the most likely candidate," Watts called back, "But there is one other in her year with nearly as a high of a percentage, and two in the years above them-ah!"

Neopolitan twisted her weapon slightly farther, and made an impatient motion towards Nikos.

Emerald bit her lip, not sure at all that she believed the mute, but it was clear her rival was losing patience, and from the way the Bullhead had begun to constantly shudder and bounce, their ride wasn't going to keep going much longer. Cinder would definitely be upset at losing a possible Maiden... but she'd probably be even angrier if she got herself and Watts killed.

Especially since they'd left Mercury behind.

And there was a chance, admittedly a small one, that the bitch actually did care enough about the Invincible Girl to tell the truth about her not being the maiden.

"Shit." She growled, rising slightly and keeping her gun aimed while she used her leg to kick Nikos's limp arms up and above her head, reaching them out towards the criminal. "Take her, but you leave my pilot alive or I pull this trigger."

Those dead white eyes narrowed before the other woman carefully stretched out her left foot even farther, straddling the distance until her boot was touching the student's hand. Emerald carefully kept her finger ready to squeeze until both of them shattered, leaving them alone.

* * *

Crescent Rose thundered out round after round as Ruby worked the bolt and trigger, the heavy shots reaching up to strike the Griffons and Nevermore that had breached the Coliseum's protective barriers. Smaller Grimm died as her shots struck, dissolving even as they fell, but the older, larger Grimm shrugged off the wounds and simply roared their fury as they dove downwards.

One, a simply massive Griffon, let out a painfully loud shriek as Penny unleashed a column of green energy that bored through its chest, leaving its fading remains to slam into the arena floor. Most of the rest didn't even make it that far as the other students, coordinated by Professor Port, opened fire with their own weapons. Dust rounds, energy beams, sonic blasts, and semblance enhanced projectiles shot up as nearly a hundred students kept up their defensive barrage, protecting the medics helping civilians who'd been trampled in the stampede for the exits.

"That's the spirit students!" The Professor bellowed, looking for all the world like he was enjoying the chaos as he casually blew a swooping Nevermore out of the sky. "Looks like our excellent doctors have the last of the civilians heading out, let us follow their lead!"

Ruby didn't have to be told twice, neither did Blake or Penny, her two friends following her into the nearest entrance tunnel once the nearest medics and what might have been a doctor who'd been in the audience carefully carried out a dazed woman.

Without the barrage of gunfire keeping them at bay, the Grimm promptly began swarming down into the arena in massive numbers. A police officer smacked a button once they were all past and emergency armored doors began to slide down from the roof of the tunnel, leaving the enemy to roar impotently on the other side as their pursuit was cut off.

"What is our plan of action friend-Ruby?" Penny asked, her voice just as oddly cheerful as it had been even when Weiss and Ciel had escorted the medics and Yang out, the rest of them staying back to cover them.

"We do what Professor Port said earlier." Ruby replied, "We get back to Beacon, we protect our school... but first, we check on Yang."

"Understood." Her strange friend chirped, her blades folding rapidly back into her backpack while Blake rolled her eyes.

The Coliseum without people was an eerie place, with its empty corridors filled with garbage and personal effects dropped by the civilians who'd run for the docks, but if nothing else it made moving through the place a lot easier than when it had been packed from wall to wall. Other student teams began to appear as they retreated and sealed their own gates, a few taking a quick break to down some water, but most began jogging alongside Ruby's scratch team as they headed for the docks.

Said docks were still crowded, but that crowd was thinning pretty quickly as civilians were herded onto Bullheads and sent off. That made it fairly easy for Ruby to spot where Professor Oobleck was working with a few other adult Huntsmen to keep several of the aircraft reserved for their own use. Right now it seemed like the Professor was leaving that to everyone else, while he knelt down beside...

Ruby let out a sharp gasp and blurred forwards with her semblance, re-appearing beside where her teacher was gently checking on Pyrrha, the rest of team RAVN standing protectively around her.

"What happened?" She gasped, checking over everyone else for wounds, then jumping in surprise when she saw someone else. "Miss Neo!? What are you doing here!?"

"Saving Miss Nikos from being abducted by Emerald Sustrai of Haven, who was not working alone." Professor Oobleck replied without looking up, his voice slow enough to be easily understood for once. "Miss Rose, I wish for your team to assist team RAVN in escorting Miss Nikos to Beacon's infirmary, your sister and partner are already on a Bullhead to the same destination. I will alert Professor Ozpin of what happened."

"Right." Ruby nodded once, "What about my uncle?"

Nora stirred, "He was fighting Mercury Black, told us to go ahead and rescue Pyrrha while he handled him."

Oobleck's mouth set in a thin line as he stood up, "Miss Rose, Mister Ren, please board the nearest Bullhead and return to the school. I will locate your uncle... and if you see any other members of team EMRD, take them into custody without warning."

While Ren nodded, Ruby bit her lip before speaking up again, "Doctor Oobleck... how bad is it?"

He gave her a sharp, serious look. "Miss Rose. Your mission is to ensure the safety of your friend, and to protect Beacon's infirmary and your sister. That is your job. Focus on it, leave the bigger picture to Professor Ozpin."

* * *

Ozpin snapped his head away from the screens as something rippled in the corner of his vision, and three people stepped out of the shadow cast by his largest bookshelf. Jaune Arc, his elder sister, and the Vacuan assassin all looked somewhat disheveled, as though they had been woken by the alarms and then rushed to dress and arm themselves. Likely they had believed that Fall would not make her move until the evening or the later rounds, much as he had...

That they had been as wrong as he did not comfort him, but the fact that they had come to him in this moment of chaos did warm his old soul somewhat.

"What's happening!?" Jaune Arc demanded, a hand held defensively on his sword hilt as he stormed forwards.

"Our enemy has made their move at more or less the same moment I attempted to make mine." He replied calmly. "They utilized an illusion semblance and a broad-hack of the CCT network to instigate a wave of anger, fear, and confusion throughout the kingdom, but the city especially. Grimm migrations are approaching Vale from every direction, and Amity itself is under aerial attack from numerous types of Grimm."

Arc's fingers clenched around his weapon, "Who did they hit?"

He didn't bother trying to misunderstand him, they didn't have the time. "Miss Xiao-Long and Belladonna, the former is badly injured but I do not know to what extent."

The young criminal turned professor needed a few calming breaths before he could continue, "What about everyone else, the rest of the students?"

"Peter's last message before contact was lost was that he, Bartholomew, and Peach were organizing a retreat to the school grounds, and the first Bullheads carrying students appear to be en route." He glanced at one of the many projections above his desk showing the magnitude of the disaster, "The civilian evacuation appears to be proceeding quickly, and Grimm are being drawn off to pursue the bullheads carrying the spectators and employees. So far the defense forces are holding an evacuation route open but how long it will remain so, I do not know."

Arc let out another furious exhalation as he moved forwards, taking a look for himself as Ozpin continued to speak. "I have already dispatched Glynda to lead the Huntsman in the defense of the city, and Tsune is taking command of the defense of the school grounds. James has been notified and the Atlas formation is turning around, but it will take time. Lead formations of Grimm are already reaching the festival area but appear to be mostly stragglers from the main group moving against the city."

Sable Arc winced as she came forwards to stand by her brother, while the assassin was evidently content to remain in the background. "Can the walls keep them out?"

"These Grimm are being guided, moving with purpose." He shook his head. "Rather than naturally attacking along the entire wall they are driving for the Magenta Gate like a battering ram. Numerous defensive towers have already been destroyed and it is likely a matter of time before the wall is breached."

And _that_ was ignoring the warnings from the waterfront indicating that massive bodies were rising from the depths. Oceanic Grimm were among the most dangerous thanks to both their size and the nature of their home environment, and their arrival would likely occupy the bulk of the defenders' attention. Soon the city would be attacked from two sides, while a third group of Grimm was rushing down from the mountains directly towards the school.

 _And they may just be the start. If, Gods forbid, a greater-Grimm was to appear on land asa well..._

"Cinder's forcing you to send your best fighters to the city." Jaune shook his head sharply, "Her goal is the Relic and the Maiden."

"She will not have either." Ozpin allowed his own anger to bleed into his voice, "We will defend this school, I will not allow it to suffer the same fate as your own."

Charcoal cleared her throat, and he was mildly surprised to find her voice somewhat melodic, "Why not move everyone into the city?"

"The CCT is here." He reminded them somewhat impatiently, "If it falls then communications across the continent will all but collapse. Unfortunately we do not have time for further discussion; as a member of the Vale Council I am conscripting all three of you into the defense and awarding you full pardons for past actions. What can you bring to the fight?"

Jaune Arc glanced between his sister and their companion for a long moment, then shook his head once, "Not much. We've got three allied huntsmen and an old Bullhead in the city, and a few others ready to keep a bunker open. Our plan was to grab RAVN, and RWBY if we could, and either get them there or out of the city entirely the moment things went to hell."

He considered that with the seriousness it deserved. Losing the two most capable first year teams and the Maiden would make defending Beacon significantly harder... but then, all they needed to do was hold their ground until the Atlesian fleet could return.

And no matter what happened Weiss Schnee could _not_ fall. If she died, her powers would in all likelihood join the pool already inside of Cinder Fall. If the woman then escaped, regardless of the battle's outcome, the entire world would be at risk, not merely a single city.

"Enact your plan." He ordered, "Retrieve both teams at once, but rather than your bunker take them to Menagerie by any means necessary."

That drew confused looks from all three of them, Jaune being the one to ask, " Menagerie?"

"Arrangements were made to hide Miss Schnee there among the Belladonna family." Ozpin replied impatiently, "I will forward the details to you when this is over, for now just get the Maiden and her friends away from the battlefield as quickly as possible."

Arc shook himself slightly and nodded, "Right. Charrie? The Club."

He watched as the three drew back into the small shadow, then seemed to all but melt into it.

One quick sip of coffee later, and he re-opened the communications channels he'd closed on their arrival, and resuming giving command and direction as his city came under siege.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes;**_

 _So... yeah. Between work blowing up, my social life slowly resuming as I recovered from all the crap that happened last year, and the trials and tribulations of buying a 1950 something era house where the prior owners did their absolute best to fuck up absolutely_ everything _... it's been a while since I've been able to find the motivation to write._

 _I'll admit to not being entirely thrilled with this chapter, but as I've already re-written it twice and over-edited twice more on top of that, I'm calling it done before I lose all motivation to continue. Hopefully it's enjoyable and a good part of the expanding battle._

 _I have no promises as to when the next chapter will come out, but I'm very much hoping that it won't be nearly as long of a delay._

 _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_

 _ **Thanks, Kat**_


	64. Semester III: Tilted Board

**Tilted Board**

* * *

After a quick stop back into the caverns to grab the rest of their gear, Jaune had Charcoal bring them up to his old offices in Beacon proper.

Even with the lights off it was clear that someone had searched the place looking for evidence and hadn't seen any need to clean up after themselves. All of the drawers from his desk had been pulled out and laid out on the floor, most of the paperwork that had been in them was missing, and all of the kitchenette's cabinets were open with dishware scattered all over.

"Damned Ironwood..." Despite the emergency going on just outside he couldn't help but feel a pang of anger at seeing what had been their home ransacked. "...shit. Right, Sable? Call Neo, tell her to meet up with us. Soon as you're done with that get a hold of Junior and-"

"I remember the plan." His sister interrupted, already walking towards the nearest light switch; the illumination making the mess seem even worse. "I stay here and coordinate, you run around doing your best to convince the kids to leave. Where will you two be?"

"Tracking down team RWBY." He answered before pausing, belatedly remembering that it was Charcoal, not Neo, with him at the moment. "Uh, wait. Charcoal? Probably best you aren't seen until we get things explained."

The assassin rolled her eyes a little, "Yeah, yeah. I can head back to the city and get Vest and the old man, saves you the effort of calling them both."

"Thanks."

She gave him a shrug accompanied with an amused smirk, then stepped back into the darkness of the bedroom and simply melted away once more. Seeing Sable pulling her tablet and a trio of scrolls out from the bag they'd grabbed from their hideout, he made his own way out of the door, taking care to lock it behind him.

Sable was coming along quickly thanks to Neo's... unique training style, but she still didn't quite have a handle on her aura control. It was safer for her to stay back so that none of them had to worry about covering for her. Sable wasn't exactly thrilled about the situation but she was mature enough to accept it, something he was properly grateful for.

 _Sable is in place, Neo is grabbing RAVN, and Charrie is heading to grab everyone else. So far so good... just need to find RWBY and convince them to follow us out of here._

The teacher's level was unsurprisingly empty as he headed down the hall, accelerating up to a quick run as he headed for the nearest stairwell.

Ozpin had said that Yang was injured, which meant she'd be in the infirmary. Given how tightly knit that entire team was, that meant the others would already be there and standing guard or would be on their way sooner rather than later. It was also where he was most likely to find Tsune and figure out exactly what the planned defense of Beacon was, and what he and the others could do to help while they waited for Vest, Levi, and Charcoal to return with their escape Bullhead.

A sprint down the stairs to the main hall revealed that he didn't need to go nearly as far as the medical wing for the latter, since Tsune was apparently setting up to defend the school from the base of the tower. She was standing on the raised stage, the massive screens against the wall lit up with news reports and what looked like a complete list of the school's student teams. Around her were eight armed students, all of them older ones that he didn't know by name.

They apparently knew him, or of him, as several of them whipped around when he slammed the stairwell door open, a slim man about his own age calling out, "Professor Arc!? You're alive!"

"Of course he is." Tsune admonished him without turning, her tail twitching behind her. "Now run along to the docks and reinforce team CVFY like I ordered."

"I... but he's-"

"Conscripted." Jaune interjected, "Ozpin's orders. I'm here to help."

The students, probably fourth years, shifted uncertainly, but an impolite cough and glare from the school's sociopath of a doctor saw them keep their mouths shut and get moving. They gave him uncertain looks as they walked past each other but thankfully didn't say anything further.

Not that he blamed them. He'd never taught any of them, and if he'd interacted with anyone in their year at all it was only in his part-time job as a rather poor student counselor. None of them knew him like the first years did, and the amount of conflicting news about him from Vale and from Ironwood's various press releases had probably left them feeling confused at the very least.

"I take it Ozpin sent you a message?" He asked once he'd reached his former coworker.

"Something about you being here to help by taking away two of the most combat capable teams among the younger students?" Tsune replied dryly, "I have to confess I didn't really understand what the headmaster meant."

Jaune winced. Evidently Tsune wasn't in on the whole Maiden thing. "It's a long story."

His former coworker didn't look terribly impressed with his answer, her tail twitching once in a decidedly angry fashion. "Summarize it."

"Cinder Fall is out there directing the Grimm, and she's going to be gunning for one of the students in particular. If I can get her out of here it might draw her away, or at least distract her long enough for the Atlesian fleet to return."

The faunus woman pursed her lips, eyes flicking up to the screen showing a zoomed-out map of the kingdom. Angry red formations were encroaching on the city from the sea and the southwest, while another was moving towards the tiny tower representing Beacon.

And far, far, _far_ to the north were three white triangles steadily moving south.

"You think you can lead her around in circles for the next two hours?"

"I have no idea." Jaune admitted, "But right now it's the only plan we've got that doesn't involve standing around and hoping."

Tsune's upper lip twitched, "I suppose you're right, but good luck convincing the students to leave without Xiao-Long."

He flinched, "She can't be moved?"

"She was on the first Bullhead with a dozen other critical cases, so far as I know the civilian doctors are still working on stabilizing them. At a minimum she isn't going anywhere without further risking her life." There was a definite snarl in her voice at that, maybe professional irritation at being stuck out here instead of in her medical wing helping... or maybe she was just annoyed that there were civilians running around in _her_ department, he couldn't really tell. "For now I need you to-"

The shattering of glass interrupted her, Neo abruptly appearing next to them with her sword held laterally, its tip covered in blood, and a prone Pyrrha Nikos sprawled on the ground before her. Neo was panting slightly, looking furious, while their favorite student made a sound in her throat like she was about to throw up but just couldn't find the energy.

"-by the fucking gods!" Tsune growled, stomping over and kneeling beside the moaning redhead, "If you're going to drop a patient at my feet at least bring me a conscious one!"

Neo rolled her eyes and then glanced at him, using her free hand to make a quick series of gestures while her other sheathed her sword.

"Fuck." He swore quietly as she caught him up on her adventure to Amity and back, in particular what she'd had to trade in order to get Pyrrha out of there alive, and the fact that Cinder had her own aircraft and pilot. A damaged and wounded Bullhead and pilot, but he wouldn't put it past her to have the resources to patch it quickly enough to keep it functional. If nothing else it gave her options, especially if she'd also been telling the truth about one of her allies being a talented hacker.

It was entirely possible that she could simply slip her vehicle in with the rest of the Bullheads doing their best to carry civilians and students back down from Amity. Especially if Sustrai's illusion semblance was as powerful as it seemed to be.

 _We have to assume she's at least as good as Neo, which means we're in deep trouble unless we can figure out a way to take her down sooner rather than later. Still... she's on a time limit. She has to find the maiden and get out before Ironwood gets back and his fleet lays waste to her Grimm. She thought Pyrrha was the maiden, but now that she knows she isn't... who would be the next on her list? Plus she's got to have done a lot of work in Amity, and then maybe fighting Neo... she's got to be exhausted._

Then again Cinder didn't seem the type to really worry about her subordinate's long term health, so Emerald was probably about to get shot up with far more auric boosters than was healthy.

Neo glanced at him, hands shifting as she came to the same conclusion that he did. The other young girls on RWBY and RAVN were probably going to be at the top of Cinder's updated hit list, if only because of the extra attention that he and Ozpin seemed to have given them over the past year. Then again, maybe Cinder would think that too obvious with Pyrrha having been proved wrong? She could easily go after an entirely different team in that case.

 _No..._ He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, "We're focusing too much on what she can and might do. We have to focus on what _we_ can do or we're not going to get anything done."

His partner pursed her lips and gave him a somewhat helpless shrug. Saying that was easy, but what _could_ they do?

Grimacing, he turned back to the faunus professor, "Tsune, how's Pyrrha?"

"If I had to guess, I would say she was electrocuted." The doctor replied tersely. "Her aura is still high but she has minor trembling in all of her extremities."

"I..." His student coughed, groaned a little, then tried again, "I'm... ok."

Tsune rolled her eyes, "You'll be suffering from muscle weakness and soreness for the next several days, and you will need pain killers and fluids as soon as possible. If you over exert it's also possible that your heart or brain will suffer damage, and no, your aura won't help with any of those things."

"We'll get her to the medical wing." He volunteered, forcing himself to stick with the general plan. The sooner they found Weiss and convinced her to leave, the sooner they could grab the rest of RWBY and RAVN and lure Cinder away. "We can help organize the defenses there too."

She pursed her lips in consideration, then nodded once. "There are auric boosters in locker seven if you need them. Team CVFY should be on the roof above, make sure Adel has everyone in their proper place. Can she teleport anywhere?"

Neo gave a quick nod.

"Good, I need you to get back up to Amity and tell Port to hurry the evacuation up. We've got twenty minutes, maybe, before the Beowolves start scaling the cliffs and I'd rather have more than a quarter of the students ready to meet them."

* * *

Weiss Schnee stood guard outside of the school's medical wing, and felt useless as she did so. One of her friends was currently in surgery, having been shot by another of her friends thanks to someone's fiendish illusion, and the others were off doing battle with the Grimm while she...

Stood around.

Intellectually she could understand the reason why Professor Ozpin had personally commed her and told her in no uncertain terms to escort the medical team and the stay put. She still didn't quite have a handle on the magical abilities that becoming the Maiden had granted her, and so far as he and Professor Goodwitch knew, a great deal of said magic was influenced by one's emotions. Fighting Grimm was an inherently emotional business, especially when one's teammate was critically wounded, and the chances that she would expose her new talent would have been very high had she stayed.

But... knowing that in her mind and feeling it in her heart were evidently two different things. More than anything she wanted to be _doing_ something besides waiting. And... well, the fact that her student uniform was stained with Yang's blood was very much not helping her state of mind.

Also not exactly helping was the sight of a blonde prof... a blonde _criminal_ that appeared around the hallway corner, a weakly protesting Pyrrha Nikos in his arms.

"Pr..." She shook herself and started forwards to help him with Pyrrha. "I mean, Mister Arc! What happened?"

"I was conscripted, she was electrocuted." He summarized as the pair of them carefully got Pyrrha onto her feet and helped her stay there when she wobbled slightly, "Team EMRD is definitely behind part of what's going on, if you see any of them I want you to disable them at once."

"I knew about the first," She shook her head and gently took one of Pyrrha's hands, "Professor Ozpin called but he didn't really give details besides saying you were coming. Pyrrha?"

"Mmmfine."

Arching an eyebrow, she glanced at the man helping keeping her upright, and he sighed before quickly explaining, "She went after Sustrai and Black, they ambushed her somehow. Neo caught Emerald and another man trying to get her out of here on a Bullhead."

Weiss winced. "They thought she was..."

"Yeah." He shook his head once, "Come on, we'll get her inside and settled down. Then I'm supposed to find team CVFY and help defend the medical wing until we can get teams RWBY and RAVN. Hopefully that will lure Cinder after us and give everyone else some time to deal with the Grimm."

"...you mean your orders are to take _me_ away from here."

The former Professor sighed and didn't deny it, instead lowering his voice, the pair of them stopping just outside of the door. "Weiss... like it or not, Cinder is doing all of this just to get _you._ If you're not here that's the best way you can help right now. Where are Ruby and Blake?"

"They should be on their way back. Where's the rest of team RAVN?"

"Should be on their way down too." He responded as he used an elbow to get the door open, the clipped, rapid fire shouting of a medical crisis filling the air as they entered. The entry room was actually mostly clear; the surgical door was shut and most of the staff present seemed more focus on preparing for incoming wounded than anything else.

Two noticed them at once and wasted no time in gently but firmly taking Pyrrha from them and guiding her to a bed, asking rapid fire questions about what was wrong that Prof... that _Mister Arc_ answered in short sentences. Once the red-headed champion was settled, he moved on to ask the expected question, "How is Yang Xiao-Long?"

The nurse shook her head and waved a hand in the direction of the surgical suite, "Still in there."

The man winced, "Any chance she'll be able to be moved anytime soon?"

"We have four in surgery right now, none of them are going anywhere." She replied flatly. "So I'd focus on defending this building instead of planning on how to retreat, Professor."

That really hadn't been why he'd been asked, but she supposed she couldn't blame the older woman for jumping to conclusions. The former professor shook his head tiredly and backed off, Weiss following back out into the hall and then down towards the nearest exit.

"Team CVFY was setup on the roof the last I spoke with them." She spoke as they walked, "And if I may ask, what exactly _is_ your plan?"

"We have a Bullhead in town, along with a couple of old friends who were on stand-by." His expression became, if anything, even more exhausted as he spoke. "To be honest they were here to help us try and kill Cinder Fall before any of this could happen, somewhere out of the way where no one else would get hurt. But... Ozpin moved before we were ready, and she somehow knew about it. After that things kind of fell apart."

Weiss pursed her lips and considered that. It was more or less in line with what Pyrrha and the rest of RAVN had implied during their rather rushed confession regarding their, and his, criminal activities. She supposed she could at least give him the benefit of having the best of intentions... but that didn't mean much against the Grimm invasion currently barreling down on all of them.

"Could you have stopped this?" The question came out before she could even think about it, and Mister Arc froze just as he was about to push open the door. "You... you knew who she was, before this, didn't you?"

The sigh was so quiet she almost couldn't hear it, "This... this isn't the time, Weiss. Once we get out of here I'll tell you the full story. I promise. Right now all we can do is stop her."

She felt her lips press into a thin line at his non-answer, and was ready to respond hotly when the roaring engines of a Bullhead thundered by overhead, unsafely close to the roof to be as loud as it was. Even with the reminder it wasn't easy to throttle the urge to _demand_ a better response, a clear answer so that she knew whether or not her once-favorite teacher was truly to blame for even part of this disaster.

"That isn't..." She sucked in a breath, summoned ice into her spine, and then rallied herself. "You may have a point, but I will want to verify everything with Professor Ozpin before my team goes anywhere with you."

"That's fine." He murmured before raising his voice, "The evacuation should be mostly complete, once Amity is empty most of the flying Grimm are going to be following the Bullheads to Vale and to here. I want you on the ground watching the window and doors, use your semblance to deal with the smaller fliers and conserve your aura. I'll have team CVFY focusing on the big targets."

Weiss nodded once, a hand on the hilt of her sword, and then the pair stepped outside into the chaos of distant alarms and howling beasts.

* * *

Cinder Fall was no stranger to improvisation, but that did not mean that she cared for it.

Sitting atop an air-conditioning unit, itself resting on the roof of mall complex oh-so-close to Beacon, she watched as a steady stream of aircraft dove away from Amity. The great Coliseum was smoking from numerous scars, wounds where Elder Grimm or missed shots had torn apart critical systems. It seemed to be retaining enough lift to fall slowly, but falling into the forest it was.

That by itself would grant Salem some measure of satisfaction, the greatest symbol of peace in their age left to smash itself upon the earth... but it would not satisfy Cinder.

She was after a greater prize, one whose elusiveness was proving... irritating.

Leaving Mercury behind was not a decision she could truly fault Emerald for, but it was another annoyance on top of a great mountain of such things. His deplorable attitude aside, he was a more than capable combatant, and his death or capture severely mitigated the viability of direct combat. Not that she couldn't simply kill whatever false-maiden that Ozpin had seen fit to create, but she could hardly do such a thing _and_ protect her flanks and back at the same time.

Which meant that the window in which to make a decisive move was shrinking.

"Give me the targets." She ordered without turning, she knew what she would see. A ruffled Arthur Watts carefully tending to his wound while simultaneously checking over a tablet, and Emerald carefully applying a tourniquet to her arm in advance of injecting auric boosters directly into her veins.

Their Bullhead had been ditched with the other civilian models, and it hadn't taken them much effort to play the parts of terrified civilians whose craft had nearly been brought down by the Grimm. That would likely be their last bit of such luck, knowing dear Jaune and Ozpin alerts would already be going out to apprehend any member of Emerald's team on sight. In truth they probably already had been, only the press of civilian refugees at the docks saving her from being spotted.

"Assuming we can trust that Pyrrha Nikos is truly not the other Fall Maiden," Watts replied, "Then second year Velvet Scarlatina is the most likely next candidate, before Weiss Schnee."

Her tongue slowly slid over her lips as she considered it. "I am unfamiliar with the former."

"Rabbit faunus, semblance and weapon allow perfect, albeit temporary, replication of the weaponry and combat style of any other hunter that she has recorded." He replied at once, "An outstanding ability, in truth, however her personality is rated as submissive, particularly in regards to her team leader which is why I did not rate her higher."

Cinder considered that and twitched her head once, "And our dear friends on the staff showed no particular favoritism towards that team this past year, though that may simply be an attempt to conceal their candidate."

"Assuming that they are capable of that level of paranoia and misdirection."

Ozpin would be, at a minimum, and she would not have put it past Jaune either... "...no. The simplest answer is, most often, the correct one. If the maiden is not Nikos then it is Schnee, and it is all too easy to determine where they will be."

Watts groaned slightly as he rose to his feet, pacing over to stand beside her. "Comradeship is an all too easy bond to exploit. Both teams have a wounded member, they will close ranks around them. When do we move?"

Cinder smiled slightly as she slowly stood as well, her heels clicking on the roof as she began walking to the right, towards a dark patch of shadow cast by the stairwell's door. Dull red pulsed in that shadow, the Seer Grimm waiting patiently, ready to relay her orders.

"When the final guest of honor arrives."

* * *

 **Author's Notes;**

 _Once again apologies for the shorter nature of these chapters, ideally I'd got back and pair all of these up into the standard length for this particular story (this is really just the second half to the prior chapter).. .but right now I think just getting updates out is doing better for my state of mind/writing progress than waiting until I manage to get something to a 'proper size'._

 _So here's the quick reaction and setup in the minutes before everything goes from bad to total-fucking-chaos._

 _As someone asked in the reviews, no, I'm not currently planning on a sequel given how much I'm struggling through the ending to this story as it is. The ending will be fairly open to it continuing if someone else wishes to pick it up, I'd be happy to consult, but I personally will be focusing on other projects._

 _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_

 **Thanks, Kat**


	65. Semester III: Mid-Game Rule Changes

**Mid-Game Rule Changes**

* * *

"I still can't believe she just took Pyrrha away like that." Ruby grumbled as their Bullhead banked to the left, descending fast enough to make her ears pop as it headed for Beacon. "I mean, Doctor Oobleck said we were supposed to escort her, right?"

Beside her, Ren let out somber sigh, "I don't really think she was listening beyond hearing someone say she needed to be taken to a medical doctor."

"Well," Ilia added from across the cargo hold, "At least she'll be safe and getting attention already. Miss Neo may be a bit odd, but everyone knows that Pyrrha is her favorite student."

Blake hummed from her own seat on Ruby's right, "Hmm, true, I guess, and it should mean that she and Yang will be in the same place. Easy to check on both of them at the same time."

Ruby flinched on reflex at the mention of her sister, fighting back the urge to simply rip open the nearest hatch and throw herself out so that she could reach the ground faster. This was the second time in a far too-short period where she'd nearly lost... _no,_ no. Yang would be _fine!_ She had to be! The doctors had fixed her arm, they could fix a couple of tiny wounds!

The speakers around them crackled, breaking her from her thoughts, the pilot speaking over them, " _Brace yourselves back there, landing is going to be fast and hard!"_

Blake had enough time to mutter that things must be getting worse before the sudden deceleration slammed all of them back into their seats, hands grabbing hard onto their restraints as the aircraft's hull audibly strained from the forces being applied to it. What felt like a handful of seconds later there was an even heavier jolt as the landing gear more or less collided with the ground, and Bullhead came to a complete stop.

" _Out out out! We need to get back in the air asap!"_

Ruby didn't need to be told twice, ripping off the restraints, checking to make sure that Crescent Rose and Bladed Rossette were secured on her back and belt, and then using her semblance to blur through the opening hatch and give the others a bit of extra space to move around in.

Outside... she found chaos.

Someone must have screwed up because the school's landing zone was packed with students trying to get to Beacon proper, along with civilians who should have been taken down to Vale and who were trying to force their way onto aircraft even as beleaguered hunters tried to direct them to the mall's docking facilities where bigger transports were obviously being loaded.

All of that was making hard for the mechanics who were struggling to haul fuel lines, carts with missiles, and belts of dust rounds towards the waiting Bullheads. A few, like the one she and the others had just gotten off of, evidently were good to go or just weren't about to wait on the ground, and began lifting off at once. She watched as they rose, already turning towards Vale and the flashing lights that illuminated the city's skyline.

"The wall's guns." She said as Blake moved to stand beside her, "They... all of them must be firing right now."

"Is your father out there?"

Ruby shook her head and sucked in a breath, "He should be on Patch... come on, we need to find Weiss and Yang and Pyrrha."

Her teammate nodded, and after a quick moment to make sure the rest of team RAVN was following, they slipped past a pair of hunters pushing civilians away from the combat aircraft and shouting for them to get to the passenger craft, and plunged into the chaos proper.

In all honesty she could have easily made it on her own ahead of the others, but instinct and memory of the Breach told her that splitting up was a bad idea. It ended up taking the five of them a good ten minutes to push, shove, and generally force their way out of the packed zone and into the more open school grounds. Other students were likewise emerging, racing for the school's central tower, where everyone seemed to be gathering together.

They more or less headed in the same direction, breaking off when they reached Professor Arc's old outdoor class area to cut through the gardens. Something in her chest relaxed a little when they came around a set of hedges to see a white haired young woman standing guard outside of a door, with other familiar figures standing on the roof.

"Weiss!" She called, "Professor Arc! Coco!"

The second year merely gave her a jaunty wave while the Professor lightly stepped off the building and fell to the ground. That was, of course, less important than using her semblance to dash forwards and grab her partner in a tight hug.. one that Weiss actually returned for once.

"Yang's still in surgery." Weiss murmured, "Pyrrha is out of it but should be all right."

Ruby sucked in a shaky breath, tightening her arms once before releasing her. "O-ok. Professor! What are you doing here?"

He gave her a tired smile, "I think that's the fifth time I've been asked that in the last twenty minutes. Short version is I was conscripted by Oz, here to help defend the building until a Bullhead arrives. Then I take your team and team RAVN on a ride and we try to lure Cinder away from here."

She gaped at him. "We're... running away?"

"No." His voice sharpened at once, making her flinch before he softened it somewhat. "Ruby... all of this, all of the planning, is so that Cinder can steal the other half of the maiden's powers. If we can get her attention, and get Weiss out of here, we'll give Vale and Beacon the best chance to hold out until Ironwood gets here."

There was a polite cough from Ren as the rest of them caught up, the four of them evidently hearing that part, "The Atlesian fleet is coming back?"

"So far as I know they're doing their best to shake their ships apart they're flying so fast." Jaune answered, "But that's still taking time. Soon as Yang is stable, and as soon as our ride gets here, we're going to move."

Ilia's freckles flickered through several shades before settling on a low red, "What about Fall? Mister Branwen took out Black, but how are you going to get her and Sustrai's attention?"

"Leave that to me and Neo." He replied confidently. "For now, Ren, Ruby, I want you both to take your orders from Miss Adel. She's got a good head on her shoulders and more battle experience than either of you, so do what she says. Tsune should be sending another team to help soon, once they get here Neo and I are... oh shit."

Ruby blinked in confusion, then heard Nora let out a gasp and turned to see her staring off to the north, towards the mountains that blocked off access to the city from the north.

And above them was... was...

"Oh." She swallowed quietly. "Oh shit."

* * *

It could not remember the last time it had felt the wind beneath its wings, seen the cracked moon shining, smelled the crisp air. Its last memories were of fury and pain, as the prey animals had wounded it, driven it away, forced it to bury itself beneath stone to rest, to recover... and to seethe, to rage.

The prey had grown, it seemed, during its long slumber. What had once been a collection of stone and brick was now great towers of iron and glass, and even from a distance it could feel the deaths of its lesser kin. The prey were killing them by the dozens, by the hundreds, laying waste to them with their paltry mimicries of true magic.

Good... all the better. Let the weak die so that the strong could feast. It could sense the prey's fear... the great chorus of agony caused by the anticipation, the terror its magnificence inspired.

Oh it would feast _well_ tonight!

" _No."_ The voice echoed within its head, arrogant, proud, firm. " _Not yet, elder beast. First you must kill the hunters, their warriors. Let them witness you massacring those who would defend them, build their fear into a proper frenzy."_

Its throat let out a low rumble as its body tilted to the left, gently banking as it ascribed a lazy circle in the air.

This lesser witch was not the voice of the great priestess, she who had stepped into the hole left by the dark god, father of them all... but she spoke through a lesser predator, and it could feel no fear in her aura, only a flickering burn of true magic.

" _I speak for Salem, elder beast. You are to obey me as you would her. Slay the hunters, destroy their towers, lay low their fortress, and then you may feast on the prey at your leisure."_

What arrogance of such a tiny creature! To dare to command a power such as itself! In spite of itself it discovered that it was intrigued, perhaps even amused.

And... perhaps, the little witch spoke wisdom.

It banked lower, circling close to the cliff-side fortress of the prey. It was not as it remembered, built atop rather than into the solid stone, with a pair of grand towers stretching impertinently towards the sky. The little buildings teamed with flickering auras of those who wielded the half-magic, along with... two others. One it recognized, the spike of emerald light that played invisibly around the grander of the towers, the taste of the immortal wizard filling its mouth. But... nearby was...

A snarling roar tore its way free as it recognized _that_ sensation, as it found the white fire of the false-god. One of the scions was present, one of those pathetic little creatures that _dared_ wield the disgusting light!

" _Yes. That one and the wizard both. Kill them, eat them, crush them. Lead the lesser predators in the hunt."_

Its second roar was its answer, and it swept around once more, its third bellow a command to all who could hear it.

* * *

Jaune could only stare as the Grimm Dragon, the thing had to be at least twice the size of an Atlesian battleship, swept around to the north. The Grimm who were coming from that direction seemed to echo it's roars with a howling chorus of their own, audible even with all of the distance and chaos around him.

"Ohhhh-k then." He sucked in a tight breath and pulled out his scroll, sending an audio-only call. The other man picked up at once, "Ozpin, please tell me you're seeing this and that you have a plan that doesn't involve someone trying to stab it in the eyes."

" _Unfortunately I am seeing it, and I do."_ The Headmaster replied seriously. " _I will draw its attention towards myself and give orders for all aircraft to concentrate their fire. You must get the maiden airborne as soon as possible, locate Fall, and draw her away or eliminate her."_

"Understood." Jaune shook his head once _._ "Teams aren't thrilled about the plan though."

" _Give the scroll to Miss Rose."_

A quick wave and a toss saw Ruby catch it and bring it up to her ear. "Um, yes? I... yes, Professor. Yes sir, I understand."

Her expression made it clear that she was even more unhappy to be getting the plan as direct orders from the Headmaster than she had been hearing it from him, but any further analysis was cut off when Neo re-appeared beside him. Several of the students jumped slightly, then relaxed when they saw who it was.

She'd barely gotten a hand up before he'd taken it, his semblance taking away from his aura to give to hers, topping her back off from all of the teleporting she'd done.

"Told Port?" He asked.

She shrugged, shifting so he could touch her shoulder while she spoke with her hands. She'd passed the message but things had more or less been wrapped up already. She had managed to confirm that Qrow had taken Black alive, but that some kind of weird Grimm had slipped out of another corridor and killed the little bastard while the huntsman had been distracted by others.

"Damn." The mutter came as he felt the aura transfer ease, and he pulled back as Ruby ended the call. She'd barely done so before it flashed again, and he accepted the device back to see Sable's face appear. "Please tell me they're on their way."

His sister's image nodded. " _They are, and so am I. I'd rather not be buried alive if that thing decides to smash a few puny human buildings."_

Jaune winced but couldn't exactly argue her point. "Right, come on over, get inside and keep us up to date about Yang's condition. Stand guard over Pyrrha as well."

" _Got it."_

All right, Charcoal was on her way with Levi, Vest, and maybe even the Malachites. Ten, fifteen minutes at most depending on how many Grimm they had to dodge. "Ruby, he give you any updates?"

The young girl shook her head, expression utterly somber. "Soon as Yang can be moved, we leave."

He was opening his mouth to reply when Adel shouted down from her place on the roof, "Professor! First wave is coming in, looks like the Dragon riled them up!"

"Types!?" He shouted back, checking over the various weapons he'd brought up. Crocea Mors wouldn't do much good, neither would Variable Impact, so that just left Dragon's Breath. Rau's old weapon was as heavy as ever as he pulled it off his back, making sure there was already a fire round loaded before he disengaged the safety.

"Griffons and Nevermore!"

"Stay in place and defend the roof!" A quick glance around confirmed everyone was still nearby, and was expectantly waiting for orders. "Blake, Nora, you take the northern wall. Ruby? Get up on the roof and pick off the Griffons as best you can. Ren? You, Ilia, and Weiss are protecting the walls and windows."

Neo stayed beside him as the students broke up, her eyes locked on the swarming black marks against the sky.

"No sandstorm this time." He muttered, flexing his fingers around the heavy gun, doing his best to keep his breathing even. "At least we'll see them coming."

From the way her lips pressed into a thin line, and her eyes slowly morphed into a dull brown, she didn't find that to be terribly reassuring. Of course, he wasn't really reassured either, the situation was all too familiar. Gods, this was even _worse_ then what had happened before, in some ways. The Academy hadn't been parked directly on top of a city that was also under assault, the fear from the civilians working to draw even more Grimm in this direction.

Fuck, they'd probably be even more keyed up and aggressive than normal.

"We hold for a little while, then we get the hell out of here."

His partner sucked in a tight breath and nodded once.

Then the time for conversation ended as the raid sirens began to howl, and the first Grimm began to swarm towards the school.

* * *

The Grimm did not come in waves, instead rushing forwards in a single continuous swarm. Stretching out below Beacon and its cliffs, the entire Emerald Forest seemed to shudder and shake as ground based creatures bulled their way through the trees, while the blue sky was spotted with black, white, and red as their airborne kin flocked. Some of them seemed to be following the great dragon, the creature banking around towards the east before tightening its turn and accelerating towards the school.

Arrayed against their thousands was a scant hundred or so students, bolstered by half again as many professionals, and perhaps an equal number of militia soldiers. Most of the last were the pilots and crews of the Bullheads which began to form up in pairs, circling the school in a defensive flock of their own.

Ozpin stared out of the windows of his office as the quickest of the Grimm began to arrive, gunfire beginning to crack in the distance as his students defended their school. Smaller Nevermore simply puffed into black mist as dust rounds obliterated their forms, while the larger creatures plummeted screaming into the trees or cliff facing.

But for every score that died, another was ready to replace it, and the first monsters were arriving.

"Focus all efforts to thin out the aerial attackers." He ordered, transmitting to the pilots and trusting that Tsune had the ground defenses well in hand. "The huntsman cannot tire themselves out dealing with them while an army prepares to encroach on the cliffs. Gunfire only, all missiles to be saved for when the dragon attacks the tower."

" _And you're sure it will?"_ A man demanded.

"I can guarantee it." Ozpin murmured before raising his voice once more, "If I fall you are to obey Professor Kitsune-chan, and to defend the docks at all costs if an evacuation of the students is required."

" _Understood."_

Cutting the line, he thumped his cane once upon the floor, the familiar weight of his ancient weapon as comforting as it had always been. He would have to hope that this particular battle didn't result in him being eaten... being crushed to death in the throat of a Grimm was always unpleasant, but that was nothing compared to how difficult it was to retrieve his weapon.

Doing such a thing once had been quite enough for his many lifetimes.

The dragon grew larger as it came forth, an echoing roar emerging, an ancient challenge that his soul could still remember, even if this particular body still quivered in reflexive response. The smallest tinge of fear faded at once as he drew upon the old magic, feeling it wrap around his body, infusing his aura, his soul. He sucked in a breath of his own, pulling yet more power within, drawing it from the air, from the thousands of memories he had of this room, of this school.

Good... bad... joyous... grieving. All had been created by mortal life.

All empowered him.

Pulling his cane back once more, he brought it down with a single hand as his other stretched out in an ancient gesture of fury and defiance.

The energy that erupted was eerie in its silence, the roof above him blasting free from the tower while the great windows simply melted into sand as a beam of emerald light as thick around as a man's body tore through the air.

His enemy was ancient, aware, tucking its wings and diving the moment its mind caught up with what its eyes were telling it, but its own size worked against it. His magic burned a line across his back, scales and bone spurs flying through the air, to be joined by a spray of black sludge as the energy bored a hole through its tail.

Ozpin gasped and staggered, only his cane keeping upright as a wave of fatigue crashed over him. That had been... too much for this body, too much without the magic he'd sacrificed for the maidens.

But... he'd definitely gotten its attention.

Wings beat furiously as it recovered, another roar merging fury and pain together as it accelerated. It moved far more quickly than any creature its size had a right to, and it felt like he had bare moments to draw in more power in preparation for what was coming.

He had expected the Grimm to simply smash directly through the tower, but it had evidently decided that would be too impersonal. It abruptly slowed, body swinging down before it collided with the tower, stone and metal cracking in protest as its claws simply buried themselves into the structure, leaving its head free to snap down at him.

Another slam of his cane focused the magic into a spherical barrier, a green dome of light covering the exposed office as fangs came down. The crash against his shield was painful, both spiritually and physically as its massive neck twisted left and right, as though it was trying to tear through a turtle's shell.

Grinding his teeth together, he fell to a knee and pushed more power into the protection, _willing_ it to hold long enough.

Frustrated, his enemy ceased after a few moments, drawing its head back, then abruptly slamming its chin down. His shield cracked for a bare second before he frantically reinforced it, letting much of its radius fall in favor of a tiny section whose only purpose was to prevent his body from being crushed.

The dragon snarled, somehow aware that it was so very close, black skin rippling as it put everything it had into simply flattening him.

Had he been at the full might of his power, he could have held such a barrier in place with one hand, and summoned another furious beam of light with his other. He could have driven a five foot wide hole through its neck, or its skull, or simply filled its mouth with fire or acid when it had first tried to bite him. But... he wasn't. He was old, in body and soul, and with more than half of his powers gone to four young maidens.

Of course, that was why allies were such important things to have.

Missiles and dust rounds tore through the air before slamming into the creature's hide, the dragon abruptly flinging itself back in startled shock. Bullheads dove past it from where they'd gained elevation, avoiding its initial furious charge, and now they took their pound of flesh.

Remembering the orders and advice he'd given them scant minutes before, they focused on its vulnerable wings, tearing apart the thin membrane with bullets while the missiles were aimed at the critical joints. It flailed in fury and pain, trying to furiously climb for altitude, only to find that its broad wingspan had made too good a target.

It began to fall almost at once, twisting and lashing out as it did. One Bullhead had gotten too greedy, too close, and took a flailing and tattered wing that sent it into a vicious spin culminating in a crash upon the ground. Another was struck by its still powerful tail, the entire left wing crumpling under the immense impact.

He wasted no time, he'd hoped it might gain enough height to die outright when it fell, but this wouldn't do it. True, it would be more vulnerable on the ground then in the air, but not enough for his peace of mind. It was worth the exhaustion that would follow to cripple or kill the ancient beast, to give the students the hope that only its fall would bring.

Ozpin's teeth ground against one another as he stalked forwards, cane striking the ground with every other step, once more calling all of the power his body could handle to the fore. Static crackled audibly as his vision became tinted with the green, his eyes focusing as the dragon fell sideways, a hand raising as he began to aim the restrained power at the base of its neck.

Then... the power abruptly faded, draining away in a muted flash of green.

He stared blankly at his hand that should have just channeled enough power to vaporize a small car, then turned to look down at his chest where something ached abominably.

"Oh." The murmur came as he placed the feeling, body twisting as he fell to a knee, letting him see behind him.

Cinder Fall smiled in almost demure fashion as she stepped lightly across the debris that had once been part of his roof. A black arrow, likely a match for the one he could now feel emerging from his back, drawn and nocked to a bow. "It would seem we both sought to distract one another."

He opened his mouth to try and reply, but she didn't feel the need to hear his words.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 _Guess what? Another cliffhanger._

 _The full battle of Beacon should last several more chapters at least, all probably around this length (4k or so). Figure at least three more chapters worth of the battle to go, followed by at least one or maybe two of aftermath._

 _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_

 **Thanks, Kat**


	66. Semester III: Blitz

**Blitz**

* * *

The initial moments of the battle had seemed to shockingly well for them, in Jaune's honest opinion... which he liked to think it was an informed one, since this was now his second time experiencing this kind of situation.

Unlike that horrible day the Academy, this time time was a bright and sunny morning with plenty of visibility. Sure, it wasn't great for anyone's morale to see the massive swarms of black flying their way as the forest trembled and wavered as Grimm rushed through it, but the fact that they could _see_ them meant that they could also _shoot_ them.

Nevermore and Griffons alike were dying in droves as they approached, Tsune evidently having set up most of the professionals in a skirmish line near the cliffs, while the still organizing students were grouping into a second line closer to the outer buildings. The two ranks had more than enough long range guns between them to be doing a lot of damage, bolstered somewhat by his little crew of students from their place near the medical wing, and aided by another set of students who were nearer to the docks.

Initially pretty much everyone seemed to focus on the smaller targets, leaving the elder Grimm for the Bullhead fleet, but that had shifted when the aircraft had all dived to attack the massive dragon. They'd gotten plenty of extra support from the ground as well, Ruby and everyone else with a high powered weapon automatically targeting the beast to try and help Oz and the aircraft.

And for maybe thirty or so seconds, when the dragon had fallen with its wings in tatters, screaming its fury as it tried to gather itself on the ground, Jaune had actually thought Ozpin was going to pull his improvised plan off.

Then the brilliant flare of green light had simply... faded into a dull pulse, and he'd felt his heart clench for a moment.

"Tsune," He muttered into the scroll on his wrist, disguising the call by slowly reloading Dragon's Breath. "Status on Oz?"

" _...scroll just transmitted a flat-line."_ Her reply was slow, almost tentative before she sucked in an audible breath. " _Port, Bart, and Qrow are diverting their Bullhead to try and bring down the dragon on foot. How long until you can get the first years out of here?"_

His jaw clenched somewhat. From the way the dragon had been acting he was sure that it hadn't gotten to the headmaster, and he hadn't seen any other Grimm manage to get past the perimeter yet. Which meant Oz had been taken down by something else, someone else."They won't leave until Yang is out of surgery."

There was a frustrated hiss. " _If she's not out when your Bullhead arrives you're to get the enemy's attention and leave anyway."_

He flinched, "I... understand."

She ended the call without another word, leaving him free to jam a fire dust shell into place, yanking Dragon's Breath's trigger and trying to vent his frustration by blowing a medium sized Nevermore out of the sky.

It was all happening again.

A quick shift of his arms chambered the next round, his eyes narrowing as he tracked his next target; a Griffon that was tucking and rolling into a dive. His aim remained uncomfortably average, his first shot missing, his second taking an arm but not killing it, and only on the third pull of the trigger did it began to tumble through the air.

Everything that they'd tried to do, everything that planned for... it had all come down to this. To history repeating itself. Once again a school, _their_ school, was under attack by the creatures of Grimm.

His final shot slammed into a much larger Nevermore at the same time as Adel opened up on it with her over sized chain-gun, rendering his attempt fairly superfluous as her torrent of fire quite literally ripped it apart.

"Coco!" Her larger teammate rumbled as the creature's remains slammed into the top of the mall. "Don't overuse your semblance!"

"I know, I know!" She shouted back, turning her gun and opening up on a Griffon as he broke out another five shells to load into his own weapon. "Less critiquing more target spotting Yats!"

Creatures that were swarming forwards seemingly without end, and once more their backs were to a wall. Not because they couldn't retreat or because there was no place to run to, but because they couldn't abandon their wounded, the Maiden, or the CCT... so that was at least a little bit different.

For now, anyway.

"Ammunition check!" He shouted, grimacing as the dragon let out a snarling roar, lunging upwards and crushing a Bullhead that had swept too close in its effort to shoot out the beast's eyes. From the way it thrashed it's head around a bit, they may have gotten one, not that it had helped the poor crew.

"Still good!" Adel barked, "Rose?"

"Plenty of clips Jaune!"

"Good." He let Dragon's Breath fall as he worked to load five more shells into place, his mind racing as he tried to figure out Cinder's newest plan. If she'd been the one to kill Oz, and he felt good about that guess, that meant she was currently at the top of the tower. Tsune was still responding and giving orders, so she hadn't seen her in the entry hall, meaning Cinder must have bypassed the lower levels.

He doubted Cinder would risk a fight with a woman whose semblance disrupted aura, all it would take is a single lucky hit and she'd be down, so she'd probably bypass her on the way out as well. There were three stairwells he could think of she might use, assuming she didn't just use her magic to fly or something equally overpowered... so the question became where would she be going next?

Ozpin, her greatest threat was dead. Glynda and Tsune, probably numbers two and three on her list, were either in Vale or distracted. Which meant she'd be looking for the Maiden, for Weiss, possibly even taking the time to ransack Ozpin's personal computer to confirm her identity while everyone was busy fighting for their lives.

A quick swipe of a hand got his scroll calling again, this time to the group chat Sable had setup, as he brought his gun back into line, "Neo, get inside and back up Sable. I've got a bad feeling that Cinder will be on her way soon. Keep your scroll on and call out if you think she's here."

His partner let out a single whistle to indicate she'd heard him, and he continued with only a short pause, "Charcoal, please tell me you're close."

Instead of Charrie, Vest's strong voice carried easily, " _We're on approach from the south, trying to figure out the best way to dodge the crap flying around up here... fuck, that dragon is still moving."_

Jaune snapped his glance in that direction just in time to see the beast trying and failing to take off with its torn wings, instead managing a kind of bizarre hop that carried it directly atop one of the dormitories. The building held up surprisingly well under its weight, even as the creature shook itself violently like a dog trying to shed water.

His eyes narrowed as he jogged away from Ruby and team CVFY, leaving them to keep shooting at the targets

The answer came as its black blood fell all over the school grounds, and began to boil and ripple almost at once.

"That can't be good." The mutter came as he jogged over to the side closer, staring hard as the bubbling increased violently... and then a black arm stretched out of one of the nearest pools. "Shit! Shift fire, kill them before they can finish forming!"

Anything the students would have said in reply was cut off when black rain began to fall all around them.

* * *

Ilia would really have rather had her aura at full rather than somewhere around fifty percent... well, she'd have rather none of this been happening at all, but she'd have taken being fully rested and prepared instead of more than a little exhausted, rattled, and missing her partner.

She'd have also preferred if the Grimm would stop doing unexpected things, like literally forming out of each other's blood.

Trying to keep her breathing even, she shook her right arm out, letting her weapon extend to its full length before quickly bringing her arm forwards. Arcs of electricity flared along it as the metal snapped forwards, cutting through a Beowolf's head before the beast was more than halfway formed. It didn't even have time to snarl before it collapsed back, dissolving into a wider pool that thankfully seemed to remain stagnant.

"Just the Dragon's blood." Ren noted, both of his weapons letting out short bursts as he executed a forming Creep. "That's interesting."

She grimaced, working her weapon around in a quick lash to strike down another half-born Grimm. "Would help if we could tell the difference!"

"It would also help if it wasn't distracting us!" Weiss snarled from her place on their left, white glyphs appearing before she sent shards of ice tearing upwards. Several Nevermore let out shrieking caws before they died, but as the defenders had to deal with the much closer targets forming right on top of them, more and more of the airborne creatures were able to draw close enough to begin their dives.

Ilia jerked her head to the right as a howling scream heralded a Griffon coming down directly at her, her body throwing itself to one side on pure instinct as it slammed into the ground where she had just been standing. Retracting her weapon into its sword form, she parried a claw aimed at her skull, then twisted around the cut into its wing before it could try and get back into the air.

The Grimm let out an odd chirping snarl, snapping at her with a beak, then abruptly jerked back as Ren put a few dozen rounds into its blind side.

"Thanks!" She shouted, motion in the corner of her eye stopping her from saying anything else. A quick snap of her right arm saw her weapon bisect a juvenile Beowolf even as it was leaping over a hedge, its remains slapping into the ground. "Shit! More coming through the gardens!"

"On it!" Weiss called as she took several steps forwards. Another white flash of her semblance and a sweep of her weapon resulted in spears of ice erupting from the ground, the impromptu wall gathering in size as she small girl gasped and then shook herself. It was more than she'd ever seen her do with dust, the ice shards had to be at least six feet long from base to tip, and the wall was probably a good forty feet wide. "That should do!"

"Think you over did it!" Ilia was fairly sure she'd tapped into her Maiden powers for that, and if _she_ could then so could anyone else in the know, "Could you-woah!"

The roar of engines that cut her off deafened everyone in the area as a battered old Bullhead swooped directly overhead, the pilot expertly swinging the craft around to take advantage of the protection Weiss had just crafted. Two figures stood in its open hatchways, one was a shockingly old man with a heavy rifle in his hands, the other was the black-clad assassin who lightly dropped down to the ground as soon as she could do so safely.

"Arc?" She shouted as she jogged in their direction.

Ren was lifting his arm to point when the man in question dropped back off of the roof and ran in their direction, "Charcoal! She holding up?"

"So long as we get airborne before the dragon rampages this way!" The assassin shouted back, "Where's the VIP?"

Weiss visibly grimaced but stepped forwards before the Professor could reply, "I'm right here."

"Ren, Ilia, go with her onto the Bullhead." Jaune ordered, "Charrie? Keep the engines hot while I grab everyone else."

Charcoal gave him a quick thumbs up before grabbing onto Weiss and none-to-gently steering her towards the aircraft. Ilia followed after a quick glance at Jaune, seeing him shouting into his scroll as he ran to where Blake and Nora were holding down the fort on the other side of the building, Ren easily keeping pace.

"Hell of a morning, eh kids?" The ancient man called cheerfully as they clambered aboard, Weiss finally shaking off the assassin's hands when the woman darted up into the cockpit. "Where's Jaune and his girl?"

"Getting the rest of our teams!" Ren called back. "You're Levi, aren't you?"

"He told you that damned fire story didn't he?" Levi shook his head, hefting his weapon up and pulling the trigger without even aiming. Ilia jerked in surprise when a medium-sized Nevermore abruptly plummeted from the sky. "Damned brat, I'll have to tell ya a few of his."

"Maybe later." Ilia shook her head, eyes going wide as a massive form demolished their dorms and began to thrash in their direction. "New problem!"

* * *

Cinder stood alone atop the ruined tower, Ozpin's cane spinning slowly in her hands while the man's body finished bleeding out behind her. Below, her battle continued to unfold, as always simultaneously going well and going poorly.

It was only a matter of time before the school's defenders were forced to retreat against the weight of numbers being thrown against them, she was certain of that, but the Dragon that Salem had woken for her was proving to be a disappointment. A terrific distraction, to be sure, but a disappointment all the same. It had allowed its wings to be clipped, and while it had certainly destroyed a few aircraft and slain at least a dozen of the older students, it was slowing, bleeding, dying.

"It seems I truly must do everything myself." She sighed, shaking her head. "Emerald, have you found them yet?"

Her earpiece crackled as Emerald shouted into her scroll, the girl needing to do so to be heard over the gunfire, screaming, and roars on the ground. " _A rusted old Bullhead just landed by the medical wing! Think they just rushed Schnee onto it!"_

"Very well. Fall back and utilize your semblance as we discussed." A finger tapped the scroll on her belt before the girl could reply, changing the channel. "Watts, status?"

" _It's an ugly repair but it should be functional enough."_

"Good, you'll know the signal." A second tap ended the call, leaving her in relative peace as she focused on the creature within her.

"Elder beast." She whispered as she felt her mistress's gift and collar respond to her will. "I have found your true enemy... surely such a powerful monster will not fall before he has cut them down?"

* * *

"Ruby!" Jaune's voice called as the Professor ran, "The dragon's coming for the wounded, help your uncle!"

Ruby didn't even hesitate, her eyes already telling her that the Dragon was heading towards her helpless sister. She was pretty sure she heard Coco and at least one other member of team CVFY shout at her to come back when she flew off of the roof, but with all of the shooting and screaming she really couldn't be sure.

It didn't matter. She'd known Jaune wouldn't make her leave, she'd known it! Now it was time to win this fight, to protect their school, to protect Yang!

Everything had seemed like it was going all right... now, just a few minutes later, it seemed like it was all falling apart.

She could see Grimm emerging at the edge of the cliffs, launching themselves at the thin line of huntsman defending that area. The creatures were dying in droves, but there seemed to be an endless amount of them, especially as fewer and fewer people were able to shoot down the airborne Grimm. Too many of them were now busy fighting off enemies that were far more up close and personal, and without the gunfire Nevermore of all sizes began to swarm downwards, mostly going after Bullheads, while Griffons screeched and bounded along the ground as they attacked whoever they saw.

And the Dragon continued to rampage and bleed, more Grimm being born even as her Uncle, teachers, and fellow students did their best to kill it.

Two young Beowolves died to Crescent Rose as she spun past them, kicking off the ground with her semblance as she made another leap, moving to stay in front of the massive Grimm as it rampaged towards the building.

"Ruby!" Her Uncle was the first of the old teachers to spot her, his voice furious as he threw himself away from a massive claw. "Get the fuck out of here!"

"It's heading for Yang!" She screamed back, hefting her weapon up to aim at its head.

"No it isn't! It's after _you!"_

Her finger froze just as it began to squeeze the trigger, her body locking up as the Dragon's eyes locked onto hers. It only had three left, someone had cut apart one, and more than a couple of its teeth had been knocked out. The Grimm was bleeding black ooze from a hundred wounds, and more gunshots were drawing more even as they stared one another down. Yet despite that... even though she could see that the thing was mortal, that it was probably dying... fear made her heart clench, while something else made her head throb with pain.

She'd taken a slow step backwards before she was even aware she was moving.

That was apparently all of the provocation the dragon needed to let out a titanic roar, batted aside Professor Port and her Uncle with a massive sweep of a shredded wing, and then it was barreling straight for her.

Instinct had her semblance flash her to the left a few seconds before the beast's massive jaws snapped at where she had just been, her hands spinning Crescent Rose around as she flew through the air. The weapon jammed hard against her shoulder as she pulled the trigger, the Grimm flinching as it tore into the larger eye on this side of its head.

Ruby would have thought that, you know, losing an eye would be a big deal, especially since the smaller one was already gone too, but the Grimm whipped around and snapped at her again as if being half-blind wasn't a problem at all.

Gasping as a swipe of a claw nearly caught her, she flickered away in a quick diagonal, then cut even farther back as the Grimm continued to home in on her. It's apparent focus and her uncle's words created a desperate plan in her head, and she didn't waste anytime in shouting it out, "I'm going to lure it away!"

She was pretty sure that Uncle Qrow and Blake screaming at her to come back, but another burst of rose petals led the Dragon away from the school and towards the mall before she could understand any of it.

Blake gaped as her team leader tore off to try and solo a dragon, even with everyone screaming at her to come back.

* * *

"Dammit, Blake go!" The Professor shouted in pure frustration, "Schnee won't leave without her!"

She'd taken three steps forwards before she was really aware of it, nearly wrenching her knee as she abruptly slammed a foot down to stop herself. Something... something about this was wrong. Something... _felt_ wrong.

"Blake!?" Nora shouted in her ears, "What are you doing!?"

Blake whipped her head around, "Did you hear Jaune say something!?"

"We have to get Ruby!" Nora replied at once, already moving past her, "Weiss Schnee won't leave without her!"

Schnee... that was it! Jaune would never call Weiss by her last name. The illusionist had gotten it closer the second time, but Blake was _certain_ of what she'd heard.

"...shit!" The curse came as she grabbed Nora's arm and dug her heels in when the girl tried to drag her, "Nora! It's an illusion!"

Nora turned and blinked, and for a split second Blake thought she'd gotten through to her... then the other girl jerked her head around, "Blake, wait up!"

It didn't take her any effort to tear free from Blake's grasp, her hammer on a shoulder as she sprinted in the direction Ruby was leading the Dragon.

 _Dammit!_

"Illusions!" She shouted as loudly as she could, twitching her head left and right as she tried to see who might be responsible. The school's gardens had been torn up more than a little by the Grimm who'd made it this far, and the Dragon's flailing tail as it had spun to pursue Ruby, but there was still plenty of greenery to hide behind.

But... right there! A bit of motion came as someone shifted, a head turning to lock onto Blake as they realized she wasn't running off like she was supposed to be.

Blake hesitated for a long second as thoughts ran through her head. The illusionist, it had to be Emerald Sustrai, had already sent Ruby and Nora running off on their own. She had to be trying to soften up the defenses around Weiss, getting as many people away from the Maiden as she could so that Cinder would have an easier time taking her down.

Staying to protect Weiss was the smart move then... but if she was still out there when Cinder arrived, if she got an illusion on any of them at the right moment... it would be Amity all over again.

 _No..._

"I'm going after her!" She shouted as she activated her semblance, praying that Sustrai needed to keep her focus directly on her to make the illusions work. The copy stood stock still as she raced to the right, "Get clear while you can!"

"Dammit Blake don't-"

"GO!" The scream felt like it tore her throat as she sprinted forwards, not so much as looking back.

Blake got her confirmation of both of her theories when she reached the nearest hedge, saw Emerald snarling at her for a second before narrowing her eyes. The world shifted into absolute darkness at once, then brightened back to the sunny morning when her own semblance allowed to her to shoot to the right, her new enemy wasting her energy on a clone.

Gambol Shroud barked as she pulled the trigger, their personal duel beginning.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 _Heading into the end game now. Should have two chapters left, which will mostly be split apart as the individual duels/battles within the context of the larger situation. Glad to hear from the reviews that everyone is still enjoying, hopefully the conclusion will satisfy everyone.  
_

 _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_

 **Thanks, Kat**


	67. Semester III: Dishonorable Combat

**Dishonorable Combat**

* * *

Jaune let out a string of swear words as Blake tore off, Emerald Sustrai becoming briefly visible as she sensibly ran the hell away from the angry ex-terrorist chasing her. Both vanished behind a series of bushes, became briefly visible as they raced across a small opening, and then vanished into the more built up sections of the school gardens.

 _Dammit!_

Though he now had a better idea as to why Nora and Ruby had torn off after the Dragon despite everyone screaming at them to come back, that didn't change the fact that Weiss' escort detail had just lost most of its members. That fit in with everything else that Cinder was doing; she was stripping away his support, distracting potential allies, leaving the Maiden open and vulnerable.

 _And it's working dammit!_

"Neo, Sable!" He shouted into his scroll as he cut down a small Creep that had come rushing in to the gap that the girls' departure had left open. "Status on Yang!"

" _Still in surgery!"_ His sister shouted in reply.

Jaune sucked in a furious breath, his heart clenching. He couldn't leave her behind, couldn't leave Blake, Nora, and Ruby behind. But... if Cinder got a hold of the full power of the Maiden, it might not matter where they were, what they were doing. No matter what else happened, Weiss had to leave. And... if they could deal with Cinder quickly enough, Neo and Charcoal could always return to get them.

It was a thin hope, but it the only thing that let him shout the order. "Get Pyrrha out here now! We're lifting off as soon as you get to the Bullhead!"

 _"We're coming!"_

He closed the device, sucked in a breath, then turned and called up to where Adel was still fighting to keep the skies clear. "Adel! We're getting the VIP clear, we'll provide air support as long as we can!"

"Wish I knew what the fuck was going on!" The student shouted back, "But we'll keep the docs safe!"

Jaune gave her a quick thumbs up, then started running for the Bullhead. Ren and Ilia were sensibly blocking Weiss with their bodies, keeping her back while she vainly tried to see what was going on. To the side of the trio Levi was abusing his semblance to keep picking off Grimm with precise shots, each round finding an eye or open mouth to kill his targets.

"Jauney-lad." The old man greeted him as if they were just meeting up on the street, a wrinkled and slightly shaking hand reaching out to help pull him into the hovering aircraft. His grip was unnaturally strong, but the sight of the twitching returning when he let go made Jaune flinch slightly. "We leavin?"

"Soon as Neo's here." He replied, shifting a bit to stay out of the huntsman's way as he kept watch for any Grimm heading their direction. Aside from a small flurry of Nevermore that Adel handled from her position back on the rooftop, it seemed like most of them were being drawn to where the wounded Dragon was busy demolishing the mall complex. A glance in that diretion showed flickers of color, explosions, and a almost circular swarm of airborne Grimm diving at the students and professionals who were doing their best kill them all.

And far closer, a door flew open to reveal Sable hauling a stumbling Pyrrha along while Neo kept a sharp eye out behind them.

"There they are! Vest, can you glide us over?"

Instead of responding, the other man simply banked the vehicle slightly, and it obediently began shifting laterally towards where the three young women were doing their best to get to them Less than a minute later found the trio clambering in as well, making the Bullhead feel a bit cramped even as Weiss backed off to help force Pyrrha into a seat.

Ilia quickly moved to help, while Levi shifted to the other side of the open bay, moving increasingly better as the airspeed picked up, his shaking vanishing as his semblance built up power in relation to the vehicle's own momentum. For his part, Jaune settled in with his weapon next to Ren, the two men keeping their weapons ready while Neo and Sable shifted to stand beside him.

"Climbing!" Charcoal called back from the co-pilot's seat. "Step two is the get the bitch's attention, right? How do we do that?"

"We'll handle it!" He shouted, "Circle the main tower, office level!"

The ground dropped away as the Bullhead rose higher, tilting slightly as it began to bank. He absently lifted a hand, grasping onto a strap to help stay in place, but his eyes were entirely focused on the wreck that had once been Ozpin's office.

It didn't take long for them to get high enough to let everyone see inside, and in the corner of his vision he saw Sable flinch at the sight of Ozpin's body laying on its side, two arrows protruding obscenely from his chest. Blood covered the ground around him, and he narrowed his eyes as he thought he picked out a trail that headed back towards the elevator.

"She's on the ground already." He shook his head. "Keep us circling, everyone keep your eyes open! We've got to find her before she loses her temper!"

* * *

Blake felt her arms vibrate as she slammed her sword-blade into Sustrai's crossed pistols, pushing the other girl's weapons back against her chest. Her opponent snarled and narrowed her eyes in a fashion that made her back tighten, and she used her semblance to roll to the left on reflex before she could be caught in an illusion.

Eye contact was definitely the key. As soon as she lost it, her semblance seemed to fail immediately, and Blake was ruthlessly exploiting that single weakness. She had a bad feeling that, if she didn't, that her opponent wouldn't hesitate for a second to kill her.

Sustrai wasted a bit of effort cutting through the afterimage before finding her again, weapons snapping up to fire off a quick set of rounds before Blake could close the distance again. Hissing in pain as a few shots struck her aura, assuredly leaving bruises on her chest and belly, she came in with a hard feint with her sword before side-stepping and bringing the sheath down in a quick slash.

The other girl fell for the fake, moving to block high, then yelped in pain as her thigh was struck instead.

"Fuck off!" Her opponent snarled as blades swung free on her weapons, her counter-attacks forcing Blake to parry a quick trio of cuts before Sustrai's form abruptly warped into that of Adam Taurus.

She couldn't help but flinch at the sight, only triggering her semblance and diving away after a second's worth of hesitation. While she expected to be hit almost immediately as Sustrai pressed her advantage, instead she came up to find Emerald running laterally away, opening the distance once more.

Cursing under her breath she took off after her, getting the primary half of Gambol Shroud up to send pistol fire into her enemy's back. At least one shot struck home, sending Sustrai into a forward roll, and she came up with a sweeping motion with both arms to the left.

Blake felt her mouth part slightly in surprise as the enemy's weapon abruptly shifted, the blades flinging free from the pistol grips on long chains to come sweeping directly for her. She recovered in time to utilize her semblance once more, bouncing up and over them, keeping up a suppressing fire as she did.

It was Emerald's turn to flinch as a round hit her in the shoulder, driving her back, and she kicked off with her back foot while the bladed chains abruptly retracted. They were faster than Blake would have liked, both snapping back into place just as she closed the distance, their weapons clashing in another quick blur of slash and counter-stroke.

"Why are you doing this!?" She half-shouted over an explosion, focusing heavily on the other girl's eyes; they seemed to narrow whenever she used her semblance. "Look at what you've done!"

"Like any of them gave a crap about me!" Emerald screamed back, twisting away from a quick lunge and planting a foot into Blake's gut. She let out a pained cough as Emerald kicked off from her, opening the range for a few seconds, "Everything I do is for Cinder!"

 _Great... I just ran down a crazy fanatic!_

She settled into an at ready stance, taking a split second to glance at her wrist as it moved past her eyes. Her aura was near the red, she had to end this soon, even if she didn't think Sustrai's was much higher.

Blake was getting less worried about Sustrai killing her and more worried about the girl escaping; this was the second time she'd managed to catch her for a second and bolt instead of going for the kill. If she ran out of aura before Emerald the other girl could catch her long enough to get out of sight, and she didn't think she'd be able to find her again if that happened.

The Dragon roared in the distance, neither girl reacting as something crashed to the ground in a roar of noise. Blake took a cautious step forwards, Emerald taking one back in response, and then her chance came; Sustrai's scroll abruptly vibrated with an incoming call, and red eyes dropped for a split second towards the device on her waist.

Blake sprinted forwards at the opening, hoping to cut hard across her throat, but even with the distraction Emerald's reflexes were top notch. The blow was enough to make her stumble, but she managed to get one of her pistols up and into Blake's face. She spun in a quick twirl to avoid taking a bullet to her nose, lashing out with both halves of her weapon as she did.

Emerald again managed to block the first impact, but the second caught her on the wrist and drew a yelp, a crackle of green energy... and a thin line of blood.

Blake felt her lips curl into a slight smirk as she brought her blade up in a ready position, making sure the slight flecks of red were visible. "Surrender?"

The other girl snarled and threw her arms forwards, her chained blades whipping free from the pistol grips as she began to whirl them. A quick dodge let her avoid the first cuts, then she parried one of the blades and stepped forwards, twisting around and cutting down hard at one of the chains with her edged sheathe. Momentum carried the chain up and around, looping around the weapon, and Blake smirked as she yanked it down and slammed a foot atop it.

...of course, that smirk faded when Emerald didn't bother trying to yank her weapon free, instead simply releasing it with a quick flick of her hand, the chain bucking as the pistol bounced and whirled forwards. It nearly smacked Blake in the face as it flew at her, striking her shoulder instead as she yelped and dodged, locking up against her sheathe as it tried to finish collapsing.

And _that_ moment of distraction was all Sustrai needed to turn tail and bolt once again, this time at a full on sprint into the heavier sections of the gardens as she tried to get out of Blake's sight for the third time... and this time she was clearly headed straight towards the cliffs.

Swearing rapidly under her breath, she tossed the entangled half of her weapon aside and took the up the chase, keeping the rest of Gambol Shroud up and ready to shoot as she pursued.

* * *

Cinder pursed her lips as a bleeding and stumbling Emerald came sprinting out of the school's garden, running as best she could towards where Watts had relocated their aircraft. A bit of motion behind the girl made her sigh and shake her head, hands rising as she made a minimal call to her semblance, her preferred weapon forming at once.

The little cat emerged from behind a tall hedge just in time to catch an arrow to her sternum. She must have had just enough aura left to survive the impact because she staggered back, then threw herself behind the hedge once more. Cinder sighed with irritation and dismissively flicked a hand.

Lovely green shrubbery obediently burst into cherry red flames, and she distinctly heard a feminine shriek of pain, though she couldn't quite tell if she had actually killed the annoying little pest. Not that it really mattered, the girl was irrelevant to the greater game being played.

"Were you successful?" She asked as Emerald all but crawled up beside her, the girl's right hand clutching at a gunshot wound in her left shoulder, that arm hanging limply.

Emerald whimpered in pain, but twitched her head in a quick nod. "Rose... is running around. So is... Valkyrie."

And Belladonna had come chasing after her, so that was three potential guardians removed from the game. Not the full set that she had tasked the girl with relocating; yet another partial failure. Par for the course on this distinctly unsatisfying day, but at least the silver eyed little creature was gone.

That kept her options open.

"Well done." She murmured, "Watts, please lift us off. I believe I can see dear Jaune's craft circling the tower, please pursue at a distance; I'd rather not be shot down."

"I trust you have a plan beyond that point?" The irritating man called back, the sleek aircraft rising as its engines thundered up to a full roar. "Our last information from Torchwick indicated that Arc may have a full team of at his disposal, plus whatever students remain... and the half-maiden."

"Have I ever not had a plan?" She countered, kneeling down beside Emerald and pulling her hand free to examine the wound. "Merely play your part and by this evening we will both be basking in Salem's approval."

"We've got a tail!" Jaune shouted, his instincts shouting a warning when he realized that the Grimm were entirely ignoring a Bullhead that had swooped overhead the main battle near the mall. "Let's get moving!"

"We're going!" Vest's deep voice bellowed back, "Keep us clear!"

He didn't really have time to reply as the abrupt acceleration nearly sent him flying from the open doorway, and it was all he could do to hang on as his old ally throttled the engines up to maximum and began flying east.

"Neo!" Jaune managed once he'd recovered his balance, "Over here with me! Ren, take that side with Levi! Sable, Ilia, keep Weiss and Pyrrha secure!"

"I can help!" Weiss, predictably, protested.

To his surprise, Ren pushed her back into her seat before he could say anything, "If they catch up to us you need to be fresh."

The newest Maiden's face twisted in displeasure, but she tellingly stayed in place, turning slightly to tighten Pyrrha's harness before the taller girl could even begin to try undoing the buckles. Jaune let out a quick sigh of relief at that, glancing down at Neo as she settled in beside him with her parasol in one hand, and her small pistol in the other. Double-checking that Variable Impact and Crocea Mors were both secure on his waist, he hefted up Dragon's Breath and gave her a quick nod.

"Almost done."

Neo gave him a tired nod, unable to really respond beyond that with her hands occupied.

He felt yet another pang in his chest, at this rate he wasn't sure he'd survive the day even without Cinder or her Grimm. Neo managed to pack so much exhaustion and regret into that little tilt of her head that it made him look away, unable to meet her eyes. She wasn't really accusing him of anything, at least he hoped she wasn't, but... how many days of preparation had they lost because he'd stubbornly tried to stick to impossible plans?

A smack at his side stopped him from delving too deeply into those thoughts, and he quickly forced himself to focus as Neo pointed down as they crossed the cliffs.

Beowolves were swarming up them, taking the direct route towards the school. A thin line of huntsmen still seemed to be present atop them, they seemed to have anchored their line on the school's forges, but more and more of the canine Grimm were getting past them to join the chaos across the school grounds. Worse, there was a veritable column of Goliaths, Ursa, Creeps, and other Grimm that couldn't climb were simply bulldozing their way through the Emerald Forest as they headed towards Vale.

About the only good thing that he could see was that the Dragon was still earthbound, and was flailing ever more slowly, staggering as it clearly neared its end. Even better, the speed and airborne nature of the avian Grimm that had let them arrive so quickly had meant that the defenders had been able to focus them down. Most of them seemed to be dead aside from those nearest the Dragon, and aside from...

"Uh, Vest?" He called. "I don't suppose you can go any faster!?"

"How many are chasing us?"

"Fuckin' all of 'em!" Levi shouted in reply, his rifle cracking as he shot down something on his side. "They're coverin' that damned Bullhead!"

Jaune leaned out as far as he dared, and saw that the old man was right. Cinder's aircraft had gained an escort of Elder Griffons, a half-dozen of the massive Grimm easily keeping pace with the planes as they settled in between the two of them.

 _Stopping us from being able to get a shot off..._ He frowned a little. _Of course, that works both ways._

They didn't really have any weapons that could bring them down, but Cinder apparently didn't know that. Or she was just worried that Weiss would pull off some kind of magical assault to bring them down.

"Why though?" He shook his head, speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear him. "She's got to bring us down sooner or later, she's blocking her own shots right now!"

Ilia carefully stepped over, and with his help leaned out to take a look of her own. "Maybe she needs some time to recover after killing Ozpin?"

"Maybe." He kept frowning as he turned it over in his head. Most of the Grimm weren't able to keep up, which was good, but those Grimm that were keeping pace were the largest and oldest, which was far less good. "Or she's just waiting for enough Grimm to catch up to smother us once she forces us down."

The faunus girl grimaced, her freckles flaring a dull red as she drew back inside. "Then maybe we should double-back towards the city, fight her somewhere besides the forest."

He shook his head, "She'll probably try and hit us as soon as we turned back, try and ground us near one of the Grimm formations still outside the walls." It went unsaid that if that happened they'd be torn apart before they could even try to defend themselves. "Our best chance is to get as far out as we can and then fight her on our terms."

Weiss nodded slightly in agreement, though his barely-trained sister seemed less enthusiastic, and it was she who spoke next. "Can't we just outrun them?"

Charcoal evidently heard that, because she called back from the open cockpit, "We're at top speed in this old rust-bucket girl, and they stole one of Beacon's fancy models. She'll catch up as soon as she decides she wants to."

Everyone but Levi and Neo winced at that, and Jaune leaned his head back out once more, trying to look more confident than he felt. "Right. We go on until she makes her move, then everyone but Vest, Pyrrha, Levi, and Sable are going to bail. We'll engage her on the ground while the rest of you provide air support. Levi, how's your aura?"

"I got enough for a hard fight, don't worry 'bout me!"

Jaune nodded without taking his eyes off of the dark forms lazily pursuing them, trying not to notice the smoke rising from Vale, or from Beacon's broken towers. "Sable, you're in charge of making sure nothing gets into the Bullhead! So long as Levi has aura he can pick off damn near anything, but he can't see out of the back of his head. Pyrrha can keep her eyes open as well."

"Got it." His sister replied, her voice a bit shaky despite her brave words, "I'll watch his back."

"You need me on the ground." Pyrrha, predictably, protested, "I'm feeling much better!"

"Her left hand is still shaking." Ilia promptly betrayed her. "I've got Milo."

"Good job." He smiled slightly, though the expression faded quickly as the Grimm visibly began to beat their wings harder, and the nose of Cinder's aircraft rose as it began to climb. "They're making a move!"

"Hold on!" Vest's shout came as he pushed the old plane into a dive, its frame shaking as everyone did their best to avoid falling out... at least until they were low enough.

* * *

Cinder narrowed her eyes as Jaune made his counter-play, the rusted old hulk he'd found racing along the tree tops, banking left and right slowly as it began to bleed off speed. Whoever was flying it was at least as good a pilot as Watts, and they'd gained a critical bit of distance as they and the Grimm were forced to correct to the sudden change.

"They're bailing out." Watts reported, one of the many screens updating at a gesture to show small figures leaping clear, vanishing beneath the trees. "They know they can't win in the air. We should bring down their aircraft, strand them, then-"

"That will be your affair." She interrupted him, not about to let the arrogant man seize control of her victory. "This vehicle has weapons, does it not? Use them."

Her nominal ally ground his teeth together. "It is therefore prudent to cut-off the Maiden's ability to retreat, she is unlikely to have control over her powers and-"

"They have two teleporters available." Cinder growled back, "I will not give them a chance to retreat. You will deal with their aircraft as instructed. I will command the Nevermore to follow your lead, the Griffons will support Emerald and I on the ground. Once I have the full powers of the Maiden we will return to Beacon and deal with the survivors before withdrawing."

"That is secondary to the maiden, we should-"

"This is _my_ operation." She snapped, turning away from him and slapping a button to open the left-side hatch. Emerald, her shoulder hastily bandaged and a small collection of syringes around her from where she had applied pain-killers and auric-boosters, winced as wind began to roar inside. Her body would make her pay for the amount of drugs she had taken these past few hours, but that was for later. She would be of no use to Cinder without her semblance. "You will do as I command, Arthur."

Anything the man might have said was ignored as she seized her disciple's wrist, hauled her to her feet, and then stepped out into the open air. Emerald reflexively clutched at her, a scream of both surprise and pain as she forced her wounded arm into motion being buried into Cinder's skin as the girl buried her face in her throat.

Cinder twitched a little in irritation, Emerald was usually more collected than this, the wound must have rattled her more than she'd thought. A flare of magic was all it took to slow their descent a few meters from the ground, wind whipping dirt up and around them as they landed lightly.

This particular region of the forest was fairly dense, likely why dear Jaune had chosen to it to make his stand. It would hamper the movements of the large Grimm that were even now beginning to circle above her, and make it easy for his party to spread out and surround her once they made contact.

"Collect yourself." She ordered as the girl sucked in a shaky breath and only reluctantly let go of her, "I will take the lead, you will stay back and act accordingly. Your priority will be Neopolitan."

"Y-yes Cinder. I won't let you down!"

"See that you don't."

Inhaling sharply, she glanced down at her hands and twisted the left one slowly. There was the strange ripple across her entire body as the Grimm within her emerged form her palm, clicking inquisitively as its red eyes looked up at her. "Direct all Nevermore and lesser Grimm in the area to support Arthur Watts and bring down the enemy's aircraft. All Griffons are to encircle the enemy and consume them."

It let out a furious chattering sound, and a vague sense of eager excitement seemed to emanate from the creature before it vanished back within her once more.

 _Now... let us finally cross blades, dear Jaune._

* * *

 ** _Author's Notes;_**

 _So, originally this final battle section was going to be a single chapter at something close to the old length (Between 7-9k of words). But after actually plotting it out and starting writing it, it quickly grew beyond that to the point where I'd basically have a 12k word chapter just kind of stuck near the end which would be a massive change compared to the prior releases in this arc, so I had to go back to the old plan of dividing it up even after cutting several sequences out.  
_

 _So I know some of you are getting tired of the cliffhangers, and I do apologize for that, but there really isn't a good way to break this particular series of fights up in a way that doesn't end in that kind of fashion. Rest assured that there will not be a long gap between chapters this time, come hell or high water this story **will** be completed in 2019. Expect the next chapter fairly quickly as a result._

 _Thank you to everyone who is still reading, reviewing, and promoting this story elsewhere. It's been a longer ride than I intended, but I greatly enjoyed it all the same._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 **Thanks, Kat**


	68. Semester III: Tiger's Tail

**Tiger's Tail  
**

* * *

Jaune felt his fingers tighten around Crocea Mors, he'd Rau's old weapon left with Sable so she'd have something to shoot with, and he incremented the count when another Griffon let out a piercing scream somewhere nearby. A moment later a dark form briefly blotted out what little sunlight was making it through the thick tree cover, and he shook his head slightly.

"That makes six." He murmured. "Another old one you think?"

Beside him, Neo twitched her head in a single nod, her own weapon held loosely in both hands.

"You see anything on the ground?"

She shook her head once, then froze and jerked her head once. He followed her gaze and sucked in a slow breath as a red-clad woman stepped out from behind a distant tree, her form fading in and out of sight as she slowly strutted through the old forest. There were no Grimm with her, or at least, none on the ground, and if she had any other people with they were staying hidden for now.

"Jaune, Neo." Cinder's voice was as smooth as ever despite both the distance and the situation, "I have to say that I am truly hurt, here I thought we were becoming friends."

Neo gave him a somewhat arch look that made him wince a little as he called back, "Yeah, I thought so too, but it's hard to be friends with someone who sics Grimm on a city!"

"Dear Jaune, so innocent even now." Her voice gained an amused edge, "The only reason I am here is for power. Vale? Beacon? They are nothing to me, that part of the operation is entirely my Queen's doing. A little reminder for an old friend that his possessions are at her sufferance."

He snorted as loudly as he could, shifting his stance a little to keep her moving form directly in front of him. Neo shifted as well, moving until her shoulders were pressed into the small of his back, covering his blind spot. "Is that supposed to make us trust you? Just hand over the Fall Maiden because you're more apathetic than malicious?"

"I _am_ the Fall Maiden." Cinder all but snarled back, and he noted that particular emotional button for whatever it was worth. "By right of conquest I claimed that power, it is _mine._ If Ozpin was such a sore loser as to not abide by his own rules than that is hardly my problem... though I suppose it is now the little Schnee's. I wonder if he even told her just what he is, just what she was truly getting involved with."

Jaune's eyes flicked up for a moment as another Griffon, or one of the earlier ones, flew overhead once more, then dropped back down to continue to track his enemy. "This is your only chance, Cinder. Abandon Salem, leave Weiss alone, and come with us. We don't have to answer to either of them. We can make our own path."

There was a mocking laugh as she stepped into a small clearing, perhaps twenty or thirty paces away. "Oh Jaune, such a sweet young man. You have drawn Salem's eyes, you are already her servant, just as I am. Allow me to make a counter-offer. Surrender now, and I will take you to her, unharmed, and even speak glowingly of what you've done. I'm sure that she will allow you to end Hazel's life, the fool has failed her enough. Is that not what you desire?"

Once, it had been. It still was something he wanted, and something Neo definitely wanted, but... not for the price of their souls. Not for the price of Weiss' life. Not for the price of joining the Queen of the Grimm, who thought nothing of killing hundreds, thousands.

Revenge had its time and place, but this wasn't either.

This was the time to make their stand.

"Neo?" He murmured. "Ready?"

His partner nudged him with a single elbow in reply, sucked in an audible breath, then spun around and began sprinting forwards, his own legs digging into the dirt as he kicked off after her.

"Disappointing." Cinder spread her arms as they charged, red fire flashing for a split second, fading to reveal a pair of obsidian swords in her hands, "Yet predictable."

Neo reached her first, her parasol's point blade emerging as she turned her weapon into a short spear, a quick lunge forcing Cinder to deflect it and fall back. He shifted his sprint to the left slightly as he moved past his partner, his sword coming down hard at her shoulder. Cinder saw it coming, and rather than try and match strength against him, simply spun backwards and away.

Growling in his throat he shifted to quicker slashes and lunges, Neo doing the same at his side, their blades gleaming as they tried to break through Cinder's defenses.

Cinder never lost her smirk as she parried, deflected, and continued a slow but steady retreat. She threw in the odd counter-attack, a quick beat and slash combination here, a sharp kick to drive Neo back there, but otherwise she seemed utterly content to remain on the defensive. She traded space for time, never letting either of them get a solid hit on her, taking only the lightest of glancing blows that couldn't have done much to her aura.

That made the hair on the back of his neck stand up as he tried to both fight and think of what she could be planning. It didn't take him long to hit on the obvious reasons. She knew that Neo was a teleporter now, and had likely guessed she needed personal contact to move people. That was why she was keeping her distance.

And the reason she was stalling for time, not really fighting seriously yet, was because she didn't know where Charcoal or Weiss were. Her greatest fear had to be that Jaune had simply sent Weiss back to Beacon or Vale, or some random other location she couldn't predict. In that case she needed an edge...

 _She's stalling until her Grimm find Weiss, or until they and her pilot take down our Bullhead._ He grimaced at the thought, _Until she has hostages she can use against me. We've got accelerate this..._

Gritting his teeth in preparation, he feinted with a quick high cut towards her face, then tucked his shoulder down and simply charged forwards. Cinder didn't buy the fake but was clearly unready for the sudden rush, only barely throwing herself to one side. She collided with a tree, her smirk vanishing as she snarled in surprise.

Neo took advantage of the sudden opening, red sparks flaring as she cut a line across Cinder's side. The taller woman swore, cut aside the parasol, then lashed out with a slash of her own that even Neo wasn't quick enough to dodge; the blow caught her in the shoulder and actually drove her back several steps.

"Charcoal!" His shout startled Cinder slightly, drawing her attention back to him before she could step out of the dark patch she'd dodged into. "Now!"

The assassin emerged from the tree's shadow even as Cinder tried to leap forwards, tattooed arms wrapping around Cinder's neck and chest as she hauled her back, her form already melting into ink once more as she prepared to teleport them both away. Once she got Cinder away she'd break contact and come back, then they could regroup with the students and deal with the Grimm without interruption.

Then they could rest, regroup, and deal with an isolated Cinder as a combined force.

Cinder, unfortunately, didn't cooperate.

There was no warning. One moment it seemed like the first part of the plan was going to work out just fine, just as they'd drawn in up in the few minutes they'd had to scheme. The next, Cinder's eyes abruptly burned with power and her entire body was simply covered in raw fire.

The heat forced he and Neo back, both of them instinctively lifting their arms to protect their heads. Charcoal, practically hugging Cinder as she was, didn't get that chance. Her aura may have been ready to protect anything her captive may have done to try and fight free, but she simply couldn't have been prepared to exchange a human prisoner for a living fire. She screamed in sudden shock and pain, flinging herself away from the heat on pure, panicked reflex, her semblance unraveling as she lost her focus. Cinder wasted no time, whirling around as she was released, her swords blazing with the same fire.

Neo managed to recover first, lunging forwards to deflect one of them, but the second caught Charcoal across her left thigh. Somehow she kept her aura up enough to not lose the limb, but the blow was enough to take the leg out from under her, dropping her to a knee, and leaving her open when Cinder spun about. Her swords clashed with Neo's parasol, driving it away, while one of her own legs came up to slam into Charcoal's head.

She must have done something to enhance the strike because the blow drove the Vacuan woman's skull right into the tree, and she collapsed limply without a word.

Jaune let out a furious cry as he lunged forwards, taking the opening to slam his sword against Cinder's exposed back, forcing her forwards, right into Neo's lunge, while he drew his weapon back into a two handed grip, entirely prepared to bounce the woman between them, bludgeoning their way through her aura.

Cinder escaped the same way she'd dealt with Charcoal; with magic.

One of her swords abruptly vanished as she thrust her hand forwards, taking Neo's attack to her chest in exchange for grasping onto his lover's coat. Neo's eyes widened but Cinder struck before she could try and teleport away. Yellow arcs of lightning snaked their way down her arm in an instant, then leaped across to arc directly into Neo's chest.

Neo let out wordless scream as her body convulsed, Cinder's grip preventing her from even trying to fling herself away, and the shocks stopped any chance she had of using her semblance.

Pure terrified rage took over at that point, his sword rising and falling as he hammered down at his enemy, aiming right at her shoulder. Cinder released Neo, the last bit of lightning flinging her away to smash into another tree, both hands falling to grasp her sword as she backpedaled.

Pure anger and fear drove him to press the attack, her neat retreat becoming a stumble has simply hammered at her guard. There was no technique to it, he might as well have been using a club, but the sheer aggression kept her from counter-attacking. She flinched as he howled at her with each blow, the fifth such strike shattering her glass weapon, shards of it bouncing off of both of their auras.

Jaune managed to get in a good cut at her shoulder as she frantically summoned up a pair of new blades, catching a slash at her head between them. He felt his teeth bare in a wordless snarl as he pushed, using his height and weight to force her back. Cinder began to bend, magic or not she was the smaller, more lithe combatant, and a fight of pure strength was one she would not win.

Her teeth showed as she came to the same conclusion, fire beginning to burn again in her eyes as she prepared some new magic... then a Griffon let out a scream nearby, and her own focused expression shifted into a victorious grin. He pulled back the second before she twisted to one side, stopping her from using his own momentum against him, and tried to lash out at her side.

Cinder leaped back from the blow, wind whipping up and around her... and then she fucking _flew_ upwards, nimbly flitting between tree branches before vanishing.

"Fuck!" He screamed in frustration, anger, and fear. "Neo!?"

His partner had somehow managed to collect herself, but she was shaking even worse than Pyrrha had been earlier. Her hair was standing on end, and her shirt had actually been burned through entirely directly over her heart, revealing scalded flesh over her sternum.

He raced over, kneeling and taking one of her shaking arms in his hands, preparing his semblance... then fell on his ass when Neo found some tiny burst of strength to push him away. She shook her head once, pointing firmly at where Cinder had just flown off to.

They didn't have the time for him to heal her. He had to get back to Weiss.

"But-"

Neo's pale lips pulled back in a snarl and her trembling hands haltingly pushed him away again. He had to go. If this was Cinder at half-power, there was no chance in hell they could survive her at full strength.

Jaune clenched his jaw, his sword shaking with his emotions... then he nodded, rose, and sprinted towards where they'd left the students.

* * *

"She's all right!" Pyrrha called as she forced a bleeding and stunned Sable Arc into a seat, fighting her own shaking fingers to get the older woman strapped into place. Her body was coated in the black muck of the Grimm she'd just killed, a Griffon having surprised them by coming up from below and all but climbing into the vehicle.

Sable had managed to get her sword into its head, with some help from Pyrrha, but not before she'd been mauled and bounced against the bulkhead several times. "Her aura is low but she's unconscious! Head-blow!"

"Get her strapped in and take her spot!" The pilot shouted back. "You still have her gun?"

"She dropped it over the side!"

The man cursed, the entire plane banking suddenly as he leaned out of his seat and slid something along the floor before grabbing onto the controls once more. Pyrrha only barely managed to fall onto the rifle he'd sent her way before it could bounce out of the open cabin as well. She managed to get a good grip on it just as another large Nevermore managed to crash into the side of the Bullhead, its beak open as it lunged for her, the old aircraft groaning in protest as yet more talons ripped at its hull.

Her new weapon thundered at full automatic as she pulled the trigger, barely needing to aim to put the rounds into its throat. The fire dust laced bullets burned out the Grimm's mouth and made it flail backwards, screeching in a horrible fashion as it spun away, smoke trailing from its head.

"Get yer ass up girl!" The old man on the other side shouted, his own rifle cracking in a steady sequence as he kept up the fire on the Grimm chasing them on that side. She had no idea how he was doing it beyond a vague notion his semblance was helping, but the old hunter was killing them by the score with ease.

Unfortunately for them, that left several more score left over to still deal with. Stopping to drop everyone off and fight on the ground may have let them avoid getting blown up by the enemy maiden, but it had also let a lot of the slower, smaller Grimm catch up.

"Yes sir!" Pyrrha replied automatically, scooting herself along the floor until she could brace herself in the open hatch.

She didn't lack for targets; Grimm were swirling all around, and the other Bullhead was visible as it continued to linger in the distance. The weapon's stock pressed against her shoulder as she began to fire in bursts, trying to focus on the smaller Grimm, those that could actually be killed at range without her needing to hit vulnerable points.

Levi seemed to have the larger Grimm well in hand in either case, shooting their eyes and open mouths with impossible accuracy even as their plane banked, climbed, dove, and otherwise tumbled through the sky as the pair of them did best to stop any more Grimm from getting a hold of them. Considering how badly the Bullhead was groaning and how its engines had developed odd sounds, she was getting increasingly worried she might have to try using her semblance to hold the whole thing together.

"Bloody fuck!" Levi's shout drew her attention away from her task, the old man staring at something on his side. "They must have found the kids, Elders circling!"

Pyrrha was about to ask what they were going to do about that when she felt her jaw drop open. "L-Left! She's flying!"

"What!?"

She shook her head and shifted her aim, firing a long burst at Cinder Fall as the woman shot through the air as though she had rockets strapped her feet. She didn't think she got a hit as the red-clad form flew by underneath of their plane, clearly heading right towards where Weiss must have been trying to hide.

"Levi!?" Pyrrha called as she lost the target.

"Got her." He replied confidently, his rifle swinging around as he fired a shot, then a second, then he abruptly shouted, "Dive!"

Pyrrha frantically grabbed a hold of the nearest seat, holding on for dear life as the Bullhead abruptly flipped directly onto its side, giving her an excellent view of the ground, then it twisted around and dove straight for the ground as tracer rounds hammered into its tail and chased after it; the enemy aircraft finally engaging them... and proving to be a combat model unlike their own civilian transport.

She managed to keep her grip through that evasive maneuver, but when Vest threw the aircraft onto its other side, banking hard, the old vehicle finally failed them. Something on her side, where the Griffon and Nevermore had torn open the hull to anchor themselves, ripped free amide a shriek of metal and sparking wires. An alarm screamed somewhere, and the Bullhead abruptly dropped like a stone before their pilot managed to get them back upright and sort-of leveled out.

"Bail!" The barked order came just as their enemy found the range again, more bullets tearing into the wings and roof.

Pyrrha tried to get her legs back under her, tried to lunge to where Sable was still strapped in, and then a barrage tore apart the chair that was her only anchor. The swerving motion was more than enough to throw her into the open air, her legs smacking into the torn up flank of the aircraft.

...and then she was simply falling.

* * *

"Oh gods." Weiss gasped, watching through a gap in the trees as their airplane abruptly swing away, a form falling from it while one of its engines burst into flames. It vanished behind the trees before she could see anymore, the stolen school Bullhead lazily pursuing its crippled victim.

"Weiss." Ren's iron grip on her wrist stopped her even as she tried to stand up, the pure dread in her belly enough to make him strain for a few moments to keep them hidden. "Calm down or we will burn too much aura staying hidden."

She sucked in a ragged breath as Ren's semblance slowly began to wash over her once more, taking away the horror, worry, and grief and leaving an emotionless pit behind.

The pair of them were clutching the branches of an old pine tree, high off the ground, each with a grasp on the other's wrist as the leader of team RAVN used his semblance to keep them safely concealed from the Grimm.

It had initially worked to keep the pair of them, along with Ilia, safe and secure while the Professors and their assassin friend went after Cinder, but they'd hit an unfortunate snag when various Griffons had landed nearby and begun to prowl around on the ground.

The Grimm couldn't see them, couldn't sense their emotions... but this was stretch of forest had no real undergrowth, only dirt and fallen needles. And unlike most of the dark creatures, these Elder beasts were all old, all experienced, all intelligent. They knew what to look for when they hunted their prey. They knew how to track humans and faunus even when they couldn't see them directly.

And one of them that had managed to land close by had found the footprints they'd left in the soil.

Footprints that led in their direction.

Ilia had realized the problem first, when the Grimm had begun to nuzzle its head into the dirt before starting to chirp furiously, summoning others who began to shriek and converge. Before she or Ren could even try to stop her, Ilia had torn herself free from Ren's grip and flung herself down to the ground. She'd barely made it a dozen paces before the screeching had reached ear-piercing levels, the massive forms of the Elder Grimm pounding after her in pursuit as she led them away.

As she tried to sacrifice herself so that they... so that Weiss could remain safe.

"We have to do something." She insisted, keeping her voice quiet. Ren wasn't sure if the Grimm could hear them or not despite his semblance, and even if they couldn't, Cinder or any other living person definitely could. "They should have been back by down if they managed to teleport her away. Or at least Charcoal should be."

"Professor Arc told me to keep you safe." Ren countered, his voice as toneless and logical as hers had become. He'd warned her about what his semblance felt like, but even so she hadn't really grasped it until she was under its effects.

Strange and unpleasant were barely adequate to describe the feeling... even if she couldn't bring herself to react or really care about what it felt like.

"I will not let him down." He stated. "Ilia will lure them away, and if Cinder is still nearby, will be pursuing her instead. We can remain safely in place."

"If Cinder defeated them before they could teleport her or themselves away, we must act before she can recover and heal." Weiss shook her head once. "Or do you truthfully believe you can hide us for the hours it will take any ally to reach us?"

He pursed his lips, pink eyes shifting as he considered that, doing the same logical math that she had done; weighing her words against his orders.

Ilia would only last so long on her own against so many old Grimm, they had no guarantee she would manage to lead them far enough away before they realized they'd been duped. Additionally, Weiss knew she was entirely correct; Ren's semblance may have been fairly efficient but that did not mean he could hide them for hours on end.

If the initial plan had failed, then they had to take action, or else they would simply be the last ones killed after everyone had else had been defeated.

"What do you propose?" He asked after several quiet moments.

"We pursue the Bullheads, I bring hers down to get her attention. We link up with Pyrrha, Miss Arc, Mister Vest, and Mister Levi, and together we deal with her. If the Professors and their companion are still able to fight, they will converge on that location as the most obvious place to group up at."

Ren considered that, obviously knowing just as well as she did that the likelihood that all four of them were still able to fight, or even alive, was low. But that risk seemed a better, more prudent option than the hope that Cinder and her Grimm would not find them before his aura ran out. Further, even if Cinder had evaded the trap intended to drop her off in the middle of nowhere, at least Miss Neo or the assassin could have evaded her in turn and already be at the crash-site.

Which would dramatically improve their chances.

He let out a slow breath and relaxed his fingers, hers doing the same as they let go of one another, color rushing back into the world. All of her turbulent emotions came back with it, and she felt a sob come out of her lips before she could throttle it back. Ren shook slightly for a second, needing a ragged breath of his own before composing himself, and then he gave her a quick nod before lightly throwing himself from their tree.

Weiss needed a few moments, drawing on her heritage, forcing the fear and tears away, then she too dropped down to the ground.

The first explosion came just her feet touched the dirt.

* * *

Ilia sprinted in the direction she'd thought the Bullhead had crashed, or landed, or simply vanished beneath the trees. It seemed as good a direction to run for her life as any.

Behind her, Griffons howled as they bounded after her, the massive creatures often simply smashing the smaller trees out of their way as they pursued. She'd managed to kill one of them, leaving Milo buried in its dissolving body, before an explosion of fire had told her that their plan hadn't worked out, that Cinder had either defeated or evaded Jaune's trap. She'd come after Ilia, probably drawn by the Grimm's shrieking, thinking they must have found Weiss.

Cinder's anger that she wasn't the Maiden had been demonstrated when she'd simply incinerated a wide swath of the forest, cutting down half of Ilia's aura in the process, and sending her fleeing even more desperately than she had been when there had only been giant Grimm around.

Her legs burned as she ran, ducking under low branches, her skin shaded to a dark black as she did her best to make it hard to spot her directly. A normal opponent probably would have had a hard time hitting her, but Cinder had evidently decided that wide-area destruction was just fine to demonstrate her displeasure.

The second magical blast struck a tree a few meters to Ilia's left, exploding in an orange and purple flash, fire and gravity somehow mixed together in a violent combination. The blast ripped away or incinerated the needles on every tree nearby, and sent Ilia bouncing painfully across the ground, her aura leaving sparks in her trail as it did its best to stop her from dying.

The fact that she crashed into a Grimm did her no favors as it screeched and lashed at her with its claws, dragging her aura down even further even as she frantically lashed out with her own weapon. It snapped out to full length as she swung it away, then yanked it back to make it wrap around the Griffon's neck.

Its beak opened as it screeched when she yanked the trigger, lightning dust sending power arcing into its body, making it fling itself away from her with a startled spams of muscles. That was enough of an opening for her to scramble up on to her feet and turn around, just in time to see Cinder thrust a pale hand in her direction.

The magical explosion killed the stunned Griffon and once more sent Ilia flying, but this time she wasn't lucky enough to simply bounce along the ground. Instead her body slammed into a tree, its trunk cracking while her scroll howled an alarm. Her aura was down to its dregs, and her enemy didn't even seem to be trying particularly hard.

 _This... was such a bad idea..._

She groaned weakly as she gathered herself on her hands and knees, looking up as her enemies took their time in approaching.

"Come now, little girl." Cinder Fall shook her head as she summoned up even more power into the cup of her hand, some bizarre mix of fire and electricity bubbling in her grasp. Behind her, several more Elder Griffons, each one larger than a small truck, loomed. All of them were chirping and rustling their wings in excitement, making her swallow as she forcing her exhausted arms to push herself up.

"Tell me where the Schnee is and I'll let you live." The woman offered as Ilia slowly got to her feet, her body painfully adopting a proper at-ready stance. "Otherwise I will simply have to allow my associates here to slowly rip you apart while they eat you."

Ilia couldn't stop the shudder than ran through her at the mental image of those beaks tearing into her. The notion of dying didn't really scare her, it hadn't since she'd joined the White Fang, but there was something about the notion of being _eaten_ that made her spine tighten and her stomach churn.

"Is she really worth it?" Cinder pressed, "A Schnee? Is she worth that kind of death?"

"She's..." She sucked in a breath and shook her head slightly, "She's not her father. And you wouldn't let me live anyway."

The older woman smirked. "Hm, true enough I suppose. Goodbye then, little faunus."

Not about to make it that easy for her, Ilia lunged to her right, diving behind the nearest tree. She expected to feel a rush of heat and pain as the false-maiden hit her with magic again, but instead there was a sudden crackling sound to coincide with a surge of arctic air. Stumbling, she jerked her head around to see a massive wall of ice in between her and the enemy for a split-second before Cinder's power obliterated a small portion of it.

"Ilia!" A hand grabbed her arm and yanked her into motion as shards of ice tumbled everywhere and steam filled the air, letting her see Ren hauling her along as Weiss began racing along with them. "Run!"

She didn't need the urging, finding her second or third wind as she got up to speed. "What the fuck are you doing!?"

"Saving you!" The heiress snapped back. "Obviously!"

"She's after _you!_ You should have run away not-"

Ren abruptly shoved her to one side, a black arrow slamming into his shoulder instead of her back a second later. He staggered, aura crackling from the impact, but kept his legs moving. "Argue later, we have to get to the Bullhead!"

Ilia ground her teeth but obeyed, bobbing and weaving between the trees as Grimm howled their pursuit.

...but strangely, no more arrows or magic came flying after them.

* * *

 **Author's Notes;**

 _So, the rough plan to deal with Cinder directly instead of retreating doesn't quite work out for everyone._ _Should just be one more chapter of combat to go, then we'll be in the oh-so-delightful aftermath._

 _Again to re-iterate for those who may have missed it before, I don't currently plan on doing a sequel. I really need to get back to two original works I'm trying to get done, and those are going to take priority for the foreseeable future. If anyone else wants to experiment with continuing the story after it's done, I may be open to providing support, but please wait to say anything until after the story is completed and you know how it ends._

 _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_

 **Thanks, Kat**


	69. Semester III: Endgame

**Endgame**

* * *

Cinder slowly lowered her bow, watching the Grimm pursue the naive children, her free hand holding her scroll up to her ear as Emerald updated her on the girl's task. "What of Arc?"

 _"He ran in your direction, I'm pursuing him as best I can."_

That man... honestly. Stubborn pride could be attractive in the right circumstances, but Jaune was taking it to unpalatable extremes. Was it so difficult to admit that she had beaten him?

"There is no need, I will deal with him. Coordinate with Watts to locate the crash site and get yourself in position."

" _Yes ma'am."_

Half-closing the device, she gave her aura meter a single glance before returning it to her belt. Seventy percent was lower than she'd hoped for but higher than her worst-case scenario had projected, and was more than enough to finish this matter.

The larger concern was the wave of exhaustion that had rolled over her after she had blown apart the ice wall that Schnee had thrown up to cover their retreat. Salem had warned her that, until she had the full power of the maiden at her disposal, that duration magic would be difficult if not impossible for her. Simple effects were easy enough, even the mixed explosions she had utilized had not felt like they had cost her much.

Magic may not have drained her aura, but it tired her physically, and her mimicry of true flight may have been a bit much in hindsight.

She shook herself once and let out an irritated huff. This wasn't the time for reflection, this was the time for action. Rolling her shoulders, she summoned a new arrow and lightly set it to the string, using her ears more than her eyes as she waited for her old friend to catch up.

It didn't take him long, not more than a few minutes passing before she heard him thundering in her direction.

"Honestly Jaune." She taunted as she caught a glimpse of blonde hair and gleaming steel, "There is such a thing as stealth."

In response he simply drew the sheath from his side, the metal expanding into a broad kite shield as he rushed directly for her. Settling her aim, she prepared herself, then released the arrow she released the arrow when he was no more than a dozen paces away, far too close to even deflect it, and he let out a violent breath as it struck his left shin.

Cinder shot forwards as he stumbled, her bow whipping around like a club to catch his left wrist, where his scroll was strapped to his forearm. The device shattered quite nicely, his sword arm recoiling from the blow, but her follow-up was blocked by his shield. He steadied himself as they exchanged a few testing blows, her adjusting to his shield while he adjusted to her unusual melee weapon, and then sped up as he earnestly began to try and break her defense.

 _So much effort, determination... all for a doomed cause!_

She retreated before him, Mercury's analysis of his style paying yet more dividends. The man was at his deadliest when he was on the counter-attack, when he'd lured his foe in. By refusing to engage beyond light strikes, by not biting at the false-openings he left in his guard, she forced him to be the aggressor.

He was reasonably skilled in the role, he visibly copying much of what she'd seen Nikos do, but it was a far cry from his preferred style... and it gave her the time she needed to redirect her forces.

 _Surround the humans,_ she called within her mind, directing her thoughts towards the parasite within. _Do not engage them. Let their fear build until my disciple arrives. Only then will you feast on them._

The strange emotions that were the Grimm's only response was the usual mix of restrained anger, excitement, and a kind of arrogant acceptance.

Jaune seemed to once more sense that she was stalling, his lips pulling back from his teeth as his emotions once more took hold of him. His attempts to emulate Nikos' aggressive skill began to fade, his fury overriding his sense as he became sloppier, trying to batter his way through her guard instead of skillfully finding holes in it.

Cinder kept up her retreat, crafting a smirk to annoy him further, then leaped behind a convenient tree when he tried an over headed blow. "What is wrong, dear Jaune?"

"Stop calling me that!" He snarled in reply, rushing around her cover to resume the attack, forcing her to twirl her bow to deflect a series of quick slashes.

"Tut. Here I thought-" She leaped back when he tried to bull-rush her once more, wincing as he suddenly drew up short and scored a hit on her shoulder. _Not so blind after all, that will not do!_

"Here I thought you were worried about your paramour!" She growled as she finally counter-attacked, lashing out at his legs, "Or did Emerald already cut her throat for you?"

The words had their desired effect, making him jerk in surprise and letting her dart backwards once more. "Come now, did you really think I came alone? My disciple was looking forwards to repaying the insults your harlot offered her."

He hesitated for a split second, finally realizing why she'd taken the moment to destroy his scroll, before rushing for her once more. That was all the time she needed to summon a burst of wind beneath her feet. Blue eyes were filled with hatred and fear, a delicious combination that more than made up for the sudden burning in her legs, and he stared furiously up at her.

"Who do you save, Jaune?" She taunted as she settled onto a thick tree branch, well out of his reach. "Your lover, or Ozpin's false-maiden?"

Jaune kept up his glare for several moments, then slowly collapsed his shield and returned it to his belt. For a split second she thought he might actually have finally taken the hint, then his hand blurred behind him and yanked another weapon free from his back. The dust flail whirled out to full extension as he swung it at her, but no matter fast he was, he was not faster than thought.

Another burst of wind flung her upwards a mere second before the branch was obliterated with a gravity dust enhanced strike, and she rolled her eyes, making sure he saw her do so before her will created an even greater gust that flung her in a long arc through the canopy and into the sky. She quickly relaxed its thrust as she cleared the trees, until she could spot the smoke rising from where the Bullhead had crashed, then summoned up a final bit to throw herself in that direction.

Not terribly elegant, but it took far less out of her than controlled flight... and she could feel the waves of tiredness roll over her even as her aura remained reasonably secure.

 _It is of matter. Soon I will be whole, and then I can deal with the remainder as I see fit._

Rather than land dramatically out in the open and invite any and all survivors to attack her at once, she aimed for an intact section of trees not far from the debris path. She allowed several branches to scratch and scrape at her as she fell, cushioning her fall only once she'd penetrated the canopy and the ground became a more immediate concern.

Her knees flexed as the landed, allowing her to rise into a smooth jog as she moved away from where she'd left Jaune, aiming to approach the wreck from its rear.

She would give his pilot this much; he'd managed a far more controlled crash than she'd anticipated. While pieces of an engine and most of the tail were strewn all across the ground, along with the trees the vehicle had smashed through, the core of the aircraft was intact and resting mostly upright. Its remaining engine was burning slightly, but she could make out movement even from a distance.

One survivor, a large figure, hauled two slimmer frames away from the wreck. Even better, just as she noticed the three of them, three more figures emerged from the treeline had stumbled into the clearing. It must have taken them longer to locate the actual crash given that they were stuck on ground level amid a sea of trees, and she could only smile at her good fortune.

Destiny, it seemed, remained firmly on her side.

Schnee and her two little bodyguards looked all too relieved to see that their companions had survived. Of course, the screeching Griffons behind them diluted their joy rather quickly, and gave her some amusement as the three retreated further to form a battle line with the only upright survivor from the crash.

She considered her position, the locations of her enemies, then carefully drew a small vial of dust and made a mild effort of will. Her red dress rippled to a dark black, and once she was certain they had not noticed her, she began a quick stalk through the edge of the tree line. Her eyes remained on her targets as the largest figure drew a weapon from his back, light glinting a massive battle-axe unfolded in his hands.

His voice carried easily as he began to give orders, "Schnee, you're ranged support, stay back and hammer down any fliers! You, guard my back, you, check the wounded! Is it just Grimm?"

Their conversation quieted just enough that she couldn't make out the words, her continuing movement bringing her behind them. Not that she really needed to know what was said, or even cared. The children would have probably guessed that Jaune or one of the others had distracted her, delayed her, but nothing more than that.

Her legs slowed to a stop as she carefully settled onto a knee, carefully making sure that a broken trunk provided all the cover that she needed while she caught her breath... and waited for her moment.

* * *

"They're staying back." Weiss shook her head sharply, Myrtenaster up and ready as she watched dark forms stomp around farther into the forest. "Why aren't they coming after us?"

"Old Grimm." The Vacuan huntsman replied, his deep voice low and hard. "They aren't quite as mindless as the usual ones. They're trying to drive up our fear, make us better meals."

She swallowed against her dry throat, "...oh."

"That," He continued, "Or this Fall woman is commanding them to stay back while she plots something. All of you keep your eyes open, watch our flanks. You, faunus, how are they?"

Ilia, by virtue of having next to no aura left, was kneeling beside Sable Arc and Mister Levi, carefully checking them over. "...unconscious still, but breathing."

Mister Vest grunted once. "Grab one of their rifles, start taking pot-shots at the Grimm. See if we can't bait them into coming before they're supposed to."

Rather than respond verbally, Ilia simply grabbed the old huntsman's heavy weapon and got it settled across a fallen bit of the Bullhead's wing. Weiss tuned out the thundering gunshots in favor of scanning the treeline, turning slightly so that her back was more towards Ren and Mister Vest.

That gave her a perfect view of the enemy Bullhead as it finished a lazy turn and began to dive straight for them.

Her sword swept before her on pure reflex as she called on her semblance, on her magic, a new wall of ice erupting from the ground as the others let out surprised shouts. Ren and Vest wasted no time in running towards her, while Ilia threw herself over Miss Sable and Mister Levi to cover them with what aura she had left.

The wall barely got up in time before bullets started to hammer into it, and she flinched when several cracked their way through, feeding more of her energy into the structure to solidify it, growing it even taller to protect Ilia and the wounded as well. She expected the barrage to continue, but instead of simply hovering and trying to batter its way through, the enemy pilot kept up his speed, swooping overhead with a roar before beginning a slow turn in the distance.

"Dammit." Mister Vest spat, glaring at the aircraft as he stepped away from her. "We're not going to be able to stay in the open with that bastard around. You, Schnee, can you bring him down?"

"I think so!" She shook her head, "But it-"

Ren abruptly grabbed her and spun her around, then hissed in pain as an arrow rebounded off of his back. Weiss gasped and snapped her head around, spotting a pale figure in black for a brief moment before it vanished farther back into the trees.

"We need to-" The adult huntsman didn't get to finish his sentence either when the Grimm let out a series of cries, the ground shaking as they finally charged.

 _That's her plan._ Weiss felt her chest go cold. _Wear us down, distract us, then kill me when I can't focus on her._

She couldn't keep her defenses across her entire body, fight the Grimm, and try to bring down the Bullhead all at the same time.

 _Or can I?_

Weiss sucked in a breath then backed up rapidly, only distantly hearing Mister Vest and Ren both telling her to go, to chase down Cinder, to end her while they held the Grimm back. Four Elder Griffons bounded towards them, smaller Nevermore beginning to come as well, drawn by the battle... the three of them wouldn't last long, and then the wounded would die, and then the Grimm would catch up to wherever she and Cinder would be fighting.

And then she would die as well.

Her back hit her ice wall, the cold rolling down into her as she focused, remember every lesson that Winter had ever given her. Ignoring Ilia's furious question as to what she was doing as guns began to bark and more Grimm howled, she swung her blade up and then drove it point down as she called on the true form of her semblance.

"You will rise!" She ordered as the glyphs spun wildly, her aura draining as it responded to her will. _Do not ask. Do not beg. Do not push. Simply expect it, anticipate it, command it to arise._

An armored helmet made of pure ice rose from the center, shoulders, arms, a sword, and then long legs following at once. Blue eyes stared at the visor as she fought to keep her icy calm, to finish the process, to not let it dissolve as she had allowed so many other attempts to fail.

"You will protect the wounded!" Weiss shouted, "Protect my companions!"

In response her knight swung its massive sword around, batting aside a Griffon she hadn't even heard coming before it could leap onto her. Ice creaked and mist surrounded it as it took a single long stride before plunging its blade entirely through the old Grimm, tearing it free in a spray of black.

Then it was lumbering into a charge, sweeping around where Vest, Ren, and Ilia were trying to protect the wounded, and drawing the attention of more than half the Grimm present.

"Step one, complete." She whispered, holding Myrtenaster up in salute when Ilia turned to openly gape at her for a moment before being drawn back into the fight. Her own eyes drifted upwards as the Bullhead leveled out once more, coming right for them. Weiss felt her legs tremble once with exhaustion, and she had no idea how much of her aura that summons had cost... but none of that really mattered.

So long as she could still stand and grip her weapon, she would fight.

"Time for step two," She squared her shoulders and locked onto her target, "Destroy the air support."

* * *

Jaune plowed through the forest as fast as his legs could carry him, cursing Cinder, the world, the gods, and himself more or less at random as he did.

Of _course_ Cinder wouldn't have come alone! Of _course_ her little apprentice had escaped Blake's pursuit and come with! Of _course_ she'd have stayed behind to finish off the wounded as soon as Cinder had led him away!

And of course he didn't have a choice about what to do.

Cinder destroying his scroll had made sense the moment she'd begun taunting him about what she'd ordered Emerald to do. She was forcing him to make a choice; run back the way he'd come to try and save Neo, or run after her and try to save Weiss from someone who'd proven she could hold him off without any real effort.

 _Neo... please have gotten the two of you out of there._

His worries for Neo, and Charcoal, made his chest ache as he ran, following the trail of screaming Grimm, bursts of fire, and rising smoke that seemed to indicate where the battle had migrated to. He was sure had Weiss to thank for the light show that was guiding him, catching glimpses of bright flashes through the trees whenever she aimed something at the Bullhead. It must have gotten hit at least once because its engines had a noticeable whine, and his next glance up was just in time to see several glistening ice-spears slam into its flank.

The pilot banked away at once, vanishing out of sight, but he was fairly certain it was retreating.

 _Thank the gods for that much at least!_

Jaune's eyes returned to ground level as he came close enough to see the dark forms of Grimm ahead, all of them howling, shrieking, and moving as they attacked his friends. At least two of the massive Elder Grimm were still alive, though one of them seemed to be entirely occupied fighting with a giant knight made purely out of ice, while the other was bleeding black ooze from a dozen wounds as Vest cut into it with his axe.

Rather than waste his breath shouting at anyone, Jaune elected to announce his arrival by barreling into a smaller Griffon that had just landed near Ren's flank. The pony sized Grimm shrieked as he lowered his shoulder, throwing it back and cutting at its neck in a single smooth motion. Two more Grimm were engaging his student, and he dealt with one when it spun around, neatly ducking a frantically swat of its claws and taking off the top of its head in reply.

"Professor." Ren tried to sound as placid and calm as he usually did he kept the last creature off of him with quick cuts of his weapons, but it came out both exhausted and strung-out. "Weiss is under attack!"

His head snapped around on pure reflex to see Weiss retreating frantically, a flurry of Nevermore swarming about her head. He'd have thought those easy enough to deal with until he saw her throw herself out of the way of an obsidian arrow.

Sucking in a breath, Jaune moved past Ren with a quick nod, making his third charge towards Cinder.

"Professor!" Weiss' shout was half-relief, half-warning, "She's staying back!"

"Cover me!" He bellowed in reply, keeping his shield up and sword down as his eyes searched the forest. Cinder revealed herself a few seconds later, stepping out from behind a distant tree to cut loose with another arrow.

Jaune absently brought his shield up and felt it jerk back against the blow, his feet already churning as he got back up to full speed. Cinder seemed to scowl, even from a distance, and began to slowly walk backwards, firing arrows at him as she went. Each one struck his shield or deflected off of his sword until he was within ten paces, then she shifted her aim and fired low.

This time he was ready for it, his shield already dropping to protect his legs, to stop her from knocking him down again.

...which made it an unpleasant surprise when two hard strikes slammed right into his sternum and sent him into a stumble. He regained his balance quickly enough, then felt his throat go dry as Emerald Sustrai stepped forwards from where Cinder Fall had just been standing.

The girl looked horrible. A bandage soaked through with blood covered a shoulder, her pupils were dilated to the size of large coins, and her breathing was more than a little uneven... but that didn't stop her from aiming her gun and double-tapping him again in the chest at point-blank range.

Grimacing in pain and sudden worry, where the _fuck_ was Cinder!?, he snapped his shield up and slammed it across her wrist before she could fire again. Her drugged up reflexes weren't quite up to the task of dodging, and she let out a pained yelp before trying to retreat. He followed her, lashing out at her wounded shoulder, and she went down with a breathless scream when it impacted.

He took a moment to kick her weapon away from her while she curled instinctively into a ball, then stomped hard on one of her ankles with a boot to keep her in place.

Behind him the battle abruptly went perfectly silent, and his heart stopped beating as Ilia screamed Weiss' name.

* * *

"I do apologize for this." Cinder murmured, a hand caressing the girl's pale features. "But the power was never yours."

Weiss Schnee coughed, blood dribbling down her lips as she stared helplessly up at her, then dropped her eyes to stare at the black sword which had run her through.

The girl had been a more difficult opponent than she'd have thought, but still far too inexperienced for this level of engagement. She had been overly committed to her semblance, merely using her magic to enhance that aspect of her talents rather than being able to utilize the full power on its own. And while she had not been unskilled with her weapon, she hadn't been any match for Cinder in close quarters battle.

Of those present, only Jaune could have reasonably expected to hold her off for any length of time, and dear Emerald had played her role perfectly when he had arrived. Exploiting his hatred for her and luring him away even as his compatriots had screamed for him to come back had been all too easy, even in her disciple's state. The little faunus had even tried to rope him in with her little weapon, forcing Cinder to temporarily break off from fighting the false-maiden to put an arrow into her arm.

Behind her, the last of the Grimm were dying, their purpose spent in blocking the remaining huntsman from interfering with either herself or Emerald.

But that hardly mattered as the full power of the maiden began to flow into her. The girl was dying, if not dead, and her fading soul could no longer prevent the magic from re-uniting with its true master.

"No..." Schnee gasped as motes of golden light began to drift away from her skin and into Cinder's. Behind her, the towering form of her knight abruptly faded, disintegrating into a small flurry of snow as its mistress began to die.

"Goodbye, little girl." Cinder purred as she brought her second sword up for the killing blow, "Embrace your destiny, as I embrace mine."

Schnee shook once, then jerked her leg up at the same time as Cinder began to lower her weapon, fingers yanking a tiny pistol from a boot. Cinder felt her lips part in surprise and ducked on reflex, keeping her sword arm moving until the blade had cut into the girl's chest.

Noise and pain exploded across her features when the girl's finger tightened on the trigger as she died, and even her self-control failed as agony ripped through her. Her aura had been focused on her left, where the remaining members of Jaune's cabal fought to bring down the rest of the Grimm, and she had been a beat slow in shifting her defenses thanks to her divided attention.

She got it up enough that the SDC manufactured air-dust round didn't simply tear through her skull, but the sheer impact was more than enough to destroy the area where the bullet had impacted. Worse, the rest of the maiden's mantle slammed into her like a runaway Ursa, the pleasure of that contrasting horribly with the burning in her right eye, her entire head throbbing in pain as half of her vision went black... and the rest turned an agonized red.

Cinder screamed uncontrollably, stumbling backwards until her back hit the last bits of the Schnee's ice wall, not even noticing as the girl's body broke down into fading golden light.

"Weiss!" Arc's horrified cry was a distant thing... but it gave her an outlet.

A vague sweep of her arm summoned fire as she stumbled and wavered, her throat aching from her own screams of pain. What little she could see through the haze of pain blossomed into red flame, heat roaring in the direction she'd heard Jaune's voice. Something struck her hard on the right side, her aura flaring as it held off the blow, and she once more covered herself in fire to force whoever it was back and away.

The ice behind her abruptly cracked and burst into steam as the heat vaporized it, and she felt herself once more howling with pain as it scorched her back.

Pure instinct had her summon wind beneath her, the ground falling away through the haze as she flung herself into the sky, fulfilling the primal need to simply _get away_ while her body was wounded. Exhaustion and agony made it impossible to focus enough to achieve a proper landing, and it was all she could do to focus another burst of wind to slow herself down as she came down.

She landed on a knee, panting, shaking her head furiously to try and clear her vision, Salem's teachings on pain letting her slowly push the throbbing in her head away. The feeling of blood, and probably pieces of her eye, dripping down her cheek didn't do much to calm her, but the rage she felt helped her focus in its own way.

Her close range attacker must have been the little faunus; Amitola was prone on the ground near where she had been, instinctively curled in a ball and smoking slightly from the heat Cinder had left behind her. From her twitching she was still alive, but was definitely not a threat.

Jaune was farther away, she must have caught him with the wave of fire she'd sent in his direction because he was busy scrambling away from burning trees and his white aura was cracking apart.

 _Easy enough to deal with._

That just left the last student and the old huntsman. Both were upright and moving in her direction, the younger of the pair firing his weapons as they came on. It was no difficulty to thrust a hand out, a shield blocking away the impacts while she stoked the rage to ever higher levels.

She unleashed it when the boy was a few paces away; roaring column of fire that struck them both like a physical object and sent them skipping along the ground to smash through several fallen trees. The older actually struck Jaune, sending both to the ground, while the small of the student's back came to rest against one of the few trees still upright in the area.

...and Cinder found herself collapsing onto a knee as she gasped for breath, the effort of so much magic on her already tired body making itself felt. She might have had the full power of the mantle now, but it didn't seem to be doing nearly as much as she had hoped to rejuvenate her.

"Fools!" She gasped, her bow appearing with a thought, giving her something to use to help hold her upright. "It is over! You're beaten! So just... _fucking... die..._ already!"

"Murderer!" Jaune croaked in reply, getting himself upright and beginning to stagger in her direction. Her arm burned as she drew back the string, then all but fell to her side when she released the arrow.

She'd once more aimed low, and her foe's reflexes were too shot to react in time. The arrow shattered what was left of his aura and embedded itself in his ankle, sending him to the ground for the final time.

"It's over." She repeated, dragging her legs forwards through sheer will, the maiden's fire burning in her eyes. "Over! You are coming... with me. Salem will deal with you."

Jaune got a knee under himself, his lame leg stretched out behind him. "I will... never go with you! Neo was right, should have just killed you!"

Cinder found the energy to bark out a laugh, "Yes, you should have. But you didn't, did you? And now your friends will have to die to remind you of your mistakes."

His expression froze, then twisted as he lunged in her direction. He managed a step before his leg gave out, leaving him prone and shouting curses while she turned and brought her weapon up. The two men were still recovering, but mobile, but that left the faunus and a pair of prone forms she could partially make out near the wrecked Bullhead.

The White Fang traitor was the easiest target, and the one she settled on as she spent a pittance of aura to call out another arrow.

Jaune's howling curses and the crackle of burning wood stopped her from hearing the footsteps until they were all but on top of her.

* * *

Pyrrha's hands were shaking, her chest was thrumming in a way that couldn't be healthy, and her left foot wouldn't stop twitching whenever she wasn't moving. She only had Akouo thanks to Ilia's theft of Milo, and her armor was more than a little damaged thanks to her fall from the Bullhead.

Not that such things stopped her from lowering her shoulder and driving it into Cinder Fall's side, both women tumbling to the ground. Fall's bow shattered to glass as it tumbled out of her hands, leaving pale hands to seize Pyrrha's wrists a moment before the champion could slam her bronze shield into her sternum.

Her enemy snarled something that might have been a word, her eyes blazing as an unseen force abruptly hurled Pyrrha off of her. The red head struck the ground, rolled once, then got back up to a knee as she glared at Fall. The woman reciprocated the look in kind, both of them scrambling up to their feet, but Fall took that a step further by kicking off from the ground and levitating.

Pyrrha threw Akouo without hesitation, her semblance accelerating the toss. Cinder flung herself backwards somehow, a clawed hand thrown forwards, lightning lashing out to hammer the shield into the ground before it could impact her.

...then she seemed to waver, falling a foot or two before catching herself, a hand snapping up to clutch at her chest.

 _She's blind on her right side. She's exhausted. Her aura must be low. Everyone else is down. Recovering. Or out. I heard Illia and Jaune scream. Weiss is... gone._

The steady litany ran through her mind just as her trainers had taught her, and she felt her jaw set as she settled on her plan, as her eyes finished a second's sweep of the torn up and burning battleground.

"Fool! You cannot-" Fall's words cut off when Pyrrha thrust a hand of own out, fingers curling in a gesture of command as she reached out with her semblance.

Debris strewn from the fallen Bullhead responded at once, leaping up into the air as invisible magnets drew it upwards. Fall stared at the tide as it swirled into a churning mass of steel, then allowed herself to fall to the earth and thrust both of her hands out as it descended on her.

Pyrrha's lips pulled back as she pushed more of her aura out, focusing. Pieces of an engine came in from Fall's left, crashing into a shield of fire and force, quickly followed by part of a wing and some kind of cabling that threatened to ensnare her.

Cinder focused all of her attention on that barrage, and was unprepared when Pyrrha sent Myrtentaser's thin blade down at her from her blinded right. It came down nearly vertically, striking just between her shoulder and neck, plunging straight down into her chest.

* * *

 **Author's Notes;**

 _So... here's my Christmas gift to everyone, a chapter that more or less signals the end of the journey. Should just be one, maybe two, epilogue chapters before it's completed. I'll definitely include a long author's note about how everything went, where I think I did well and poorly, and how the nature of the story changed as it went along._

 _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_

 **Thanks, Kat**


	70. Epilogue: Pyrrhic Victory

_**Pyrrhic Victory**_

* * *

James Ironwood, Headmaster and General of Atlas, sat at a desk in an unused classroom in Beacon, his eyes seeing but not truly looking at the increasing pile of paperwork.

The seven days since the battle had ended had been seven days of chaos, punctuated only by brief periods of rest broken up by more reports and ill news.

To most observers, the defense of Vale had been an unqualified, though costly, victory. A true triumph that displayed how critical the Vale-Atlas alliance was, how the coordination between huntsman and soldiers had turned the tide of the battle, how these past few horrible months had shown that the Grimm were not an unconquerable threat. How, despite so many setbacks, so much negativity, that brave men and women had still held the line.

They would be only partially correct... to him, to others who knew the face of the true enemy, this was a time where the battle had been won, but the war may have been lost.

Perhaps half of Beacon remained somewhat intact, which, in truth, still left the old complex with twice as many buildings as it truly needed to operate. But that was merely the buildings, the stone and mortar. The lives that had been lost would not be so easily let go.

By the grace of the gods most of the student body had survived the battle. Kitsune-chan's battle plan of keeping them back, defending the CCT and central tower, leaving Vale's veteran teams to hold the cliff facing. Of course seeing so many of those veterans fall before the Grimm, dying right before their eyes, had left those same students traumatized and withdrawn.

All the more so when they'd fully grasped that Ozpin was gone, that three full student teams lay dead, and more than half of the rest were somewhere between wounded and crippled.

And that several others were, even now, unaccounted for.

His eyes rose as the door opened, Glynda stepping inside, the new Headmistress of Beacon speaking before he could even greet her. "Miss Rose has awoken."

The General felt something in his chest ease. "And?"

Glynda's eyes lowered, "She learned of Weiss Schnee's passing and all but collapsed sobbing. Winter Schnee and Miss Xiao-Long had to hold her until she fell asleep once more."

"...she was too young for this." James shook his head once. "Dammit Ozpin... you should never have moved her ahead."

"If he hadn't we may have lost the school." Glynda stated quietly.

He felt himself grimace at the reminder. The girl had helped bring down the Dragon, helping lure it away from the main battle for a few critical minutes, but her true contribution had come after it had died. According to Qrow, the girl had seen Grimm swarming the team protecting the medical wing, and had instinctively tapped into her silver eyes to protect her helpless sister.

The effort had flattened her even as it had obliterated a good third of the Grimm still alive. Once the various students and huntsman had gotten over their shock they'd fallen on the remaining enemies, further bolstered by the fact that many of the remaining fliers had gone chasing off after Arc's little posse. With only ground-based Grimm to focus on, they'd been able to clear the school after perhaps an hour, then begin providing support for the city defenses below.

They had formed the anvil to his hammer when his fleet had arrived, obliterating the swathes of Grimm trying to crowd their way through the cracks in the city walls. From there they'd had to move in, clearing the building sized Grimm that had arisen from the ocean to wreck most of the city's harbor district.

Only when the last of the creatures had fallen had he been able to get in touch with Beacon, with Glynda and Kitsune, to ascertain the magnitude of the disaster.

"She should remain on Patch with her father." He said after a few moments. "Please inform Winter she is to remain there as an honor guard for team RWBY. She needs the rest and time away as much as anyone."

Not that Winter would ever admit as much. His subordinate would want to throw herself into her work to bury her grief, but if she did such a thing it would all catch up to her sooner rather than later. Better for Winter to come to terms with her grief along with her sister's closest companions before she returned to work, and eventually to Atlas.

Especially as the girls in question were hardly in any shape to defend themselves. Belladonna and Xiao-Long had survived their injuries, but it had been somewhat touch and go for the both of them. Better to have Winter there to assist Taiyang in protecting them if Salem decided to try and eliminate potential threats before they could grow into their strength and become even greater threats to her plans.

"And once they have recovered?" Glynda asked. "Do you intend to steal them away to Atlas until Ozpin makes contact? We both know that he'll want Miss Rose to be near him now that her eyes are fully awoken, for whatever his plan might end up being given recent events."

James sighed, "I honestly don't know, Glynda. That feels like the safer move, if there is such a thing as safety with Raven Branwen entering the game once more. But at least in Atlas we might have a chance to keep the girls secure even with her interference."

Her lips pressed into a thin line before she spoke. "She could still simply retrieve her, unless you want to take some rather extreme precautions."

"Possibly, and you know I would rather not." He admitted, "But even so, Branwen isn't stupid, and she has to know know that we will place a tracker on her daughter. If she took her from Atlas our battleships would be above her camp within hours. That will keep her at bay."

Glynda grimaced, reaching up to rub at her forehead before tiredly adjusting her glasses. "...I'll approve the transfer, but I want all three of them to agree to it beforehand. They deserve to make an informed decision on their own."

He nodded and mentally added a trip out to Patch to his packed schedule. "I'll handle it personally. If nothing else it may force Oz to be more open with us regarding his machinations. If he'd just listened to me..."

"If he'd listened to you," She interrupted him firmly but gently, "Jaune and Neopolitan would have simply fled earlier, and Cinder would have gone to ground in advance of the Festival. Things would have changed, yes, but that does not mean for the better. It could have easily been much worse. Imagine if Cinder had abducted Jaune's sisters and forced him to aid her."

The General grimaced once more and settled back in his chair, unable to argue the point despite badly wishing that he could... and in truth, had it been anyone with Glynda, he probably still would have tried. "Speaking of Arc, do we have any news?"

Glynda hesitated, then strode to her left before settling down into a chair of her own. "...no. Team BONE confirmed that Sable and Coral Arc were dropped off in Ansel's small clinic three days ago. Middle of the night, no one saw them come in, the nurses came running when they heard shouting from an empty room. The former is recovering from numerous minor injuries but both are otherwise healthy. They were able to verify what your specialists discovered in the forest, but had no knowledge of their brother's future plans... or his location."

"We know his location," He waved a dismissive hand, "Branwen's camp, wherever in Mistral that might be right now. He's not mad enough to try and stay in Vale, and Nikos will need training assuming that the message we received is true regarding her status. Did you instruct your team to keep the family under surveillance?"

"Given how few teams we have and how many Grimm remain in the kingdom, no." She twitched a shoulder, "Nicholas would have noticed them quickly enough, and his lawyer is already about to savage you for Sapphire Arc's arrest."

"That will be handled." Atlas' governmental lawyers had already been in contact, and so far as he knew, both sides were in agreement on an out-of-court settlement that would see Atlas paying for the college educations of the entire family. That and a silent agreement not to arrest or investigate the two sisters who had been with their brother at the end. "We should still take basic precautions in case he attempts to make contact in the future. His sister was supposed to apprentice under his partner after all."

Glynda shook her head once, "Jaune is many things but he is not a man who would willingly put his family in danger. From what team BONE told me, Sable Arc's return to her family wasn't voluntary on her part."

He grunted, "Sign of a guilty conscience? Were they able to determine if the assassin remained in his employ?"

"If we can trust their word, then Charcoal and the other two mercenary huntsmen brought in returned to Vacuo once they were healed enough to do so." One of her shoulders rose and fell in a slight shrug, "They also verified that Miss Valkyrie re-united with her team thanks to Neapolitan's semblance, so that is at least one missing person we can remove from the list."

His mechanical fingers drummed a single rhythm on the desk, "Assessment?"

"...I don't see how we could avoid putting Leo on alert. With another Maiden backing her, and a pair of criminals specializing in infiltration, Raven may make a play for Haven."

Not long before, he might have agreed at once, but... "Something is happening in Mistral. Cinder Fall was a long-term substitute there, and her apprentices were inserted into the student body far too easily. Either Leo has turned, or one of his teachers has. Right now he doesn't know that Branwen has the Spring mantle, it may be best to let that continue."

Glynda sighed, "I can't bring myself to disagree, but he _does_ need to be kept close in either case. Perhaps if we framed it as a warning against Jaune and Neapolitan alone?"

"That may work," He agreed, "We can discuss it with the others tomorrow when we update them as to the full situation. In the meantime, we need to begin quietly looking for that camp. As much as we can given the international situation."

She knew what he meant without any more details, "Qrow can find them, but they'll know he's coming, and he's not likely to leave until Miss Rose and Miss Xiao-Long finish their recoveries."

"It will likely take Arc a few weeks to recover as well. And even if Branwen knows we're watching them, I'd rather not let them think they've gotten away with all of this."

It would be later rather than sooner... but he would see Arc and his partner pay for their crimes. No matter what it took.

* * *

Jaune Arc, former professor and wanted fugitive, sat on the rough cot in his tent, staring at his sword without really seeing it.

It had been a long week, not made any shorter despite at least one attempt to drink himself into a stupor that had only been partially stopped by Neo and Pyrrha.

On the surface, it seemed like everything had worked out in the end. He and Neo were alive, they now knew more than they ever had about the fight they'd stumbled into, and they'd managed to acquire allies who were loyal to something beyond lien. They were reasonably safe, secure, and weren't likely to be arrested anytime soon. His family was safe and uninvolved, and General Ironwood would know that they hadn't had anything to do with his actions, so apart from Sable wanting to punch him he didn't have anything to fear in regards to their safety.

Of course... none of that changed the fact that Weiss was gone.

And it was all his fault.

A rustle of cloth drew his eyes up, Neo carefully closing the flap behind her as she stepped inside. Her fingers flickered and arms moved, telling him that team RAVN was asking after him again. The little brats were worried.

"...it's dinner time already?" He asked quietly.

Neo's lips pursed as she nodded.

"...I'm not that hungry. Go ahead and eat with-"

The slap cut him off before he could finish, snapping his head around as his cheek burned. He didn't turn back until fingers grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her.

She was sick and tired of him blaming himself for the girl's death. Schnee wasn't the first person they'd lost, and she probably wouldn't be the last. It had been a week, and she'd been patient, but it was time to stop _moping_ and time to start _acting_.

"I'm not-" Neo slapped him again, though this time he tensed his neck and glared at her. "-moping!"

He was barely eating, not training, had hardly spoken to the brats they'd dragged out with them, and had been sitting in a self-pitying ball for the last week! That was moping!

"Dammit Neo, it's _my fault_ she died! I think I'm allowed to consider my path!" Neo snapped her hand at his chin in reply, his own rising on reflex to bat her third strike aside. "And stop trying to get me angry enough to fight you!"

His partner went still for a long moment, then slowly lowered her arm as her eyes blinked to a dull brown. The girl was dead, because Cinder had killed her. Maybe they'd screwed up, maybe they hadn't, but that didn't matter.

"How does it not matter!?"

Neo stabbed a finger outside the tent, because Pyrrha and her team were out there right now, surrounded by Mistralian bandits. They'd come with them because for some gods-knew-why reason, the four of them _believed_ in Jaune and Neo. If he didn't stop acting suicidal they would lose a lot more than one student.

Jaune couldn't help but flinch at the last couple of words. "I'm not suicidal."

A narrow eyebrow rose, oh? He wasn't? Was that why RAVN was keeping a constant watch outside their tent and stealing any alcohol before he could finish it?

He opened his mouth, closed it, then lifted a hand to rub tiredly at his face and hair. Both were sweaty and oily, he couldn't remember the last time he'd had a proper bath. Ugh.

"I can't just flip a switch." He murmured finally, "I don't care that Cinder was the one who did the deed, Weiss wouldn't have died if I'd listened to you."

Maybe, maybe not, but she wasn't asking him to act like a happy idiot. She was asking him to get the fuck out of the tent and actually interact with their new disciples.

"Don't call them that. That's what Cinder called her little maniacs."

Neo rolled her eyes. Their students then.

"...all right." He sighed, "I'll... right. I suppose I am a bit hungry."

She nodded once, turning back and opening the tent flap once more, though she pointedly didn't go through it and instead turned back to watch him. Grumbling a bit to himself at the lack of trust, he slowly hauled himself to his feet and slid Crocea Mors back into its sheathe. Despite what Neo had said he didn't consider himself suicidal, and wandering around a bandit camp unarmed would probably have counted towards that.

Stepping past his lover, he winced at the bright sunlight outside and lifted a hand... which made sure that he didn't see the deluge of water that slammed into him.

Yelping in shock at the cold, he jumped back and blindly drew his sword, stopping only when he heard Nora snickering at him.

"...really?" He demanded, irritably returning his weapon and glowering through his sopping hair at the four teens around him.

"Miss Neo said you needed a bath." Pyrrha provided apologetically, holding a rough towel out for him. "Nora and Illia decided to help."

He turned his glower to the two girls in question, and the bucket they'd held between them, "That better have been water from the river."

Nora placed a hand on her heart, "I would never be that crass!"

Her acting talent was not helped by Ren rolling his eyes behind her, though it was Ilia who spoke up, "It was, don't worry. We also made sure there's a plate of food waiting."

Jaune wiped at his face and nodded in thanks, "Think it will still be there?"

"The last time someone stole our food Nora broke three legs." The faunus noted. "I think they got the message after that."

Even with everything he couldn't help but snort quietly, "I guess you all learned how to deal with bandits without me."

"Only on how to get them to leave us alone." Ren said, "I think it would be easier if you could give us better direction."

... _gods, they must really think I'm far gone if they're being this blatant._

Sighing, he nodded slowly and forced his spine to straighten. "...yeah, I think so too. But before we eat, I want to apologize to you all."

Pyrrha started to speak at once, stopping when Neo snapped a hand up, telling them to hold off until he finished.

"This is... not what we planned, not where I thought we'd be." Jaune continued quietly, not really about to let the whole camp hear. "I made mistakes. Bad calls. Bad plans. Decisions that led to people getting hurt... getting killed. Because I was stubborn. I thought I knew best, knew the way to get everything we wanted instead of trying to protect what we had. I... I can't promise I won't make mistakes again. All I can say is that I won't ever make _those_ mistakes again. I'll die before I make those mistakes again."

He sucked in a slow breath, "If any of you want to leave, to go anywhere else, just let us know and we'll get you there. But Neo and I are still in, we can't afford to get out. This... Salem, she knows about us, and Hazel is still out there. So long as they are, I don't think we'll be able to hide. So we're going to have to keep working at it until we find a way to stop them... or until we find a new option."

Pyrrha closed her eyes, then opened them... and when she did a dull red glow seemed to emanate from the corners. "I'm staying with you, Professor. I... I'm in now, just like you, and even if I wasn't... you helped me so much. Even if you say I don't have to, I.. I won't leave you."

Ilia smiled a little and stepped over, placing a hand on her partner's shoulder. "Where she goes, I go."

"Not even a question!" Nora grinned, "Right Ren?"

Her own partner smiled slightly, "Well, there is one question. Where are we going next, Professor?"

His stomach rumbled audibly, drawing grins and chuckles. "For now? Dinner. After that... we'll have a talk with Raven Branwen, and see just what she knows about Haven."

* * *

 _ **End ~ Student of Vacuo**_

* * *

 _ **Post Script Author's Note**_

 _So... yeah, here we are at the end. About a full year later than it should have been, you all have my apologies for that, but at least we made it. Despite a divorce, house problems, work problems, depression problems, writer's block, and general clumsiness problems... we made it. This is by far and away my most read, reviewed, and favorited story, which kind of blows me away at times, but I'm grateful all the same for everyone whose read it._

 _Shout out to Couer Al'aran for the original and giving me his permission to write this spin-off, and for everyone who has left a review. Special shout out to those maniacs who reviewed almost every chapter, I always get a bit of kick at watching people react as they go through the whole thing._

 _Just as a final reiteration, despite the setup, I personally don't intend to write a sequel to this. It was fun, but I have personal writing projects I'm treating as my priority moving forwards. If anyone else wants to take on the next story arc I'd be happy to serve as a beta and someone to bounce ideas off of, feel free to reach out to me at the Professor Arc forums if you want to talk about things._

 _Semper Victoria,_

 _Kat 2 V_

* * *

 _ **Post-Post Script Notes**_

 _As I promised, just a quick bit of information on how the story started to change near the end of Semester II. In hindsight I think I fell into the same trap I did back when I first started writing, I paid too much attention to constructive criticism and not enough attention on how I wanted the story to flow. That isn't to say that listening to criticism is bad, far from it, but I allowed it to dictate my writing in a way I probably shouldn't have._

 _The end result is the different feel and pace of S3 compared to S1 and S2, with what you all got as S3 basically being my original plan for the second half of S3 with far less of the build-up that I intended. The third semester was supposed to be a bit slower in pacing, matching the first two, showcasing a more gradual slide into the frenetic chaos, and everything was supposed to stay at roughly the same chapter length as the prior sections. Real life had a bit of a hand in that, but it was also just to spread everything out a bit after I decided to start cutting content._

 _Things that were removed, to my current regret;_

 _Dealing with Pyrrha's family; this was partially teased in the Jaune's family arrival section, and was supposed to come at around the same time. I didn't like how it was going and postponed it to S3, planning on that acting as something egged on by Cinder to distract Jaune and RAVN, then cut it entirely when I decided to rush S3._

 _Attached to the above; Ilia & Pyrrha's relationship shifting to confirmed couple. They were always going to cut back a little after the Dance/Breach, but part of the dealing with Pyrrha's parents sub-plot was supposed to also include an Illia/Pyrrha date that got cut along with the parental route._

 _Ilia & Neo going on a crime spree to get the money to pay Charcoal, Vest, and Levi. Teased slightly in the interludes, cut for pacing._

 _Two drinking/bar reminiscing scenes between the Vacuo crew and Jaune & Neo, adding more flash-backs of their time in Vacuo and fleshing out the supporting cast a bit._

 _Jaune & Neo fighting over his plan to try and subvert Cinder was supposed to be more detailed and longer than it ended up being, with Cinder playing along far more in order to make it a bit more realistic of an option in Jaune's mind. Lowered mostly for pacing._


End file.
